What can you do with one gram of weed? You can start a lot of novel conversations. Getting my picture on the front page of the local paper (The bi-weekly South Whidbey Record) helped. Marijuana is legal in Washington State. Finally, I can try to cook up some stress-relieving foods and drinks. First, though, I have to sort through crowds of expectations and anxieties. A great debate over a cup of tea – as the American tea party gets redefined yet again.

Life is not work, work, work, even though that’s what I’ve been doing almost every day. The New Economy means I’m working seven days a week, with one day off every other month. I’m an optimist. It’s temporary. I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving.

Life is also change. I watch trends out of habit, and have benefited from that in the past. It was good to catch onto the Starbucks early rush, and I don’t drink coffee. I drink tea; which, ironically I learned to appreciate at the first Starbucks store back when they sold loose leaf and spices, too. Besides anticipating some relaxing relief from a non-alcoholic and non-caloric beverage, I’ve been watching the marijuana industry in case there are investment potentials. Nothing rational yet. Stay tuned.

My simple expectations sit nicely in the middle of the two extremes of commentary directed my way. “Oh my god, this new stuff is so potent you’ll hurt yourself!” “Awesome! Welcome to the club. Party on!” Ah, I just wanted a cup of tea, or maybe something extra for my popcorn.

Amidst the swirl of advice I stepped back and did some research online (where else do we do it?) for recipes and techniques. The people uploading to YouTube must be rich, growers, or willing to sacrifice a lot to buy their ingredients. “Take a half ounce and …” A half ounce?! A gram cost me $30. Yikes! I can’t follow those instructions. That’s why I decided to experiment.

When people heard I was going to experiment I heard horror stories. It is almost as if they expect me to take the entire bud and smoke it as quickly as possible. That makes as much sense as chugging a bottle of booze.

And then, of course, there are those that choose not to partake; which I totally understand. If you don’t want to do it, don’t do it. Some people like tofu. Well, okay, go enjoy that.

The discussions are all appreciated. Party on. Be careful. Only do it if you want. Be responsible.

The echoes of the conversations collided in my head. How to start the explorations? How much should I use? Should I sequester myself for the day? Should I …?

Wait a minute. All I want is a cup of tea and to get past this first step. Tea is easy. Boil water. Either drop leaves in water or pour water onto leaves. A sweet spot probably exists somewhere between no leaves and no effect, and an entire bud and probably too much. Besides, the reason to start with water is because it isn’t a very effective way to extract the effect.
     

Do those images spook you? Don’t worry. The bud was still in its bag when I decided I wanted a regular cup of herbal tea. The leaves are lemon balm from my front yard. Writing is hard work. I needed something to drink.

I’ve decided to get silly, even before my first sip. I know just the right dose to get things started. A leaf from a bit of a bud. A fraction of a portion of a gram. A daisy petal would weigh more. Love me. Love me not.

Of course that’s a ridiculous amount. That shouldn’t do anything. That’s the point. Except for the last few decades, marijuana use was the norm. Let’s get past the folderol and get to spending more time talking about the day than what’s in the cup.

Okay, maybe one little leaf really is too little to make that point. I’ll double it and see what happens.

Intermission while the tea steeps.

Ah, the aroma. It smells just like – boiled water. The water has a bit of color, but I don’t have a working dishwasher so that may be more of a measure of my dishwashing skills. Oh, and the flavor. The flavor is that of – yep, boiled water in a cup that maybe should’ve been cleaned better last time.

Seriously, I am going to continue my culinary explorations, partly from curiosity about a recently forbidden substance, partly from curiosity about anything new that’s added to my pantry. And, if I find myself giggling, well, considering the way things have been going I could use a good laugh – and some popcorn.

I’ve learned something tonight. I need to use more leaves to even color the water. Maybe next time I’ll try four leaves. Radical.