What Are These Long White Strings in My Weed?

Dear Stoner: I’ll occasionally find very long, white, string-like hairs in my weed — not just in the bag or container, but inside of the buds or stuck to them. Are these human hairs, or an unintended part of the production process? It’s not mold or from bugs, right?
Stoned Octopus

Dear Stoned Octopus: You’re hitting us with spooky questions as Halloween approaches, but fear not (or not as much, anyway): Chances are slim that these stringy hairs are mold or pest by-products.

Fibers find their way into all sorts of crops. The long, stringy hairs I occasionally find in my buds are usually from ties and canopy materials that help hold up and space cannabis plants as they grow; the harvesting and trimming processes can use those materials, as well. You also have the occasional clothing fiber or human or pet hair that finds its way to your buds. Avoid smoking any of these, obviously, and keep up the good inspection process, but an occasional thread in your herb isn’t going to do much damage.

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