Pubdate: Thu, 30 May 2013
Source: Westword (Denver, CO)
Column: Ask A Stoner
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

IS IT OKAY TO PUFF BUT NOT PASS?

Dear Stoner: I enjoy smoking herb at concerts, but I'm a germophobe 
and hate sharing bowls with strangers nearby who ask for a hit. Is it 
totally un-stoner to puff and not pass?

Rolling Stoned

Dear RS: While classic stoner etiquette would tell you otherwise, I 
think it's totally fine to bogart your stash at a concert within 
reason - and not getting sick from some shirtless Wookiee at Red 
Rocks is certainly reasonable. When they ask for a hit, you can try 
the "Oh, the bowl just kicked" method. It usually works. The downside 
to that approach is when they say, "That's okay, man, I'll pack it 
up. I just need a piece." Then you have to deal with their germs and 
them likely packing pocket bowls complete with lint balls.

Option one is to go stealth mode: Take one-hits by yourself when 
nobody is looking, and don't pass to anyone. But if you don't want to 
seem like an unsocial asshole, roll up a few joints before you go in 
and smoke the first half before passing it off for good. Your 
immediate concert neighbors will love you, you'll stay well, and 
everyone will get to enjoy whatever aging rock group you're seeing 
that much more.

Dear Stoner: My husband read your response to IM regarding metal 
versus glass pipes. He makes handcrafted wood pipes, and wondered 
what health risks, if any, they pose.

Woodshop Widow

Dear Widow: According to the pipe forums we consulted, the major, 
obvious danger is releasing carcinogens through burning the wood. We 
also read some rumors about fast-growing trees like mahogany 
containing a lot of silica in their cells, which could possibly lead 
to silicosis or grinder's asthma - with little bits of crystal 
getting lodged in your lungs, scarring them up. We're not sure of the 
validity of that, but it sounds scary enough. In any case, you want 
to avoid any harmful chemical wood sealant or varnish.

But from what we read in a whopping five minutes of research, if pipe 
wood is selected properly - briarroot and maple are good choices - 
and if tokers are careful to season the pipe and not char the wood 
with a flame, they should be okay. Your biggest problem? Lip 
splinters. Wooden pipes are the number-one cause of lip splinters in 
the United States, with thousands of mildly irritating cases reported 
to emergency rooms each month - and no doubt millions of lawsuits 
contemplated each year.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom