MMJ: Reality of Legality

Considering that cannabis is now legal, and the police used the War on Drugs to ask for increased funding for decades, shouldn’t we now be clamoring to reduce police funding and take back our tax dollars? -Freddy Frugal

Sure, but it’s not gonna happen. The DEA will never ask for less money. In fact, 20 percent of the extra tax money collected from Prop. 64 (after expenses and obligations) goes to law enforcement, so they can work on a new sobriety test to catch stoned drivers, and to “support programs designed to reduce any potential negative impacts on public health or safety resulting from the measure.”

Do you agree with the widely-held belief that weed is “a lot stronger these days,” or, like me, think there is just better availability of the decent stuff now, and good weed has always been good weed? -Jess Wunderen

It’s a hard thing to judge. No one was really keeping track of THC percentage in the ’70s or ’80s. Weed was either “weak” or “strong.” Now, with all the fancy machines and whatnot, there has definitely been an increase in THC percentages in the past few years. Hash and concentrates have higher THC levels now than ever before. I mean, when I was a young cannabis user, all we had was cold-water hash, which would max out at around 50-percent THC. These days, a good butane extraction will be more like 85 percent.

But it doesn’t matter. It’s not about strength, it’s about flavor. Stronger weed just means you have to smoke less to get just as high, which will save you money in the long run. I generally prefer cannabis in the 15 – to 20-percent THC range. This is subjective, but I feel like it tastes better.

One friend says cannabis weakens the immune system. I had never heard this and I’ve now seen a couple studies, but I’m no expert. Say it ain’t so! -Otto M. Yuen

The studies are inconclusive. We do know marijuana’s anti-inflammatory properties affect the autoimmune system (which is why cannabis is great for treating the symptoms arthritis and other autoimmune diseases). To say that cannabis “weakens” the immune system may be a stretch; we are going to need more tests and more data first. Yay science!