Smoking is the oldest and most popular form of consuming cannabis. People have been smoking cannabis or even tobacco for a long time, with records dating back to around 600 BC-400 AD in Central Asia.

Smoking is also one of the most straightforward ways to consume weed. Although there are different methods to smoke weed, all the methods are pretty easy. You just need weed, a lighter, and your equipment(rolling paper, pipes, or bongs), and you can pretty much smoke anywhere. 

 

If you are new to the cannabis community, you might feel overwhelmed by the different smoking methods. Initially, almost everyone feels overwhelmed looking at all the options available. In this article, we will take you through different ways to smoke weed and also talk about alternatives to smoking weed.

Different Ways to Smoke Weed

There are in total of four ways to smoke weed. Some people include joints and blunts as the same way of smoking weed, as both involve rolling weed into a paper. But to make it easier for you, we will discuss all four ways to smoke weed. All the methods have their pros and cons, providing a unique experience of smoking weed.

1. Joints

Joints are undoubtedly one of the most popular methods of smoking weed. They are basically cannabis packed in paper and then smoked like cigarettes. You can get rolling papers for joints in all dispensaries and your nearest corner store. But joints are not the best way to get the most out of your weed and are best for on-the-go smoking. You can carry a joint with you almost anywhere and smoke wherever you want.

How to Roll and Smoke a Joint?

1. Grind your weed with a grinder or break them down with your fingers or scissors.
2. For the filter, use hard paper(thin cupboards) and then fold it like an accordion to fit at the tip of your joint. 
3. Fill the joint with weed without making it too lightly or tightly packed.
4. Roll it into a tube shape, ideally making one end tapered than the other. You can also twist the tip to make it secure.
5. Light the end of the joint evenly and smoke it up!

2. Blunts

Blunts are similar to joints and are smoked by rolling cannabis into a paper. But there are also significant differences that separate the two. Blunts are rolled in a cigar wrap which is generally made from tobacco leaf or pressed tobacco paper instead of rolling paper. 

 

Since the wraps of cigars/blunts are made from tobacco, they also contain nicotine. The main reason why most people love blunts is mainly due to the rich flavor and aroma, plus the high you get from the weed and nicotine combined. 

 

Like joints, they are also mainly for on-the-go smoking, and you might not get the most out of your week from smoking blunts.

How to Roll and Smoke a Blunt?

1. Grind or break down your weed using a grinder or fingers/scissors.
2. Slit open the cigar lengthwise and dump out the tobacco.
3. Moisten the wrap by licking or dabbing it with a few drops of water.
4. Fill the wrap with weed and then roll it in a cylindrical shape.
5. Lick the end of the blunt and run down the heat of a flame along the tucked part to seal it.
6. Light it up evenly, and enjoy!

3. Pipes

Pipes, also known as spoons or bowls, are probably the most straightforward way to smoke weed. They are even more straightforward than smoking a joint or blunt, as you don't have to roll on anything. You just need your pipe, weed, and a lighter. Then you can just pack your pipe, light it, and inhale all the smoke.

 

They are portable, you can carry them almost anywhere, take out your weed, and start smoking.

How to Smoke on a Pipe?

1. Break down your weed with a grinder or by hands/scissors.
2. Loosely fill your bowl on your pipe halfway. A tightly packed bowl might make the hit too harsh. 
3. Light the bowl and inhale the smoke from the mouthpiece. 
4. If your pipe has a carb, you can cover it with your finger and let the smoke build up as you light it up. After the smoke has built up in the pipe, you can lift the card and then inhale all the smoke. 

4. Bongs

Bongs are also known as water pipes as they work similarly but need water to cool and filter the smoke. Since the smoke is cooled and filtered through water, you can easily take large hits on a bong compared to other smoking methods. Due to the soft smoke of the weed, which allows people to take large hits, you can get the most out of your weed. 

 

Bongs have a bowl on the bottom known as a downstem which is filled with weed like the bowl on a pipe. The smoke then travels from the downstream into the water and up to the neck of the bong, reaching the mouthpiece. 

