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Mixing booze and weed isn't anything new—in fact we wouldn't be surprised if you told us that the POTUS himself mixed shots with hits during his adolescence. But recently THC-laced cocktails have been shaking up (if not stirring) the cocktail scene in states where medical marijuana is legal.
Elise McDonough, the woman who wrote the book on cooking with pot (the "Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook") confirmed the trend for the New York Times: "Cannabis cocktails are relatively recent phenomena." (In case you're wondering, her book has a few recipes of its own, including a weed-laced piña colada called Jamaican Me Crazy and a Bonghitters’ Mota Mojito, in which those green leaves might not be mint.)
The cocktail-with-weed trend is as strong in Los Angeles as anywhere else, where we have fully blossoming weed and cocktail cultures. Daniel Nelson, the owner of the Writer's Room in Hollywood and the cocktail designer in charge at a recent secret 4/20 dinner, spoke with the New York Times about his pot-laced drinks. He confirmed that his cocktails can get you really blazed: "When you put THC in alcohol, you feel it immediately. I definitely got mega-high. I had to tone it down for the guests."
The trend isn't really legal, although it hasn't showed up much on the radar of the DEA. Still, the trend is kind of pissing off advocates who are desperately trying to make the case (and not always winning) that medical marijuana deserves . Steve DeAngelo, the director of a marijuana dispensary in Oakland told the Times: "We believe it's a wellness product, not an inebriant."
Related:
Coming To A Secret Downtown L.A. Locale: The 4/20 'Herb' Dinner
Jonathan Gold Is One In A Long String of Los Angeles Times Columnists to Give Pot a Shot
