hey! welcome to the fold from kentucky!
i say just smoke that stick, it looks cool from here. if it tastes off, THEN pitch it. you don't want that in your box long term, just in case, but worst case is it won't kill you, or make you sick. might sour the mood, but just replace with a better smoke.
and TRULY great collection of people here. ask, and you will get a straight answer 98% of the time. better odds than anywhere else on the web!