A SK A STONER BY HERBERT FUEGO Dear Stoner: Can I activate the THC in my weed with citric acid instead of heat, similar to the way ceviche is cooked? I’d like to try making a weed smoothie with lemon or orange juice. Boulder Bob Dear Bob: This side quest takes over a canna- bis forum every few years, and the consensus is that citric acid or vinegar can activate THC. Adding heat to the process helps, though, and the citric acid method is usually more messy and time-consuming than heating ground herb in an oven. That said, you might have just inspired a summer project for both of us. There are dozens of posts online detail- ing how to soak buds in a solution of citric acid and water, dry them out under a towel for about a week and then eat them. The buds tasted like booty, according to the amateur-scientist posters, who claimed to get high from eating them. There are also ways to extract cannabinoids from a liquid concentration with citric acid, us- ing methods employing red or apple cider vinegar. Our fi rst test will be a smoothie recipe involving raw cannabis juice, whole citrus fruits and raw coconut. If that works, it’s on to no-bake guacamole. Dear Stoner: I’m convinced that the U.S. Postal Service looks the other way on mail- ing weed, because it’d go out of business if it didn’t. Larry Dear Larry: Will you still believe this after the weed wears off? That’s quite the conspiracy — and one the United States Postal Service would likely deny with vigor, based on the messages we’ve gotten over the years. More than once, we’ve received a USPS email (a letter would have been more appropriate) reminding us that shipping weed through the mail is still illegal, and that the department is eager to confi scate packages that contain any cannabis contraband. Hey, people asked us how to do it, and we answered. The Postal Service hasn’t made an annual profi t since 2006, and was number 123 in last year’s Fortune 500 rankings, 34 spots behind UPS and twelve spots in front of FedEx — but a lot of people seem to forget that the Postal Service isn’t a business, but a branch of the federal government. Just because the feds chase bigger prizes than the half-ounce you mailed a friend in Nashville doesn’t mean the USPS depends on it for profi t. Well, not in this current regime, anyway. 34 Send questions to [email protected]. MAY 26-JUNE 1, 2022 WESTWORD | REAL ESTATE | RENTALS | HEALTH WELLNESS | SERVICES | EMPLOYMENT | ADULT | MUSIC | CLASSIFIED | westword.com
