Movie Review: The Union: The Business Behind Getting High

There are a lot of "pot-umentaries" out there, and many of them aren't even worth watching stoned. However, Brett Harvey's film The Union: The Business Behind Getting High is NOT one of those movies. It is hands down the best documentary covering any aspect of marijuana that I have seen to date, period. This movie should be watched by everyone in the United States, hell on the American continent, North and South for that matter.

The Union is a Canadian documentary, and for the large part focuses on flaws in Canadian drug policy. However, those flaws are highly applicable to the very flawed United States drug policy. The fact of the matter is that the drug policies of the United States, Canada, and Mexico are intrinsically entwined, and it is hard to talk about just one while excluding the others, and this film does a good job of including everyone.

The film itself focuses mainly on legalization vs. decriminalization, which is becoming a hot-button issue in both Canada and the USA. Harvey argues that legalization is the best alternative for a number of reasons, the main reason being that legalization of marijuana would take a very large chunk out of the profits of organized crime. Other reasons include tax revenue, and better control over sale to minors.

Harvey's arguments are compelling, however, what really sets his movie apart from others is the expert contribution to the documentary. Unlike other documentaries pertaining to marijuana, Harvey's film includes interviews from high level Canadian politicians including mayors and senators, the former Chief of Police for Seattle, WA, Harvard medical doctors, chemists, and biologists. The point I'm making here is that this film has real expert testimony from real experts, explaining why marijuana should be legal.

Well that's the short of it, I highly recommend you see the movie for yourself to get the rest. After you see the movie, get your friends and family to watch it too. If we want pot to be legal, we can't be afraid to share our point of view with those close to us, so please, share this film. This is a film anyone can enjoy, and everyone should find informative and enlightening.

Now on help.com

Well, I figure one great way to spread the word is by directly addressing questions regarding cannabis. That is why I am now active on help.com, you can find me as TheGanjaGuru, and if you ask a questions related to weed, I'll probably find you. Of course you can always ask me a question here by leaving it in a comment, or by emailing me at theganjaguru@gmail.com.

I hope to hear from you.

Product Review: Kingpin Blunt Wraps

Here is a common problem, say you want to roll yourself a blunt, so you pick up your favorite flavored Swisher© Sweet (mine is strawberry), and when you get to breaking it open, it turns out its all dry and frail. To say the least, it won't be easy to roll with it, and if you're able to succeed, your blunt probably won't be very impressive. This is doubtlessly a bummer status situation, and potentially an embarrassing one as well, depending on how seasoned your smoking buddies are.

The good news is that there is an easy solution to this problem, and it'll cost you less than a Swish. Instead, get yourself some real blunt wraps, personally, I recommend Kingpin© blunt wraps.

For around a dollar you'll get not one, not two, but three blunt wraps in a fancy plastic tube that doubles as a carrying case. They come in a variety of flavors and sizes including a don size which is large to the point of being ridiculous.

When I decided to try these, I picked myself up two tubes of regular sized and one tube of don sized wraps, all Bahama Mama flavored. That night some friends and I rolled a pretty good sized blunt with some "dons." I was surprised at how easy these papers rolled, it seriously took me less time to roll a 4 gram blunt than it normally does to roll a 0.5 gram joint. The wraps sealed fairly easily with a bit of slobbering, which was helped by the fact that the wraps tasted and smelled fantastic. In the end I produced this...

4.0 Grams...

30+ Minutes of Smoking Pleasure...

All in all, I'm pretty damn happy with these papers. The main thing I would complain about is a "special feature" of these wraps, which is an extra thin piece of wrap on the end which is intended for sealing the wrap. It doesn't really hold up all that well when its wet which is a bit annoying, otherwise, I recommend you get yourself some of these, you won't be disappointed.


NOTE: I was neither paid, nor received any form of incentive to write this review, I wrote this for you, the reader, so that you may be better informed. However, if you work for the producers of this product and want to pay me, shoot me an email @ theganjaguru@gmail.com.

Today We Celebrate...

Today we celebrate...a moderate expansion in readership for this blog. I've been checking, and page visits ("impressions" as we say in the biz) have been in the 10-20 range, which is a hell of a lot better than none, so I'm pretty happy about that. I guess it would be nice to hear some feed back, so for that reason, I'm going to reactivate the comments. This could be a pleasant surprise or a bit of an embarrassment, only time can tell...

