Pubdate: Thu, 02 Jun 2016
Source: Westword (Denver, CO)
Copyright: 2016 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: Herbert Fuego

DEAR STONER: HOW DO YOU MAKE HERB TINCTURES?

Dear Stoner: I just got some pot brownies, and I'm not planning to 
ingest them for two weeks. Do you think the potency will still be the 
same, and if they'll be okay to eat? Can I heat them up if they go hard?Tasnim

Dear Tasnim: We've talked to multiple cannabis bakeries and kitchens 
about the shelf life of edibles, and all of them have said that 
edibles are pretty hard to tarnish in terms of potency, so two weeks 
definitely wouldn't be long enough to harm your brownies. The 
"normal" ingredients in them are what you need to worry about, 
because they'll decay much faster on your kitchen counter than THC 
would. Throw the brownies in the freezer if you're scared of 
spoilage, but that's just to fend off mold, not THC degradation. 
Freezing definitely beats food poisoning - and what a waste of pot 
that would be!

Take care when heating up frozen edibles - which usually have the 
texture of cold turds - as THC will slowly start to fade at 
temperatures over 200 degrees Fahrenheit (and die altogether at 392 
degrees Fahrenheit). But most microwaves don't take food above 212 
degrees, so there shouldn't be any noticeable difference in potency 
after the short fifteen seconds it takes to warm your brownie. Throw 
a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top or wash it down with a fatty 
glass of whole milk to increase the effects.

Dear Stoner: I saw a home brewer make his own herbal tincture with 
sage and vodka, and it looked pretty easy. Is making marijuana 
tinctures pretty much the same thing? Lazlo

Dear Lazlo: Pretty much! Submerge your ground herb in a jar full of 
vodka or some other grain alcohol and put it in a cool, dark space 
for a couple of months, and the alcohol will suck in the flavors and 
cannabinoids of the plant. When the time comes, strain out the plant 
matter, and your pot tincture will be ready to go. But don't expect 
it to taste like the sweetened stuff you find in dispensaries, which 
is usually made from flavored vegetable glycerin and is intended for 
application under the tongue. Marijuana tincture made with alcohol is 
supposed to be added to hot beverages for drinking, because its THC 
requires heat to activate the psychoactive effects. It will also 
scorch your tongue's undercarriage worse than any cheap bourbon ever could.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom