What steps do you take to insure your buds are safe to vaporize?

[itriplots]

After all this talk about how cautious people are on this site about there vaporizers im curious about the precautions people take to insure their bud is safe.

Just to get it started:

What I would consider the safest is growing it yourself and then performing a GC-MS analysis of it to insure no unwanted chemicals got absorbed into the plant from the actual plant containment system. But not many people can do this because of lack of time and no access to a GC-MS or other analytical instruments.

So, do you know who grew it and really trust them and their methods?

Do you get it from a dispensary? Do you trust the dispensary? (some of the cali ones are testing for pesticides which is neat). Do they tell you how it was grown if you ask them? (most of the ones Ive been to just have knowledge of whether it was soil or hydro...)

Do you get it from the guy on the street? (aka I have no idea what went into this bud)

 

[DevoTheStrange]

I know who grows it.... and if I want I can ask and he will tell me everything that went into growing it. I used to just buy it and not care where it came from, but over the years I have slowly moved away from this kind of thinking. I would much rather know what I am vaping than not.
However Occasionally, not often, I get stuck buying low quality, god knows from where, herb. Now you can only even guess what kinds of stuff you find in that.... I won't smoke the low quality. I vape it, hoping that any chemicals that may be in it have a higher vaping temp than what I am using.

 

[caseball2051]

grind and load....lol

 

[lwien]

Yeah, I go to a dispensary that tests for chemicals and pesticides and mold and they actively engage their patients in explaining to them the grow methods and genealogy. But, this is rare and is the reason that it is the only dispensary that I will go to to get my bud.

 

[Plotinus]

i do my best to buy from folks who have connections to legitimate operations, but on the east coast that can be difficult. once it's in my possession, i keep it frozen to ward off mold.

 

[hopandstop]

Like lwien, my local dispensary is starting to test their medications. They grow their own so taking it this extra step further really helps.

 

[albe]

i have no idea at all whats in mine, unless i'm willing to risk growing myself.... it really is ridiculous as we all could be doing it much safer if the laws only kept up with reality.

 

[tdavie]

My dealer, whom I've known for over 20 years as a friend, knows the grower. Unless I grow or buy from a dispensary thats as good as it gets from me. The grower, understandably does not want to meet new people and I'm cool with that (have to be). I do pass along grow books when I think they're appropriate. Nutrient flushing is about the only thing other than complete legalisation that would make it safer for me.

Tom

 

[lwien]

Like lwien, my local dispensary is starting to test their medications. They grow their own so taking it this extra step further really helps.

Yeah, that's one of the good things that's in this new ordinance that is going to take affect soon in that it will mandate this kind of testing. It will be interesting to see though that with the increased operating costs required to do this testing along with the amount of dispensaries that will be drastically cut down in numbers, it will be interesting to see how this affects the current pricing.

 

[mastermorley]

you gotta be careful with some of the stuff on the street, but since most stuff especially Cali weed is getting more retailish there's less and less worry for me generally speaking.

 

[gb902]

I know enough my dealer to trust him, he's not the grower but I want to trust his friends (the growers), just because it is the best stuff I can find at very convenient price.
However, I have known that if the bud is laced with chemicals or other s**t, it gives an excessive sleepy feeling, and maybe after the high (or the next day if you have vaped/smoked the night before) you get a headache. Personally I have never experienced these effects, and I'm not sure of that.

EDIT: I have never bought anything from street for many reasons (possible chemicals, bad quality, lower amounts than you pay, risk for getting caught, etc...). I prefeer 1000 times to stay without weed instead to buy from street dealers.