Celebrate!*

*That is not me, and I smoked a much smaller blunt, but this should be the first image to pop up when the word "celebrate" is searched

The Controlled Substance Act

To really put into perspective how un-free we are in this country, we must examine the behavior of the government. That is why I am providing you with the this; the Controlled Substance Schedules. It could be considered the ultimate body of evidence for indicting government hypocrisy, but I'm sure that there are plenty of other examples so I won't jump the gun. These should make for an interesting read for many of you, and hopefully an informative one as well.

For those of you who don't know how it works, there are five different controlled substance categories. Schedule I (that's the worst of the drugs) Schedule II, Schedule III, Schedule IV, and Schedule V. In addition to these very long lists of controlled substances are regulated chemicals, Lists I and II, these chemicals can be used in the production of drugs.

The schedules are explained below.

Schedule I.
(A) The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse.
(B) The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
(C) There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision

Schedule II.
(A) The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse.
(B) The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States or a currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions.
(C) Abuse of the drug or other substances may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence

Schedule III
(A) The drug or other substance has a potential for abuse less than the drugs or other substances in schedules I and II.
(B) The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
(C) Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence

Schedule IV.
(A) The drug or other substance has a low potential for abuse relative to the drugs or other substances in schedule III.
(B) The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
(C) Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead to limited physical dependence or psychological dependence relative to the drugs or other substances in schedule III

Schedule V.
(A) The drug or other substance has a low potential for abuse relative to the drugs or other substances in schedule IV.
(B) The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
(C) Abuse of the drug or other substance may lead to limited physical dependence or psychological dependence relative to the drugs or other substances in schedule IV."

Anyhow, without any further ado, here they are the controlled substances listed by schedule.

The DEA Diversion Control Program Main Page, and for convenience sake, here is a handyControlled Substances PDF. Its called the Orange Book.

I'm not sure why its called that, but I suspect that the original document passed around at DEA meetings had an orange cover. Of course I could be wrong, it could be some kind of weird code or some inside joke those snide fuckers snicker about whenever a PDF is downloaded. Who knows? Any-who, the point is there is nothing colorful about this document except the goofy logo on the cover page that looks like it was made with clip-art.

If you don't know what a substance on this list is, I suggest you Wikipedia it and read up on it. You should be able to find some pretty interesting inconsistencies on there. For instance I'm sure you have all heard of GHB, gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid, liquid ecstasy. Its a Schedule I substance, however there is a pharmaceutical known as Xyrem, which is produced by the somewhat ironically named Jazz Pharmaceuticals that is regarded as a Schedule III substance. That drug, Xyrem, is the exact same thing as GHB.

Did you get that? Its the same thing, but one is a Schedule I drug, which means it is addictive, dangerous, and of no medical value, while the other is a Schedule III drug, which means it is considered safe when used properly. I hate to say it but WTF?!

Our good friend Marry Jane finds herself in the same boat as her considerably more dangerous counterpart GHB. Marijuana in its herbal form is also considered a Schedule I substance, meaning that it is dangerous, addictive, and has no medical value.

Just to clear this up, I have two questions for you. One, have you ever known anyone that has overdosed on pot and died? I'm actually died, not "almost?" Two, have you ever sucked dick for weed? For all of you I know that the answer to the first question is "no." For almost all of you, I know the answer to the second question is also "no."

Now if it has no medical value, why is there a synthetic version of THC known as Marinol or dronabinol, which is produced by a pharmaceutical company, and listed as a Schedule III drug?

What is interesting is that while not many definitive studies have been done on marijuana (some would say none), Marinol was thoroughly studied, and the results are pretty interesting.

For instance in an open-label study in patients with AIDS who received MARINOL Capsules for up to five months, no abuse, diversion or systematic change in personality or social functioning were observed despite the inclusion of a substantial number of patients with a past history of drug abuse. Studies also showed that there was no carcinogenicity associated with even high dose, continuous use of THC.

Best of all, Marinol is listed as Schedule III substance, which means it is safe when used properly. That means that the government admits that THC, the same thing in weed, is perfectly safe. If this is the case, why the hell is pot still illegal? Moreover, why is it listed as a Schedule I drug along with heroin, coke, ecstasy, meth, and GHB?

It seems to me that even the government knows pot should be legal, and any right minded individual should be able to see that Marijuana should have no place on Schedule I. I hope this has helped open your eyes to the hypocrisy surrounding the marijuana prohibition.

My New Favorite Kind of Bud

Its called Super God bud, and it is absolutely fierce. I picked up quantity of it the other day, and without realizing how powerful it was, I rolled a king size joint of the stuff to share with three friends. While rolling we went through a couple bong loads. Needless to say by the end of the session, we were stoned sideways, I mean, we were so baked we didn't even talk, we just sat there staring at each other like a bunch of statues.

Moral of the story, if you friendly stranger contacts you about getting some great bud called Super God, do yourself a favor and buy a bag, you won't be disappointed.

Now on twitter

That's right, I'm now on twitter. Why? Well, because I have no followers, and this seems like an easy rout to shameless self promotion. I desperately need a fan-base. I don't want to admit that I want attention, but I do! I so do! It shames me deeply, and I hope that you'll forgive me (by "you," I mean my one semi-dedicated reader).

On the subject of Vaporizers...

This just needs to be said, the price of vaporizers is outrageous. For the amount of money these things cost, you'd think that they would be marvels of technology, some are even more expensive than a new iPod. The truth is though, the vaporizer is comprised of very simple, very cheap technology. These things can't cost much to make, and for the amount of money they cost, you'd expect them to be a bit more impressive.

I do not intend to say that vaporizers are not worth getting, they are. The trouble is, they are so expensive that for many people, they are priced out of competition by less expensive glass pipes. Also, in my experience, head shops don't tend to carry a good selection of vaporizers. My guess is because they are expensive, and more difficult to sell due to their high price tag.

Many of my friends speak of their experiences of smoking from a vaporizer like it was a one time thing (like a threesome). The reason is that vaporizers are expensive, and thus less common in the ever-growing ganja community. Due to their rarity less smokers have a chance to experience the benefits and advantages of a vaporizer, and are thus less willing to pay the premium for simple looking but very expensive pot smoking contraption. Imagine, paying two hundred dollars for a device that does what a cheap ten to twenty five dollar pipe can do, and not much more.

Health benefits and weed conservation aside, vaporizer prices just aren't justifiable. For the amount they cost, I expect some kind of medical grade looking device instills confidence in its capabilities. Unfortunately, vaporizers either look like toys, lamps, or bubble-gum dispensers. Its shameless gouging, and the vaporizer manufactures need to drop the prices within reason. At the very least, cut it down to 900% mark-up.



See, bubble-gum dispensers.

Hotties in Pot-Tees (You know, if you're into that)

Here is something you might like if you are both stoned and lonely, it's College Humor's Hotties in Pot-Tees.

Cleaver name, I know, but not as cleaver as Fatties With Caddies. Anywho, it's worth a look if you happen to be a single male (or gay female) and you'd like to have a boost. Me, I'm taken, so I'll probably get an ear-full for posting this, but hey, it's my responsibility, I'm The Ganja Guru!

Although I found a couple of peculiarities that I would like to point out:

The chick at the top of the page is making a really weird facial expression, and on top of that this one doesn't have anything to do with pot. That didn't stop College Humor from linking the pick though. Oh, and for some reason (and I'm sure you'll see for yourself) the only tag in that photo is the girl's right nipple. Well anyways, I hope you like it you dirty, lonely man.

How to Not Get Paranoid

Paranoid? I might have an answer for you. Try theanine, its a supplement that can be found in most grocery stores. Many use it to aide relaxation and improve their sleep, which it does work well for, however based on my own experience, it also tends to enhance my high from THC. On top of enhanced highs, I have also noticed that it helps to reduce anxiety and paranoia. So, if that has been a problem for you lately, consider picking up a bottle of theanine, or finding some tea that contains it, after all, it was originally extracted form tea.

Wikipedia (surprise) has a nice little write up on it that may be worth checking out here

Enjoy!

P.S. If you decide to give this a go, give me some feedback.

How to Scrape a Pipe

We've all been there, out of bud and desperate for a hit. We've all stooped to the same lows; scouring the house for weed, smoking the stems, and scraping the pipe. None of these methods is very satisfying, and worse yet they are all a pain in the ass.

Scraping your pipe is the worst of the desperate options a stoner has. I have learned from personal experience that this can oftentimes end very poorly. Three of my pipes have been broken during resin collecting accidents, and considering how much a glass pipe can cost, this can be very disappointing.

Odds are, you're still planning to scrape your pipe, but before you do, let me say this; DON"T DO IT MAN! ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?! No, seriously, don't do it, I have a much better alternative.

