Dear Stoner: I'm flying to a bunch of weddings this summer. What's the best way to get weed when I'm out of town?
Wedding Crasher
Dear Crasher: There are some websites devoted to this, notably WeBeHigh.org, that list common toker hot spots for cities across the U.S. and around the world. But from my experience, the places they send you to are the equivalent of sending someone to the open-air drug market of Civic Center Park in Denver.
When I don't know someone in the town I'm in, I head straight for the hotel bellmen. Yes, they may look square with their tight haircuts, button-downs and ties — but without fail, they are all stoners or have roommates who are stoners. Just tell them that while you don't mean to be too up front about it, it's legal where you come from and you just want some herbal help to enjoy their fine city (lie if it happens to be Bumblefuck, Nowhere). It might take a day, but they will come through. Also, avoid having to try to find a head shop by bringing a clean one with you. You can leave it with the bellman who hooked you up along with a tip when you check out.
Dear Stoner: What are the benefits of spending $200-plus on a "dad rig"? Is it worth it? Is resale an option?
Feish Dollars
Dear FD: If all you do (or all you want to do) is smoke pure hash oil (or really well-made icewater hash), then a hash-specific pipe pretty much sells itself. It's infinitely more efficient than smoking BHO over a bowl. Of course, your friends will all say it looks like a crack pipe (because it kind of does), but eventually those friends will want to use yours every time they're at your house — and will happily dab you out in return.
But as cool as they are, buying a teeny-tiny bubbler built solely for smoking oil is pretty excessive to start out. It's more practical to buy a mid-sized glass piece that works for both flowers and oil by changing out the bowl for an oil dome. Glass pipes these days are like LEGO sets with their interchangeable parts. Resale is an option, and a quick search on Craigslist for "oil rig" alone brings up more than fifty pieces. That might actually be a good option for purchasing your first rig, but be sure to check it first for cracks before handing over any cash.
