36 MARCH 16-22, 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 always have a hard time falling asleep at night, but I’ve been mixing weed and melatonin to good results. Are there any side effects that have been discovered from that combination? Shurr Dear Shurr: Of course there are side effects! There are side effects to smoking weed, even if we enjoy most of them — but droopy eyes and dizziness are both very real, and mixing can- nabis with melatonin can exacerbate them. Humans naturally produce melatonin, and research suggests that smoking cannabis increases our melatonin levels. So smoking weed while taking melatonin supplements is a double whammy that should knock out anyone while also increasing the likelihood and impact of side effects, including drowsiness, impair- ment and loss of cognition. Regularly pumping that much melatonin into your body can create a hormone imbalance or disruption, as well. We all have nights where our eyes just won’t stay shut and we need a little help, but go with one thing or the other, not both. If that much help is required to fall asleep on a consistent basis, then you could be facing deeper issues. Dear Stoner: I like to buy dispensary stuff, but hate how much packaging it comes with. Am I allowed to recycle plastic weed bottles and edibles containers, or is that stuff too complicated to recycle? Crunchy Granola Face Dear Crunchy Granola Face: Labeling and packaging requirements for dispensary prod- ucts are extensive, with the majority of the rules intended to keep cannabis away from children. Nothing wrong with that. Most of the fl ower packaging is simply plastic or glass, anyway. Edibles and concentrates come in a variety of multi-layered contraptions that are a puzzle to open and dispose of, though, and that waste piles up quickly for regular users. According to the City of Denver, just about everything besides coated boxes for edibles and vape cartridges is recyclable (hemp plastic isn’t, but it’s biodegradable, so it shouldn’t con- tribute to landfi lls in the long run). All of those plastic bottles, aluminum tins and glass jars for fl ower and pre-rolls can be recycled, and so can cardboard containers without plastic coating. The Mylar bags that some dispensaries use for fl ower containers aren’t recyclable, sadly, but the resealable bags can be reused for future buds. A handful of dispensaries have bins for recycling and also reuse more retail cannabis packaging, but they’re few and far between. Send questions to [email protected].