What You Need: -A glass jar large enough so that your pipe will fit inside
-Something to cover the jar
-A full supply for 99% isopropyl alcohol (Don't opt for the cheep/weak stuff, it will fail you)
-Another jar
-Some paper coffee filters
-A glass bowl (if it isn't glass or ceramic don't go there)

Ok, now if you have any inclination to use anything other than glass for your jar and bowl, don't. The process that you will be doing will not work well with plastics (and it could be harmful to your health).
What You Do

1. Put your pipe in the jar
2. Pour alcohol into the jar until your pipe is fully submerged
3. Put a lid over the jar and let it sit for at least a day

At this point you are probably thinking that I'm just fucking with you, but fear not, for the Guru doesn't do that kind of shit. I'm your friend remember.

Now that you have given your pipe a day to soak, the alcohol should look and smell pretty gross. This is good. Go ahead and pull your pipe out of the alcohol and rinse it off. Now don't get rid of the alcohol because you aren't done with it yet. As you will see, when your rinse your pipe out, the end result will be a practically new looking pipe. This is because alcohol is a strong solvent and a damn good cleanser.

Here is the best part, getting back all of that THC that was stuck to the inside of your pipe. If you don't know it already, THC is absorbed by alcohol and other solvents, so the THC that was in your pipe, is now in the alcohol.

Now, do you remember the bowl, coffee filters, and the other jar I told you to get? Of course not, you're probably stoned, that's ok, I don't frown on that, but you should probably read go get those things if you haven't already.

Go ahead and secure a coffee filter in your empty jar with a rubber band or some tape. Now slowly pour the alcohol that you used to clean your pipe through the coffee filter and into the other jar. This will ensure that the bits of soot and what not will be filtered out of the alcohol. After that, pour the now filtered alcohol into your bowl. Have you done all that? Good.

Now just go ahead and leave your bowl of alcohol in your garage or outside (away from the weather) and let it sit. Check back on it now and then, but it should be evaporating. On a hot day in the sun, it should evaporate within a day or two, otherwise a week or so. DO NOT BE IMPATIENT! DO NOT, AND I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH, DO NOT USE A HEAT SOURCE TO INDUCE EVAPORATION, YOU COULD BLOW YOURSELF UP. I said it, that's your one warning, if you burn your house down doing this, it won't be my fault because I told you not to do it.

Once all of the alcohol ( and I do mean all so don't be impatient) has evaporated you should be left with a black goo. It will be very sticky, and have the consistency of toffee. This is hash, use a razor blade and scrape up every last bit. Use it sparingly, it will get you plenty stoned with even the smallest quantity.

Enjoy!

How to Make a Desk Lamp Vaporizer

If the light bulb vaporizer is cool, but doesn't quite do it for you, I might have something else you will like. Behold, the desk lamp vaporizer!



Now I know it doesn't look like much, but its beauty is in its simplicity. Wait, what's that? You want to know how to make one for your self? Well, I suppose...

What you need:

A desk lamp like this one.



















Two jars like what the ones you see here. Notice that one jar is bigger than the other. You need your small jar to be able to fit over a 60w light bulb, and your big jar must fit over your small one.







Next you'll need the lid for your large jar. You'll notice that I have already done all of the work that needs to be done on this jar. To make this, simply bore a hole in the center that will fit snugly on the shaft of the lamp, where the shade used to fit. Drill two holes, one large enough to accommodate your hose, and another slightly larger hole for air supply. I wrapped everything up in foil and sealed it up with hot glue. This improved my seal in general and made it look less like a lid from a pickle jar. You won't want to use hot glue on any surface that will be inside your jar.





















Step 1:
Remove the bulb and lamp shade from your desk lamp.

















Step 2:
Install your base/jar lid/air hose/air supply.

















Step 3:
Install the light bulb

Note:
The bulb I am using is for illustrative purposes. You'll want to use a 60w incandescent bulb, or better yet a 100w on a dimmer for maximum control.












Step 4:
Place the small jar upside down over the light bulb.

















Step 5:
Place your big jar over the small jar and screw it into your base.

Ta da! You've just made yourself a desk lamp vapo!













To use it, place your weed on top of the small jar once it has been placed over the light bulb, seal everything up and flip the switch. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes and then you'll have sweet, delicious, and awesome THC! The best part is, it didn't cost a whole hell of a lot of money, sure your out a few bucks for a desk lamp and a light bulb, but that's still at least $50 less than you would be out if you forked over the cash for a real vaporizer.

This design has a lot of potential. I'd love to see any variations off of this. If anyone makes, or has made this, let me know.

How to Make a Light Bulb Vaporizer

Avove: Whip and cap for light bulb vaporizer (aka Bright Idea II)

You've heard of them I'm sure, and no doubt you have lusted for one as well. Their vaporizers, the latest and greatest in pot smoking technology. The best part is, you don't actually "smoke" the green when you use one. Instead, they vaporize at low temperature, the active ingredient in weed, delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (you know, THC, the part that gets you high). This is a pretty sweet deal because vaporizing is 30% more efficient than smoking, and on top of that they are don't pollute your lungs with havoc reeking carbon chains. So not only do you use less bud, you use less of your lungs to get high!

That is pretty much all old news though. If you haven't heard of vaporizing yet, you have either just started smoking, or you're still living in the stone age (stoned age I suppose). If you have heard of vaporizers, than I'm sure you have also heard that they're fairly expensive, and you've heard right. They are, the ever popular Volcano costs in excess of $500. That's no small chunk of change if you're a typically broke stoner like myself. What do you do then to enjoy the benefits of vaporizers without all the cost?

What if I told you that there is probably a vaporizer sitting very near by, just waiting to be used. Yes, there is some assembly required, but odds are, all the parst and tools that you need are within arms reach. Thats pretty cool right? You might not even have to get out of your seat (although it might not hurt you hippy couch potatoe).

Here is what you need:

1. A light bulb (just a regular old incadecent bulb, the higher wattage the better though)
2. A cap from a 20 oz soda bottle
3. A straw
4. Salt
5. A pair of scissors

Optional

• A pair of needle nose pliers

Go ahead and take five minutes to gather these items. If you're having trouble finding everything, don't be afraid (or too lazy) to check under those stacks of High Times and 420 Magazines. Got everything? Good...

How to build a Lightbulb Vaporrizer

It may be helpful to refere to this diagram as you work:





1. Outline of Glass bulb
2. Low pressure inert gas (argon, neon, nitrogen)
3. Tungsten filament
4. Contact wire (goes out of stem)
5. Contact wire (goes into stem)
6. Support wires
7. Stem (glass mount)
8. Contact wire (goes out of stem)
9. Cap (sleeve)
10. Insulation (vitrite)
11. Electrical contact





Step 1:
Take your scissors in your lead hand, and the light bulb in the other. Use the scissors to peel up the electrical contact on the socket end of the light bulb. Once its free, pull it out along with any wires that come with it.

Step 2:
Removing the electrical contact should have revealed a small hole in the peice of dark glass at the socket end of the bulb. Use your scissors (or pliers) to carefully break and remove this piece of glass. Remove as much as you can, preferably so that non of if it pokes up past the metal socket.

Step 3:
Using your scissors, pliers, or a screwdriver, carefully (and I do mean carefully) push down on the stem (what the filament is mounted to) through the socket cap until it breaks out from the inside of the bulb. After that, you'll want to clean up the edges of the stem and break those out as well until only bulb remains. Once you've done all the breaking that needs to be done empty the broken glass and filament into a garbage can.

Step 4:
Now grab the salt and pour it through the cap into the bulb. Use say, 2 or 3 tablespoons of salt. Cover the hole in the socket cap and shake viggorously (but carefully so the bulb doesn't fly from your hand). The salt will strip away the white powder coat on the inside of the bulb. Repeat this process until all traces of the powder coat are gone. I couldn't tell you what that stuff is, but I can tell you that you do not want ot smoke it, it won't get you high. One its all gone, go ahead and rinse all of the salt out of the bulb. Rinse it well, otherwise the salt will etch into the glass when it dries.

Step 5:
Take the soda bottle cap that you were supposed to grab, if you already forgot about that, go get one. Useing your scissors poke a hole into the center of the cap and bore it out until the hole is large enough to insert your straw. Don't make your hole to big, you wan the straw to stay in place. Once you have your straw hole, poke another small hole off-center for airflow. Insert your straw into the cap. Gently screw the soda cap onto the socket cap of the light bulb and you're done!

Congrats! Now you too can enjoy the benefits of vaporizing for less than a trip to Taco Bell. To use it, just break up your weed like you would for rolling a joint or loading a bowl, and place about a small bowl's worth into the bulb. Replace the soda cap and get read to be very stoned. Now go ahead and light your lighter. Hold it about one to two centimeters below the bulb, directly underneath the weed. Wait until you see some white vapors start to pour out of the bud. Once this happens, let a decent amount of vapor build up, shake the bulb to release more. Now just take a hit through the straw and hold it in...

Aahhhh, thats the stuff ain't it?

Eventually you'll want to buy a real vapo, but this works in a pinch, especially when cash is tight and you need to conserve your precious, expensive, and difficult to acquire marijuana.