West Coast Breeds Weed Snobs, Too

Cannabis is accruing its own class of sophistocates, particularly in California, where medical legalization and lax enforcement have made connoisseurship marginally acceptable. Advanced palates judge their weed on taste, smell and quality of high, reports the Chronicle—a far cry from the 70s, when users joked that there "were two kinds of pot, good and bad."

What would you expect from a state that grows snobs faster than pinot grapes? Some partakers are even gathering at tastings, where they disambiguate "tingly," "spicey" and "top shelf" strains. But skeptics say it's all smoke and mirrors. "When it comes to smoking it's impossible to differentiate," one activist said. (More marijuana stories.)