Ask a Stoner: Do I Deserve Being Heckled for My $5 Pipe?

Westword

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Dear Stoner: My friends heckle me for buying $5 pipes and throwing them away when they’re too dirty instead of buying new ones. Is it really that trashy and bad for the environment?
Tony

Dear Tony: I do the same thing, not that I’m proud of it. The effort, time, smell and effect on the skin of my hands are all reasons that I avoid buying pipes worthy of cleaning — well, that and the fact that I break them all within a year. I’ve settled on a regular rotation of my desktop vaporizer, joints, or cheap pipes bought at the dispensary, which are promptly replaced when they get too dirty. Is that bad for the environment? Probably, but that chemical glass cleaner and black tar going down the sink have to land somewhere, too, and I only go through a pipe a year on average. Get off my back, Tony’s friends.

click to enlarge

Scott Lentz

Truth is, most of this commercial weed thing is bad for the environment (although hemp’s potential as a plastic and fiber alternative can help mitigate that). Burnt and tar-laden joint roaches, nutrient-laced water runoff, excessive use of electricity and water at indoor grows, and the carbon footprint of a regulated market are all hurting the planet. Shit, even terpenes might be bad for the air in urban settings. The cost of doing business, maybe, but all of us can improve.

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