I am not a user, but I am old enough to know that the odor of marijuana in the 1970s was much more pleasant than today’s. Back then it resembled burning leaves, which went along great with bohemians on college campuses whose sweaters had leaves all over them anyway. The odor then, didn’t make you want to leave the room or take a bath. This caused an unintended consequence of guilt by association if you were caught in a room with weed smokers. Remember it was not legal then. It was also called dope then. Dope now is another term for cool. I’m having trouble keeping up with all of these word changes. The marijuana of the ’70s was also far less potent than today’s because of lower THC content, which was then about 1% to 2%. The weed of today has significantly more VSCs (volatile sulfur compounds) in it. Skunks share the same chemical substances in their defensive spray, as does skunky beer that occurs because of exposure to direct sunlight.
Why is this on my mind you may wonder? Well, lately I am discovering the skunk-foraging holes dug in my yard that occur this time of year. Skunks are digging for and seeking grubs to eat. The mystery then is to solve whether the skunk odor is from the animals or my neighbors toking up. These foraging skunks are a bit early this year, which some forecast as an early onset of winter.
As for your dog being sprayed, a tomato juice bath doesn’t do it. All it does is reduce the stench a bit. Washing with 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup of baking soda and 1 teaspoon liquid dishwashing soap will do the trick. Using rubber gloves, wash the pet immediately and then rinse with water. Do not store this mixture or make it ahead of time, as the mixture could explode if left in a bottle. (Oh great) If you don’t have those ingredients, vinegar diluted with water will do a decent job also.
I cannot think about this topic without recalling the famous Pepe Le Pew, the aptly named Warner Bros. cartoon skunk character. Pepe was constantly in search of love and romance. He never got the girl, so to speak, because of his odor, which caused other characters to run away from him. The character was eventually censored because of his behavior being seen as a form of stalking, sexual harassment and assault. Mel Blanc was the longest running voice of the character. Pepe never got the girl and never understood why. Some guys are just clueless.
Ahh Cheech and Chong, the Doobie Brothers, and Brewer and Shipley, who admitted that they were one toke over the line when they wrote “One Toke Over the Line.” Sorry, youngsters, if some of these references are a bit outdated for you. Here’s one you should recognize. “Dead skunk in the middle of the road” stinkin’ to high heaven, by Loudon Wainwright III. We should all pull that one up and listen to it again. It’ll accomplish the goal of this column, which is to bring a smile. I love Loudon.
What to do? Skunks hate the smell of original scent Pine-Sol and of predator urine. I’ve considered marking my yard but have decided against it. Since having skunks is a bit of a compliment to those who have a healthy lawn, I think I’ll just leave ’em be.
You can view the whole article at this link Marijuana and skunks: There’s a connection
