People have been using cannabis for hundreds of years, taking advantage of its many benefits. You can go over directly to the video below to see the "exciting" ways to smoke marijuana or read through this article to understand the basics.
Some people use marijuana to treat physical and mental health symptoms, while others use it to socialize, relax, get inspired, boost creativity, and even improve their focus. No matter what you use cannabis for, you'll have to decide how you want to consume it. You have plenty of options, including smoking, vaping, ingesting, and applying it.
How to Smoke Marijuana
One of the most common ways to use marijuana is to smoke it. You can smoke the plant or flowers, as well as some of the concentrates produced from the plant.
Options for smoking include joints, pipes, and hookahs. Joints are similar to cigarettes in that they are rolled in paper and lit on one end. Other terms for joints include spliffs and blunts. Some people roll both marijuana and nicotine together to produce a different effect, although you can smoke a joint that strictly contains the marijuana herb.
Pipes also come in a variety of options. A handheld pipe is the most commonly used device for smoking cannabis because it is convenient and easy to use.
A handheld pipe is small enough to fit into your hand, which means you can take it with you. These pipes are often visually beautiful, serving as artistic representations for some users.
A pipe works by trapping the smoke inside the glass or ceramic housing, which you then inhale through the mouthpiece at the other end. You will need to use a lighter or match to produce the flame that burns the cannabis with each hit.
Another type of pipe is called a water pipe, although some people call it a bubbler or bong. These pipes use water to cool down the smoke before you inhale it.
For some people, this experience is preferred to the heat of a hand pipe or joint, but it hasn't been well-studied as to whether the water filters any potentially harmful chemicals from moving through the mouthpiece.
Hookahs are very rarely used for cannabis, although some people like them for the social aspect. A hookah is a larger pipe that usually has multiple mouthpieces attached to it, allowing more people to participate in the use. The problem with smoking the dry herb in a hookah is that it burns faster than users can inhale it, often resulting in a burned-out tasting hit.
You also need a lot of cannabis to experience the same effect as you'd get from smoking a smaller amount in a joint or handheld pipe. Most people who do use hookahs to smoke cannabis will sandwich the herb in tobacco.
Vaping Instead of Smoking
Smoking is associated with some health concerns, so users have been looking for alternative ways to use marijuana without the risk. Advancements in vaporization technology have improved the delivery method for those who want to steer clear of smoking.
Although the health risks of smoking marijuana are debated, it's no secret that the process involves combustion, which can produce harmful chemicals and toxins.
Since you control the temperature of a vaporizer, you can prevent the herb from being combusted, thus reducing the risk of producing chemicals.
Vaporizers also don't produce smoke. Instead, they produce vapor that you inhale through a mouthpiece.
For health-conscious cannabis consumers, vaporizing the herb is a logical choice. It's also beneficial for those who want to utilize the medicinal benefits of cannabis because it offers steady heating that can extract certain cannabinoids.
CBD is one of the more commonly known cannabinoids that can help with symptoms of anxiety and depression, inflammation, pain relief, and acne. It also doesn't produce the mind-altering effects of other cannabinoids found in cannabis.
You can heat cannabis at a lower temperature to release the CBD without releasing the THC, the cannabinoid responsible for getting users high.
If you plan to use a vaporizer for cannabis, you can also use different types of marijuana concentrates or products. Some vapes use vape juice cartridges, so if you choose this type of unit, you'll need to get cartridges that contain cannabis oil or other concentrates.
A dry herb vaporizer is designed to heat the herb, so you can place it directly in the unit and set the temperature. Other vapes may work with hash, shatter, crumble, and other types of cannabis concentrates.
Best Ways to Smoke Hash
Hash is a concentrate produced when the trichomes of the marijuana plant, also known as the essence of the cannabis, are separated from the leafy or flowery plant material.
The glands at the top of the plant are collected and pressed together to create a somewhat dry, crumbly substance. Hash has a lower THC concentration than other products, so it's especially appealing to those who are looking for a mellow high without feeling the psychoactive effects associated with THC.
You can smoke hash through several methods. The first is in a joint, which you can make by rolling the crumbly hash into a rolling paper. A vaporizer also allows you to use hash without the need for combustion. Make sure the vaporizer you choose can handle hash as some are designed only to work with liquid juice cartridges. A dry herb vaporizer is the best option if you plan to use this cannabis concentrate.
Dabbing is another method for consuming hash. In order to use it this way, you will need a dab rig, also called an oil rig. This unit contains a nail made of ceramic or metal, which heats up. You place a dab of the hash on the nail and allow it to heat up, which releases the effects as you inhale the smoke.
Exciting Ways to Smoke Weed
Although weed has been around for centuries, advancements in consumption methods have made it easier for those who want to take advantage of the benefits of the herb. You no longer have to light up a joint or smoke weed from a pipe.
Instead, you can use a vaporizer that is designed for dry herbs, concentrates, or vape juice cartridges that contain cannabis oil. This method offers quick delivery of the benefits, along with a reduced risk of potential side effects associated with smoking.
Although smoking marijuana isn't linked to lung cancer the way smoking cigarettes is, the smoke can still produce some negative effects. In some users, smoking a joint or a pipe can cause throat and lung irritation, especially when doing so on a long-term basis. Using a vaporizer for the herb is a safer alternative for consuming cannabis.
Smoking Cannabis
The method you choose to use cannabis can also determine how quickly you feel its effects, as well as which cannabinoids are produced during the experience. When you smoke a joint or a pipe, you can't control the temperature of the herb.
Therefore, you'll be exposed to THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids, as well as terpenes. The terpenes in cannabis produce the flavors and aromas, so they can vary depending on the strain you're using.
Using a vaporizer gives you more control over the experience because you can set a temperature. Cannabinoids and terpenes burn at different temperatures, so setting your vaporizer lower can allow you to experience a more mellow high, while setting it to a high temperature can release more THC.
Cannabis concentrates can also have higher levels of CBD or THC, depending on the method used to extract them.
Oral Consumption
Another method for using cannabis that has gained popularity over the last few years is oral consumption.
You've probably heard of pot brownies, but baked goods aren't the only option. Infusing marijuana into food products allows users to enjoy the effects without smoking or vaporizing. Just about anything you can imagine is probably available as a cannabis edible, including cooking oil, hot sauce, honey, cookies, gummies, and much more.
The process of consuming edibles is simple – simply choose what you want and eat it. Some food products contain cannabis oil, while others include concentrates that are added to the batter or infused in during the preparation process.
Review the ingredients list before you decide on an edible so you can make sure it's going to deliver the effects you want. Edibles that contain CBD won't make you feel high, while those that contain THC will.
When you're consuming edibles, it may take a bit longer for the effects of the cannabis to kick in, but the high typically lasts longer than it would with other products.
For newcomers to the cannabis world, it's best to stick to edibles with low levels of cannabis to get started. If you're ready to venture into the world of cannabis, you can find a variety of ways to consume it.
Since it has become legal in many states and municipalities, both for medicinal and recreational use, more people are looking for ways to take advantage of the benefits associated with the herb.
Check out here to find the vaporizer or accessories that allow you to use cannabis in a way that works for you.