Smoking from a bong is generally when you want to smoke at home and enjoy your weed properly. Due to the large equipment, they are not as portable as joints, blunts, or pipes. But unlike joints and blunts, they don’t require much prep. You just need your weed, blunt, water, and a lighter.

How to Smoke on a Bong?

1. Fill your bong with water by submerging the bottom part of the downstem.
2. Grind your weed into smaller pieces with your grinder or your fingers/scissors.
3. Lightly pack the bowl of your bong halfway with the ground weed.
4. Light up the bowl and then put your mouth on the mouthpiece. 
5. When the bong’s neck is filled with smoke, take the bowl out of the downstem and inhale all the smoke.

Alternatives to Smoking Weed

Vaping

Vaping is becoming popular among smokers and is considered a healthier alternative to smoking weed. It involves heating a concentrated juice of THC to a high temperature to extract a vapor. 

 

Smoking is generally considered unhealthy due to the harmful toxins that might be released through the flame or by burning paper, so vaping is a better method of inhaling weed which is also gentler on the lungs. But you also need to be careful about the juice you use while vaping, as it also can contain harmful chemicals. 

Edibles

Edibles are probably the healthiest option to enjoy weed. They are cannabis-infused food with cannabis oils and butter. If you don’t like smoking weed, you can consume it by eating cannabis-infused foods.

 

Consuming edibles can get quite tricky as you don’t get instantly high like smoking, and many people end up consuming a lot of edibles. The high from edibles starts kicking in after a few hours you have consumed the food, so you need to have some patience to get high off of edibles. 

Smoking Etiquette

Smoke only in designated areas

Not all people like the smell of weed smoke or smoke in general. Many people also hate getting near people smoking weed or cigarettes. People might not like you smoking near them. 

 

Always smoke in designated areas and strictly stay off of no-smoking zones. If you’re smoking in no-smoking zones, you disrespect the people around you.

Never blow smoke in other people’s faces.

Never, I mean NEVER, blow smoke in someone’s face. Even if you are smoking the best strain in the world, you should never blow smoke in someone’s face. Exhale in an open area and not near anyone’s face. Smoking into other’s faces is also known as “shotgunning.”

Flick your ash into an ashtray

Have you ever been handed a joint with huge ash in front? Or even worse, have you seen people drop ash randomly, making a mess on the floor or the table? 

Yes, everyone hates it! Ashtrays are there so that you flick your ash without making a mess. Also, having a joint or blunt with a load of ash in front is unpleasant, so always ash the joint or blunt before passing it along.

Don't suck on Joints and blunts.

Nobody likes soggy joints or blunts. Some people, especially beginners, suck on the joints and blunt, making one end soggy with all the saliva. It’s gross and disgusting to suck on a joint or blunt.

 

Hold it in your mouth and then inhale, don't let your inner lips touch the joint and wet them. Not just joints and blunts, making the mouthpiece of a pipe wet is also disgusting. You can just wipe it off before passing it. 

Sharing is Caring

Sharing is one of the most obvious weed-smoking etiquettes. A true smoking session involves taking a hit and passing the weed on to other people. If you are a host, it is always better to let the guest take the first hit of the weed. The golden rule is always to pass the weed to your left. But if you are sick, refrain from passing your joint or pipe. You might also pass germs and viruses while passing the joint, so when you are sick, it's better not to smoke, even if you don’t share it with your friends.

Conclusion

There are different methods of smoking weed. Some people prefer one way, whereas others might prefer another. Each method provides a unique experience of smoking weed. If we talk about the overall process of consuming weed, each way has its pros and cons and offers a unique experience with each method. 

 

The different smoking methods involve smoking joints, blunts, pipes, and bongs. All the ways have their pros and cons. If you are a weed enthusiast or getting into the cannabis community, you should try all four smoking methods at least once in your life. You can find what works best in the long run by trying out different smoking methods or consuming cannabis. 

 

If you want to try out alternatives to smoking, you can also resort to vaping weed or consuming edibles. But for now, try out the different ways of smoking weed you learned.