Pubdate: Thu, 05 Mar 2015
Source: Westword (Denver, CO)
Copyright: 2015 Village Voice Media
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Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1616
Author: William Breathes

IF POT'S LEGAL IN D.C., IS IT LEGAL EVERYWHERE?

Dear Stoner: If Washington, D.C., legalized marijuana, does that mean 
it's legal in every state?

Sensi Sam

Dear Sam: Wouldn't that be great? In fact, four months after D.C. 
voters approved a ballot measure that would legalize the possession 
of up to two ounces of pot and the cultivation of six plants in 
residences by adults 21 and up, the legal status of pot in D.C. 
itself is still somewhat up in the air.

The vote was certified a few days after the election, and in 
December, Representative Andy Harris, a Republican from Maryland, 
attached a rider to a federal spending bill that basically said D.C. 
couldn't use its congressionally controlled budget "to enact or carry 
out any law, rule, or regulation to legalize or otherwise reduce 
penalties associated with the possession, use or distribution of" 
marijuana. The rider was aimed both at the legalization measure 
approved by voters and a city council-approved decriminalization 
ordinance passed in July that made possession a civil infraction 
punishable by a $25 fine.

But D.C. has a badass at the helm: Mayor Muriel Bowser is standing 
firm for the two-thirds of D.C. voters who approved the initiative, 
and says the city is acting lawfully; she accuses Congress of 
"bullying" D.C. rather than doing its actual job.

Dear Stoner: I'm kind of curious about extracts and the way that they 
are extracted. I guess there's a difference between butane and CO2 extractions.

Mark

Dear Mark: The obvious difference is that one extraction method uses 
butane and the other uses CO2. Both are highly regulated (unlike 
icewater extractions), and both require expensive equipment to pull 
off on a professional level. In a nutshell: Butane acts as a solvent 
that mixes with the cannabinoids and pulls them out as it passes 
through the buds. The butane then evaporates, and what you're left 
with (more or less) is butane oil. With CO2 extractions, the 
extraction uses super-pressurized carbon dioxide and water to do 
basically the same thing. The benefit, some argue, is that CO2 is a 
more "pure" substance that doesn't leave residual chemicals behind, 
as butane can. CO2 is also considered safer, as butane has a tendency 
to burst into flames around ignition sources.

In theory, CO2 oil sounds like it's the way to go. But in reality, 
I've never had CO2 oil that I truly enjoyed. It's always too soft and 
gooey, without the flavors that make some butane-produced shatters 
and waxes really enjoyable - although it will get you stoned.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom