30 JANUARY 19-25, 2023 westword.com WESTWORD | REAL ESTATE | RENTALS | HEALTH WELLNESS | SERVICES | EMPLOYMENT | ADULT | MUSIC | CLASSIFIED | A S K A S T O N E R BY HERBERT FUEGO Dear Stoner: I bought pre-packaged weed yesterday. The budtender ripped the bag open, looked at it without offering me a view, then closed it before selling it to me. I’m not that mad, but isn’t that weird? Should dispensaries be opening pre-packaged products before sale? Selma Dear Selma: The answer here falls somewhere between “No” and “Hell, no,” but it deserves more analysis, because I’ve never heard of, much less experienced, such odd budtender fuckery. Pre-packaged pot comes in several forms, but dispensaries generally put their fl ower in pop bottles for customer inspection before purchase, while anything from a third- party grower is sealed in a jar or bag, as yours was. Showing customers in-house fl ower is standard practice, but sealed jars and bags from an outside vendor shouldn’t be opened. Your budtender was probably stoned (most of them aren’t, but it happens) or had a brain fart — or, on the darker side, may have been told there was a quality-control issue with that product and was inspecting it before selling it to you. In any case, I would give the fl ower a good look-over and keep your third eye open if you visit that dispensary again. Dear Stoner: I’m hosting a dinner party soon and would love to offer some booze-free cannabis alternatives. Any THC beer or wine you would recommend that is attainable? Mattie Dear Mattie: Funny that you use the word “at- tainable.” There are cannabis alternatives for beer and wine drinkers, but it’s hard to fi nd either in Colorado right now. Cannabis-infused wines are rare in dispensaries across the coun- try, since most consumers would rather drink a soft drink if there’s no alcohol involved. I’ve seen one brand making them in California, but there are no THC winemakers in Colorado currently. Ceria Brewing’s non-alcoholic, THC-in- fused Belgian wits and IPAs should be the easy answer for beer, but the Arvada-based cannabis brewery’s products aren’t sold in Colorado right now, either. The brewery, founded by Blue Moon Brewing Company creator Keith Villa, told the Denver Post that Ceria beers are only available in California at the moment because the company can’t fi nd a THC beverage packag- ing partner in Colorado, and shipping the prod- ucts across state lines would be illegal. Until Ceria fi nds a fi x, search for Hi-Fi Hops from Lagunitas Brewing. While the THC-infused sparkling waters aren’t technically beer, they are fl avored with hops and taste similar to ale. Send questions to [email protected]. WARNING: Use of Marijuana Concentrate may lead to: 1. Psychotic symptoms and/or Psychotic disorder (delusions, hallucinations, or difficulty distinguishing reality); 2. Mental Health Symptoms/Problems; 3. Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) (uncontrolled and repetitive vomiting); Cannabis use disorder / dependence, including physical and psychological dependence Programmatic Cannabis Network Organic & Local SEO • Website Design Social Media Management • Print Media Get started today with a FREE Digital Audit. marijuanamarketingxperts.com
