The cannabis flower is the smokable, trichome-covered part of the cannabis plant which can be either male or female. The female flowers are more popular since they contain higher THC levels, so they’re predominately used for smoking and making other cannabis products. The male flowers, on the other hand, contain more CBD, so they’re used for making cannabis products intended to provide sedative and anti-inflammatory effects, to name a few.
If you’re planning on trying weed for the first time and you feel like you need additional information about the whole process, we’ve got you covered. This article will focus on giving you all the information regarding the consumption of cannabis and how you can prepare your weed for smoking in a few easy steps.
- Get Your Weed and Cannabis Paraphernalia From a Licensed Dispensary
The nugs filled with THC-rich trichomes and fragrant terpenes will make your cannabis smoking experience unforgettable if you obtain quality weed from a licensed dispensary and get your cannabis smoking paraphernalia at a head shop. Moreover, the budtender working there can give you further information on which strains are beginner-friendly, and which ones give the most intense high ever. By shopping for your weed this way, you can discover your favorite strains and choose your best blend of Sativa and Indica strains to suit your particular needs.
- Roll Your Joint
After you’ve purchased your cannabis, you can move on to making your perfectly rolled joint and light it up. To make it you’ll need:
- Cannabis;
- Cannabis grinder;
- Rolling papers;
- Crutch (for the joint crutch or filter).
Firstly, grind your weed with a grinder and break it down so it can easily fit into your rolling papers. Next, you need to make a crutch (filter) out of cardboard using the accordion fold. Place the filter on one end of the rolling paper, and add the weed. Shape the joint, roll it back and forth between your fingers to pack the cannabis down, tuck the unglued side of the paper under the glued side and seal it with a bit of moisture, and finally pack the end of the joint with a pen to ensure an even burn. Now you’re ready to light it up, but before you do that, we’ll give you some tips on how to take your first hit.
- Smoke Weed Properly
Seasoned weed smokers know very well how to toke, however, newbies are often confused when it comes to taking their first hit and smoking weed properly. If you find yourself in the latter group, follow the tips below.
Inhaling
Smoking weed is pretty similar to smoking cigarettes, therefore all you need to do is draw the smoke in your mouth and inhale it into your lungs. Because marijuana smoke irritates the bronchial passages, don’t keep the smoke in for too long because you may start to cough. Breathe in to make sure the cannabinoids reach your lungs by doing the 4-2-4 breathing method, inhaling for 4 seconds, holding for 2, and exhaling for 4.
Exhaling
The exhale should be as normal as your inhale without holding your breath for too long. Make sure you reoxygenate your body and maintain an abundance of natural airflow while smoking. If you’re using a bong, or some other cannabis device that has a carb, leave a bit of lung capacity before releasing the carb in order to have fresh air in the hit while you’re inhaling through the mouthpiece.
Popular Ways of Smoking Weed
Now you know how to prepare before your first cannabis experience, so all that’s left is for you to learn about all the different ways one can smoke weed, while some users even go the DIY way and make homemade cannabis smoking devices.
Blunts and Joints
The original cannabis smoking method is using blunts and joints. To make a joint, you need cannabis that’s rolled into rolling paper while making blunts involves rolling your weed in cigar paper. Both offer a unique smoking experience and the blunt even has the additional kick of tobacco as a result of the cigar paper (and burns slower than a joint). If you want to get your experience to a whole other level, you can add tobacco to your joint and make it a spliff. Also, top your joint with concentrates, kief, or moon rocks and increase the potency of your weed.
Vaporizers
Vaporizers, or vape pens, are an alternative method for smoking cannabis which has become more popular in recent years. Vaporizing cannabis transforms the cannabinoids into gas at a much lower temperature compared to joints, while also containing less toxins and carcinogens than regular marijuana smoke.
Bongs
Bongs, or water pipes, are another common method for consuming the flowers from the cannabis plant. If you smoke weed from a bong, you’re more likely to get high faster because larger amounts of cannabis smoke are inhaled compared to when you smoke weed from a joint. As a result of the increasing popularity of cannabis all over the world, head shops offer different types of bongs, including gravity bongs, percolator bongs, and bongs from different types of materials – so the user only needs to pick their favorite one, fill it with weed and water, and start toking.
Pipes
Smoking pipes can become your favorite method of cannabis consumption if you’re a bit bored of smoking weed and tobacco. Cannabis users can choose from a variety of pipes like the classics – steamroller pipes or one-hitter pipes, which can be made from glass, clay, wood, and other materials which give users a psychoactive high.
Bubblers
Bubblers are cannabis smoking devices which are suitable for people who prefer glass pipes or bongs. They provide as potent a high as bongs, while also being compact and travel-friendly (similar to pipes). If you’ve become bored with all the regular cannabis consumption methods, bubblers are probably the one thing you haven’t tried yet.
Dab Rigs
Using dab rigs is a perfect way to try flash evaporation, get your cannabis extract, and make your favorite cannabis concentrates. Users claim that the cannabis smoke from a dab rig isn’t as harsh as the smoke you’d get from smoking a joint, so it may be a good option for those of you who don’t like joints. Moreover, dabs are extremely potent and high-quality cannabis products, so you’re getting the best of the best when it comes to consuming cannabis. Even though this is a pricier option compared to buying rolling papers and rolling a joint, after you try it, you may never go back to smoking weed any other way.
Final Thoughts
While we’ve gone over a lot of cannabis consumption methods above, first-timers should remember that some of these methods aren’t suitable for them, but rather for more seasoned cannabis users (because they can give you a rather potent high, like dab rigs, for example).
Keeping that in mind, newbies should also remember to take as many hits as they can tolerate because they risk experiencing some of the side effects that come from consuming weed like the munchies, bloodshot eyes, cottonmouth, and others.
Remember that the experience is only as good as you feel afterward, so never fall into the temptation of giving in to peer pressure and smoking more than you can handle. You can always take a few additional hits later if you feel like you need more.
