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Montana rider

Turbo Monkey
Mar 14, 2005
1,741
2,164
OG hot boxing in the 'shed with the dead

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/evidence-marijuana-smoking-rituals-ancient-western-china

People may have smoked marijuana in rituals 2,500 years ago in western China

Mourners gathered at a cemetery in what’s now western China around 2,500 years ago to inhale fumes of burning cannabis plants that wafted from small wooden containers. High levels of the psychoactive compound THC in those ignited plants, also known as marijuana, would have induced altered states of consciousness.

Evidence of this practice comes from Jirzankal Cemetery in Central Asia’s Pamir Mountains, says a team led by archaeologist Yimin Yang of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. Chemical residues on wooden burners unearthed in tombs there provide some of the oldest evidence to date of smoking or inhaling cannabis fumes, the researchers report online June 12 in Science Advances. Rituals aimed at communicating with the dead or a spirit world likely included cannabis smoking, the team speculates.

Cannabis remains of comparable age have been found in several other Central Asian tombs, including a site in Russia’s Altai Mountains located about 3,000 kilometers northwest of the Pamir Mountains. But the discoveries at Jirzankal Cemetery offer an unprecedented look at how cannabis was initially used as a mind-altering substance, the researchers say. East Asians grew cannabis starting at least 6,000 years ago, but only to consume the plants’ oily seeds and make clothing and rope out of cannabis fibers. Early cultivated cannabis varieties in East Asia and elsewhere, like most wild forms of the plant, contained low levels of THC and other mind-altering compounds.

Some of the earliest evidence for people smoking marijuana comes from the Greek historian Herodotus, who wrote of cannabis smoking roughly 2,500 years ago on the Central Asian steppes, about 2,000 kilometers west of the Pamir Mountains. But a determination of exactly when and where high-THC cannabis plants first developed and which people first smoked cannabis has long eluded scientists.




HIGH TIMES Discoveries in an ancient grave in Central Asia’s Pamir Mountains included human bones and a wooden device containing stones that, when heated, were used to burn psychoactive cannabis plants.
XINHUA WU
Crucially, high-elevation mountain passes of Central and East Asia, including the Pamir region, hosted trade routes of the early Silk Road, which linked China with West Asia and Europe, says archaeobotanist and study coauthor Robert Spengler of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany. “Our study implies that knowledge of cannabis smoking and specific high-THC varieties of the cannabis plant were among the cultural traditions that spread along Silk Road exchange routes,” Spengler said at a June 11 news conference.

Archaeological finds indicate that many burial practices had spread across Central and East Asia by around 2,500 years ago. So cannabis smoking at graveside ceremonies was likely part of that process, says archaeologist Michael Frachetti of Washington University in St. Louis, who did not participate in the new study. “At that time, the early Silk Road connected populations from Beijing to Venice,” he says.

Given the new findings, Altai Mountain sites deserve closer scrutiny for clues to the origins of cannabis smoking, adds archaeologist David Anthony of Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y.

In support of the Pamir region as an ancient crossroads, earlier chemical analyses of human bones and teeth from Jirzankal Cemetery indicated that 10 of 34 individuals tested had grown up outside the area. Items placed in some Jirzankal tombs, such as silk fabrics from eastern China and a type of harp from West Asia, suggest that people from widespread cultures traveled to Central Asia.

Jirzankal Cemetery lies more than 3,000 meters above sea level. Black and white stone strips run across the site’s surface. Circular mounds of earth cover the tombs, which are lined by one or two rings of stones.

Yang’s team identified a chemical signature of cannabis on charred plant material from 10 wooden burners, or braziers, found in eight Jirzankal tombs. Chemical signs of an unusually high level of THC were found inside nine braziers and on two stones that had been heated and used to burn plants in the braziers.

Still, those ancient plants would have triggered less powerful psychoactive effects than present-day cannabis plants bred specifically for high THC levels, Spengler said.

