Dear Stoner: Where Can I Get Charas, AKA Finger Hash, in the U.S.? | Westword
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Dear Stoner: Where Can I Get Charas, AKA Finger Hash, in the U.S.?

Dear Stoner: I am heading to Colorado a week after my 21st birthday. I lost my actual ID and only have a paper copy. Will that be enough to get me into dispensaries? Alan Dear Alan: It’s time to stop struggling. You’re supposed to lose your ID after turning 21,...
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Dear Stoner: I am heading to Colorado a week after my 21st birthday. I lost my actual ID and only have a paper copy. Will that be enough to get me into dispensaries?
Alan

Dear Alan: It’s time to stop struggling. You’re supposed to lose your ID after turning 21, not before. Along with oxygen, it’s the only thing you need on that big day. Friends pay for drinks (or, in this state, joints and dabs), drive you around and carry you home. One of the only things they can’t do is sneak you into a dispensary. You’ll need a valid, state-issued driver’s license to get into a recreational pot shop — that, or a valid passport or Native American or military ID. But if you’re already carrying around a paper copy of your driver’s license, then it’s unlikely that those options apply. You’ll have a whole week after your birthday before you come here, though. Unless you live in the Australian Outback, why not just go to the DMV as soon as you turn 21 and get a new ID?

Dear Stoner: These days, everybody has heard of hash, BHO, dabs, etc. I’d like to learn more about charas and where it might be obtainable within the U.S. Since it hails from Morocco and the like, I imagine it’s difficult to find anything from its homeland, but are there any crafters making their own charas in legal states like Colorado?
Rooboo Dude

Dear Rooboo: Charas — or finger hash, as it’s known in America — is still beloved by old-school smokers and solvent-haters, but it’s pretty hard to come by in legal pot shops. Hell, even kief is on the endangered list after the explosion of wax, shatter and other space-age extractions. For those of you who are unfamiliar: Charas originated in the mountains of India after some genius rubbed cannabis buds in his palms until all of the resin and oils stuck to his hands, creating a ball of primitive hash. The process is still replicated today across the globe, and it’s a driving force in the rural economies of countries like India, Pakistan and Morocco. It’s easy to break apart, can be rolled into tiny snakes for joints, and offers peace of mind for those who don’t trust all the processing involved in today’s concentrates.

The best bet for obtaining charas is to simply grow your own in states where it’s legal. Trimmers are always rolling together hash from their scissors and fingertips after harvesting personal grows, getting a ball the size of a strawberry off just two pounds. Growers hate trimming, so it’s usually easy to trade a couple hours of work for some loose buds and finger hash. 

Got a question for our stoner? Hit us up at [email protected] or leave a message on the potline at 303-293-2222.
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