Bureau of Weed

Published 5:58 pm Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Bureau of Weed

Regulators in Washington and Colorado face an unprecedented challenge: establishing standards for the safety and purity of newly legalized marijuana sold in their states. “I’ve seen stuff in grow houses — oh my God, you don’t even want to know about,” says the owner of a testing lab in Colorado.

It can’t be much scarier than the long list of unpronounceable stuff that goes into the snack foods enjoyed by many marijuana users.

Watered down: Struggling to keep up with demand, the folks who produce Maker’s Mark bourbon have reduced the alcohol level to 84 proof from 90 proof. They say they’ve added a touch more water to the product, but assure Maker’s Mark drinkers that they won’t notice the difference.

That’s because most of them mix the Maker’s with Coca-Cola.

Just one more thing: The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI’s retirement is just that: retirement. Officials say the pontiff will have no behind-the-scenes role whatsoever in Vatican affairs.

But The Buzz bets that Cardinal Macchiato will be secretly calling Benedict to ask for the umpteenth time how to turn off the out-of-office message in Outlook.

— Mark Carlson, Herald staff