It’s not known whether people who buried their dead at Jirzankal Cemetery cultivated high-THC cannabis plants or found a psychoactive variety that grew in the wild. Whatever the case, inhaling cannabis as part of mind-altering burial rituals probably began millennia before mourners gathered at Jirzankal’s tombs, Frachetti suspects.
 

Montana rider

Turbo Monkey
Mar 14, 2005
1,741
2,164
Bumpity bump on this the holiest of high holidays...

I'm in the weeds working at the moment, but planning to celebrate in 2 hours or so ;)

In these end times, if there's one thing that bikers on both sides of the aisle (6' socially distant hookah) from the (g)libertarians to hippies can celebrate* it's the fact that our prohibition efforts against the weed have finally failed.

*Apologies in advance to @Pesqueeb (and anyone else subjected to the vagaries of the piss test...)





 
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canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,190
19,156
Canaderp
Finally finished the rest of the 800mg gummy I've had for a while. Don't think I ever need to be that kind of high ever again.

Can't wait for the new order of edibles to show up...
 

Pesqueeb

bicycle in airplane hangar
Feb 2, 2007
40,138
16,537
Riding the baggage carousel.
Some thoughts on my experiments with the devils lettuce this week.
1. The last time I was even *kind of* close to marijuana was 25+ years ago. The variety and selection, the ability to openly buy, and just how nice and helpful everyone was even with teh coronaz, was like stepping into another dimension compared to my youth.
2. The Hybrid brownie bites @10mg a piece pretty much wipe me out. Takes about 2 hours to kick in. As an example, had one monday around 4pm, by 6:30 I was floating along quite nicely. Got in about an hour of Shaun the Sheep, found it hysterical, took every ounce of strength and willpower I had to go downstairs and crawl into bed shortly after 8. Slept almost 12 hours.
3. Yesterday I took my first real couple of pulls off a Indica vape pen with my coffee around 9ish yesterday morning. Got a couple things done around the house, wound up in full veg mode about noon upstairs in the office with music. Had an absolute transcendental experience with Sturgill Simpson's "Sound and Fury". That said, even the Vape gave me what I'm sure the neighbors think is Corona Cough. After lunch I took a nap and spent the rest of the day feeling pretty shitty. A kind of cross between having too much to drink + an astonishing amount of caffeine. Slight nauseousness, killer headache. This lasted until I went to bed last night. Kind of didn't dig it.
4. All said and done, while I've certainly enjoyed the sleep and the KEXP live version of All Them Witches "Blood and Sand/Milk and Endless Waters" maybe more than I should have, I haven't found the experience so far worth repeating. Maybe it's my noobishness, maybe I'm just doing it wrong, maybe it's almost 3 decades of employment/government enforced temperance, maybe the shit just doesn't agree with me. I dunno. My birthday is in 2 days. I'll probably continue to dabble a bit between now and then, but after that it's back to temperance so that my system is clean if/when I'm able to return to work in august.
 
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SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,376
12,532
In a van.... down by the river
Yeah - I find timing is pretty important with the eddies. And I go with 5mg doses these days... don't notice much difference (maybe shorter duration, but I'm always sleeping, so...). I usually stick to ingestion after 7pm, 'cause I'm usually ready for bed by 10pm anyways.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,232
20,015
Sleazattle
Yeah - I find timing is pretty important with the eddies. And I go with 5mg doses these days... don't notice much difference (maybe shorter duration, but I'm always sleeping, so...). I usually stick to ingestion after 7pm, 'cause I'm usually ready for bed by 10pm anyways.
This. Half dose edibles timed to transition to sleep. I take them to sleep and stay sleeping as much as anything. Fuck inhaling anything.
 

Montana rider

Turbo Monkey
Mar 14, 2005
1,741
2,164
Some thoughts on my experiments with the devils lettuce this week....

3. Yesterday I took my first real couple of pulls off a Indica vape pen with my coffee around 9ish yesterday morning. Got a couple things done around the house, wound up in full veg mode about noon upstairs in the office with music. Had an absolute transcendental experience with Sturgill Simpson's "Sound and Fury". That said, even the Vape gave me what I'm sure the neighbors think is Corona Cough. After lunch I took a nap and spent the rest of the day feeling pretty shitty. A kind of cross between having too much to drink + an astonishing amount of caffeine. Slight nauseousness, killer headache. This lasted until I went to bed last night. Kind of didn't dig it.
They covered the edibles (start small) -- but if you find yourself overdoing them, pick up some CBD which acts as the yang to the THC's yin...

While they are very utilitarian especially when traveling (RIP aviation industry) I am not a fan of the (cartridge) vape pen. I usually opt for high test and I think concentrating the flower changes the flavor / effects and removes a lot of the beneficial terpenes and trace CBDs.

I have been weaning myself off of combustion (again) since the CV-19 so got a portable vape for flowers and after a few weeks I was shocked at the foul / burnt flavor when I bust out the old portable waterpipe...


TLDR: Buy some flower instead of the vape pen. And as per the note above, look for strain(s) with a higher percentage of CBD. Most of the boutique flavors are bred for high THC but since you're a NEWBIE on a short-term bender I think you would find a higher ratio of CBD/THC far more agreeable...
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
Yeah, those vape pens are convenient for sure but also kind of scary from a health perspective. The science is inconclusive but everything I've read points to a bunch of unknown issues, including the possibility of coating the inside of your lungs with polymers and other bad stuff, the long-term effects of which are unknown. So you're probably substituting one set of known issues for others, yet no one really knows. In contrast, my understanding is that vaping flowers skips the tar from combustion but is otherwise the same. In other words, it can't be any worse than combustion and in all likelihood is better.
 

boostindoubles

Nacho Libre
Mar 16, 2004
7,839
6,145
Yakistan
Get some gummies, see if they have 10mg THC servings and start by eating half. See if the have hybrid or indica for night time. Post surgery I would look for indica gummies for sleeping and whatever CBD you can find for all day. Vape pens are convenient but they're not that great, imo. Lots of folks swear by them because of the lack of smell and ease of use.
 

Montana rider

Turbo Monkey
Mar 14, 2005
1,741
2,164
Hi pot familiar friends
I'm thinking of swinging by the dispensary for the first time ever and I need some help figuring out what I want. This is the place: https://gardenremedies.com/marlboroughrec
They seem to have everything. I'm not much of a smoker, but I want to get my wife something to ease post surgery pain (so probably a massage oil) but I wouldn't mind getting a cbd style tincture to help cope with anxiety and pain...aaand I wouldn't mind getting something to play with after the kids go to bed, probably a vape pen. Any tips on what to look for? What's the balance of cbd vs thc to look out for? It's been many years since I smoked, so I want to go very easy
If you're an infrequent user most places will have a low-test strain or two -- something with more CBD to offset the THC would be advisable (they act like yin/yang re: paranoia etc.)

ETA: I've made the transition to vaping flower (I'm not as sold on the cartridge vapes re: health concerns, though they are supremely practical...) so I've been rocking the B&S Mighty of late with water pipe adapter... (not my photo, but my current works...)


Webp.net-resizeimage.jpg



Meanwhile I am shocked, shocked I tell's you, to learn our county...









... has 506 Black people.

Not so shocked that the criminal justice system which first criminalized the flower back in the day to punish African American jazz musicians is still using the flower to punish African Americans 100 year later.
 
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jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
19,799
8,383
Nowhere Man!
The Canadian weed we get on the Indian Reservation is very good and cheap. I bought 7g and that's enough to last a year for me. The Local stuff here in Rochester has a quality issues as I am told.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,232
20,015
Sleazattle
The Canadian weed we get on the Indian Reservation is very good and cheap. I bought 7g and that's enough to last a year for me. The Local stuff here in Rochester has a quality issues as I am told.

North Country weed was was no joke when I was in Northern NY for college.
 

Montana rider

Turbo Monkey
Mar 14, 2005
1,741
2,164
Anecdotally, I've been hearing that the fucking virus and White flight re: George Floyd/BLM protests are/were a significant driver for a lot of new Republican fascists relocating to our state reversing an overall trend of purple-ization (i.e. BIG Democratization) of MT since we moved here in 2000.

