Pubdate: Thu, 02 May 2013
Source: Westword (Denver, CO)
Copyright: 2013 Village Voice Media
Contact: http://www.westword.com/feedback/EmailAnEmployee?department=letters
Website: http://www.westword.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1616
Author: William Breathes

ASK A STONER

Dear Stoner: What are these "clones" I see advertised?Are people 
really cloning marijuana plants like that sheep in Scotland?

Dolly Lama

Dear Dolly: We're actually amassing an army of tiny clone warriors, 
not unlike in Star Wars - only we're doing it with cannabis 
plants.The whole peaceful-revolution thing isn't working out, and 
we've collectively watched a lot of Empire Strikes Back - so it just 
made sense. Actually, that's not far from the truth.[Mind is blown!]

Seriously, though, clones aren't exactly clones in the 
Dolly-the-sheep kind of way you're thinking, but they are genetic 
replications of their source. Freaky, right? In plant terms, though, 
it's called a cutting. It's as easy as slicing off a tiny branch of a 
cannabis plant with a razor blade, dipping the sliced end in a type 
of acid to promote root growth and then putting it in a moist, porous 
soil or grow medium. With the right conditions, that little branch 
will sprout roots and grow into an entirely new plant with the same 
genetic makeup as the one it was taken from. That's how the rarer, 
more elite strains are passed down from grower to grower.

Growing from seed, however, means that while you generally know what 
you're going to get when they come up, they could still vary 
(sometimes wildly) from other seeds taken from the same plant, even 
if the strain has been stabilized through multiple generations of 
in-breeding (politely called "backcrossing" in horticulture terminology).

Dispensaries with appropriate licenses are allowed to sell clones to 
patients who can then grow them in their home grows. At $10 to $20 a 
pop at most places, it's just another way for a shop to grow its 
profits - literally.

Dear Stoner: What ever happened to old metal pipes? Why does 
everything have to be made of breakable glass now?Iron Man

Dear IM: Part of me also looks back fondly on the days of acrylic 
Graffix bongs and screwtogether aluminum pipes. Aside from 
durability, they were all about function - but metal pipes and 
plastic bongs also aren't the best things for your health. Aluminum 
may be linked to diseases like Alzheimer's, especially when you're 
heating it and causing it to put out residual aluminum particles. 
Same goes for plastic. Glass, on the other hand, can handle the temps 
without putting off gasses. So while you're more likely to break a 
glass bowl, you're doing your body a favor in the long run.

Have a question for our resident stoner, William Breathes? E-mail us 
at  he'll get to it between bong hits
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom