New frontiers in cannabis culture

Welcome to the new frontier in cannabis culture: the Pacific Northwest. Recreational marijuana being legally available to all adults in Oregon formally kicked off on Thursday – Oct. 1. State law now allows anyone age 21 and over to purchase up to 7 grams of the best weed on the planet – short of the Middle East – per day.

So, here are some of the basic rules in the law, as well as the Advocate’s own best practices guide for what you need to know about legal weed.

Or “flower,” we should say – as the most recently concluded Oregon Legislature referred to, in describing the smokable part of the plant. Strictly flower, that is: No concentrates or edibles will be available for recreational use until at least 2017, (unlike in Washington state, although, you may still bake). You may carry up to one ounce on you while in public, and store up to 8 ounces in your home.

Uncle Sam is going to ask for your birthday, but you do not have to provide retailers with your name. You may only smoke in private areas.

The best option by far is to just go ahead and get your medical card; it’s not hard at all. You’ve probably seen a “doctor’s office” with a green sign before. Just walk in there, tell them you get headaches sometimes, or get nervous on airplanes – you get the picture – and, voila! You now have a medical card, which gives you access to the full range of products, as opposed to just flower.

If you hadn’t noticed a theme from all the details inherent in the new laws, their basic premise is to promote moderation. Yes, weed is legal now, but putting your weed garden in your front yard, next to your hydrangeas, is still probably not your best bet. Don’t wave your piece around in public, and definitely don’t bootleg any weed. Dispensaries are cracking down hard on weed slipping out of the legal system and onto the black market. You may give weed as a gift, but it is illegal to accept.

If you’re a first-time smoker just looking to take advantage of the new legal status, flower should work just fine. It’s now legal to cook your own edibles, but unless you feel like being super high for at least six hours, we wouldn’t recommend it.

There are two subdivisions of weed: sativas and indicas. Sativas give you more of a cerebral, slightly more alert type of high, as opposed to indicas, which leave you paralyzed on your sofa wondering if it’s worth getting a bag of Cheetos. It depends on your taste, really. A true sativa is hard to find, though, since it’s harder to grow and most sativas are mixed with some indica.

In summary: Don’t start building your seven-foot bong just yet. Take your time, find out what works for you, and just generally don’t do anything stupid.

Advocate Staff