Dear Stoner: I've got crews coming in to work on things like my plumbing and some minor remodeling in the coming weeks (as well as a regular pest-control guy). I've been hiding my pot from the pest guy, but should I really care about putting away my pot and pipes when people come over to work on my house?
Al Bonglin
Dear Al: This is a pretty broad question that requires a rather nuanced answer. Generally speaking, no. If it's just you in your place, or you and other adults, you don't need to worry about hiding something that is completely legal. But there are still some things to consider before pulling out your bong when the Orkin man comes around. The presence of kids in the house should play heavily into your decision. We know that it's totally normal for parents to have a puff, but if it rubs a contractor the wrong way, he could feel morally obligated to report you as a negligent parent. That may seem overly paranoid, but it's happened: In 2011, a Papa John's driver in Aurora called the cops on a dad for toking up medical pot while his kid slept upstairs. Thankfully, the officer who responded had some common sense and no charges were filed, but all it takes is one phone call and an unsympathetic cop to severely complicate your life. Using pot around kids isn't automatically grounds for negligence charges in this state, but remember, we're still in the infancy of this whole legal-pot thing. If you're growing herb, our advice is to keep it under wraps if possible. We still take the old-school approach and feel it's best to avoid showing off your harvest to anyone you don't know well. Think about how much you'd hate to come home from work to a brand-new water heater and an empty grow room just because you needlessly showed off your Island Sweet Skunk harvest to the plumber.
Dear Stoner: Is there a pot-friendly child-care service? I don't mean a place where people smoke pot and watch my kids, but a place that finds you babysitters who don't care if the parents partake?
Marijuamom
Dear Marijuamom: There isn't one that we can find; sounds like you've got a solid business opportunity in front of you. Our advice is to be honest when interviewing potential child-care help and ask if they are comfortable working for parents who use cannabis (we also think you should ask them the same thing if you like to drink alcohol). If you're not comfortable asking that, ask what type of music they listen to. If they're into the Billboard top country hits, move on. If they list a bunch of jam bands, you've found a winner.