See: Greg Gianforte's (R) overwhelming election when our past governors were Schweitzer/Bullock (D)

While I am not excited about the potential influx of homeless with a lot of behavioral health and social service needs (See: Denver CO) we need more VOTING hippies, and this should help:


Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe (VAPE) free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden (Goat) door!
 

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
19,799
8,383
Nowhere Man!
Got some crazy good Black Hash Shards. Super strong and tasty as fuck. The real thing from Lebanon via Spain. Did cold hits from under the tumbler. Very devastating....
 

Poops McDougal

moving to australia
May 30, 2007
1,179
1,241
Central California
I don’t smoke much these days, but I’m big on indica edibles around bed time during the week, maybe sativa on the weekends.

I’d probably go the flower route more often if I invested in a decent vaporizer. Any suggestions?
 

boostindoubles

Nacho Libre
Mar 16, 2004
7,839
6,145
Yakistan
I own a Vapor Brothers vb1 and it's a great flower vaporizer. I picked up a water pipe adapter so I can tug on it with some water filtration to cool the vapor.

I originally purchased it when I was fighting intense bronchitis and couldn't inhale any smoke. The vb1 didn't mess with the bronchitis and really helped me get over the hump with that stuff.

I guess it's important to add that vaping flower changes the psychoactive interaction of the flower. It's not the same buzz as taking a puff. It can be a strong buzz still, its a bit different. It does retain some of the individual traits of the flower and all the flavor comes through.

The edible game is off the hook these days but the buzz is generic. I enjoy the different buzzes and effects that different strains initiate. It's too bad those unique qualities can't be passed into like a single strain based edible.
 

Poops McDougal

moving to australia
May 30, 2007
1,179
1,241
Central California
I actually have a cheap vaporizer that looks a lot like the VB1 that I received as a gift. I've never trusted the heat settings or materials, though. "Hey, I know you're trying to utilize a healthier method, so here's some poorly manufactured junk to puff on". At first glance, the VB1 does appear to be higher quality.

....The edible game is off the hook these days but the buzz is generic. I enjoy the different buzzes and effects that different strains initiate. It's too bad those unique qualities can't be passed into like a single strain based edible.
I agree with with this. I might even go so far as to say that the differences between indica and sativa effects are small, although that seems to vary by manufacturer. The important thing for me, is that it puts me to sleep, and keeps me asleep.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,562
24,182
media blackout
might be a bit late here - i *just* got a new flower vaporizer. brand new as in yesterday. firefly v2+. was pricey, but oh man is it fantastic. i have a less expensive vaporizer which, while it worked, the firefly just blows it away. heats up in about 5 seconds, then cools. so it only heats when you want to draw, so i feel like its more efficient based on a single use so far. also, the mouthpiece and vape you actually breath in aren't hot at all - it's like room temp. it's easy to load (one of the big issues with my old vape) and clean. @Poops McDougal if you're still looking for one i would highly recommend it. if you want I have a link that'll get you $40 off one.
 

Montana rider

Turbo Monkey
Mar 14, 2005
1,741
2,164
I don’t smoke much these days, but I’m big on indica edibles around bed time during the week, maybe sativa on the weekends.

I’d probably go the flower route more often if I invested in a decent vaporizer. Any suggestions?
Just saw this post...




1659102787387.png


(My works from an earlier post, not my pixels)

I'm still all in on the mighty re: portable vape, or crafty If you are more of an occasional smoker for flower.

I generally steer clear from overpriced boutique brands (hello Apple, my phone says Hello Moto...) BUT I have turned into a //////////S&B fanboi.

That hydrotube + mighty = as close to bonghits as I've found...

The Terra Boundless (V3) is a cheaper utilitarian version with replaceable batteries as an alternative.

ETA: I also like using S&B dosing capsules. They're tiny aluminum pucks you put your weed in...

1659103556298.png


I used my mighty for a year+ (and a pound+ of flower) before my first cleaning, which was easy peasy. You just soak the caps in iso every few months instead of cleaning the more expensive "works."

YMMV
 
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