I’ve been a fan of Reddit for years, so when I looked at their AMA (Ask Me Anything) calendar and saw that Thursday was looking light, I thought I’d give this unconventional interview format a shot. The rules are fairly simple: People ask questions about your unusual profession, and generally the ones with the most votes are the ones you should answer. Six hours later, I had answered every single one.
There were some funny ones, one really crazy guy who is convinced I’m ruining America, and a lot of heartfelt questions from people with serious medical conditions. There also was a 24-year-old who wanted me to write a letter to their mom explaining that their recent admission they smoke pot wasn’t the end of the world.
There are always questions coming in after the bell on these AMAs, so I wanted to address the five “best of the rest.”
TheFishSeattle: Whats up with this junk weed that I get from my guy sometimes? You know, that stuff where you cant peak no mater how much you smoke? Sometimes it tastes a little funky? What are the scams? I’ve heard of watering weed to increase weight, seems obvious to maybe mix something green in to increase volume..whats the deal?
JB: If you’re in Seattle you just need to find a better “dude” to get your ganj from, as there’s plenty of good smoke there. Funk taste can come from any number of origins, but likely just the fact that it’s junk. Watering weed? People actually do that? Some places will store nugs in high-humidity environments to keep it from losing weight but this comes with a risk of mold. On the “scam” side, some people will introduce a plant to cold so it’ll purple out. I’ve heard of people putting sugars and flavors into water to try to sweeten the final product but don’t know anyone who actually does that. Putting trim in pre-rolled joints is disgusting but happens. But yeah, if something just generically green is in your bag and you can’t distinguish it from pot, that’s a bad sign.
a_random_hobo: When you tell people that you’re a marijuana critic, do they think you’re a conservative that’s against marijuana legalization?
JB: That never crossed my mind until this AMA, when probably a dozen people mentioned it. Should I change it up? Say “reefer reviewer” maybe? That people believe there’s a position open for someone who hates pot still cracks me up.
skinavish: How are strains even named? Do you just smoke a ton of the new strain you just grew and then write down the first things that come to mind, or is there some sort of logic or system behind it?
JB: Breeders generally come up with them, which definitely makes things interesting. At the end of the day, though, a dispensary can make up a name, slap a label on a jar, and you’ve got a brand new type of herb. This happens all the time, sometimes for marketing reasons. When Charlie Sheen was busy shouting “WINNING!” at people, a few different places started selling bud called… Charlie Sheen. And it moved! Then the next week they called it Michael Phelps or something. I don’t grow because I kill almost every plant that comes into contact with my gardening skills. But yes, there is a system and logic behind it, primarily answering what a strain looks like, smells like, tastes like, and what effect it has.
wickster37: I’m in the U.S. Air Force. How are all of the military bases handling the legalization? Also, do you think it will ever be legal for the military to partake?
JB: First, thank you for your service, wickster. I suspect that military bases don’t have a disposal bin like the Colorado Springs Airport because there’s a zero tolerance policy across all of the U.S. Armed Forces. You can thank Reagan for that. Honestly, I don’t think they’ll change that policy in my lifetime, but I do think that PTSD will be an approved condition in every medical state within a couple years. Nevada and Michigan both recently added it to their approved condition list, so there’s progress.
