Dear Stoner: Taking a five- or ten-milligram edible always helps me get to sleep. Is that an unhealthy habit? Could I become dependent or develop a high tolerance? Does a “weed hangover” go away after regular dosing, and does it suggest you’re killing your brain cells?
Krisdabs Brozingis

Dear Kris: Any habit that requires regularly eating something like a buttery, sugar-covered treat (which many five- or ten-milligram edibles are) is unhealthy. Still, it’s a helluva lot healthier than developing an Ambien addiction. A Duke University study that followed 1,000 people born in 1972 until they were 38 showed that consistent marijuana use can affect a developing brain, but adults in their mid-twenties with a fully developed brain didn’t experience a drop in IQ. And while the “high” you get from eating cannabis can leave you with a hangover, such small and infrequent use won’t make you any dumber, according to the same study. But that hangover won’t go away the more you eat — in fact, just the opposite: Daily edible consumption will build up your tolerance, meaning you’ll want higher, more expensive dosages that bring lazier hangovers in the morning.

If you just need help going to sleep, edibles can definitely do the trick — but try going with the CBD-only version, which are even available outside of pot stores. On top of being a natural sleeping aid, CBD helps muscle and joint pain and inflammation, and it won’t leave a hangover the way THC does. So take one and call me in the morning.

Have a question for our Stoner? E-mail [email protected] or call the potline at 303-­293­-2222.