Different Ways to Smoke Weed

Weed is beneficial in many ways. It relieves pain, boosts performance in sports, helps people destress, “opens the doors of perception” – the list goes on.

The beautiful thing about cannabis, apart from its multifold benefits, is that you can use it in many different ways.

From inhaling and smoking, which are centuries-old ways of consuming cannabis, to more modern methods such as dabbing or hotboxing, cannabis consumption is an activity that begs for creative use.

So, let’s take a look at different ways to smoke weed, and marvel at the users’ ingenuity.

Vaping

Vaping weed is an act of inhaling the vapor from weed heated inside an electronic device called a vaporizer or vape pen. Vaporizers and vape pens are mostly one and the same thing, with certain cannabis users maintaining there are some slight differences.

It’s a less-known fact that vapes were in fact primarily introduced as a substitute for cigarettes to help smokers quit their bad habit, or at least reduce it a bit. It didn’t take long for cannabis enthusiasts to start experimenting with vapes and use it in combination with weed.

What were the results? They discovered fairly quickly that vaping is actually healthier than traditional smoking. How come? 

At certain temperatures, cannabinoids change from a solid or liquid to gas, allowing users to inhale weed. The process of vaping requires lower temperatures than the process of smoking does, which consequently preserves many of the active ingredients of cannabis.

To put it simply, vaping doesn’t let the good stuff leave the smoke that surrounds you.

Also, unlike smoking, vaping doesn’t release tar debris and carcinogens into the body, because lower temperatures needed for vaping don’t produce combustion that results in smoke and toxins. That’s why it has been noted that weed smokers who switch to vaping experience less respiratory problems.

So, we covered the positive sides of using the vape pen, but… it can be expensive. If you aren’t a regular cannabis user, go for cheaper products. However, if you’re an experienced user who smokes often, buying a quality vape is a great long-term investment.

Bongs

A bong is a filtration device used for smoking weed, and its specialty is getting you high extremely fast.

It is fairly simple to use: you just pour water in it, put weed in the bowl, light it up, and inhale.

Bongs come in many shapes and sizes, and most are made of glass, but they can also be made of metal, ceramic, plastic, and in some cases, bamboo.

Some of the common forms include percolator bong, round-base bong, bucket gravity bong, waterfall gravity bong, etc. Gas mask bongs have especially been gaining in popularity.

So, what’s the main feature of the bong that differentiates it from other methods for smoking weed? It’s the fact that you can inhale a huge hit from the bong’s chamber, allowing you to get high after only one or two draws.

Rolling a joint

A joint is one of the first “stoner” methods used for smoking weed, and it’s still popular today. There’s no need to fix what’s not broken, and this MVP serves to prove that. The inside of a joint is ALWAYS weed.

Mixing it with other things will result in different names. For example, a combination of ganja and tobacco is called a spliff.

When it comes to the outside part of the joint, the most common wrapping is paper. Not any kind of paper though, but the one made from hemp or wood pulp.

In order to prevent them from burning quickly, joints are usually covered in gloss or wax, just like regular paper.

So what makes joints stand out, apart from being old school?

Firstly, it’s their small size that plays a big role, for it can be packed in plastic bags and be ready for use anytime, anywhere. All you need is a lighter, and a little bit of joint-rolling skills. The papers for a joint can be acquired relatively easily, and are not difficult to handle.

Blunts

Next to vapes, bongs, and joints, blunts are also members of the hall of fame when it comes to smoking weed.

In fact, they are very similar to joints – they both contain only marijuana inside. What sets them apart most is the fact that blunts are rolled specifically with cigar papers, while joints use plant fiber paper.

Cigar papers are bigger in size, so more weed can be stacked in them – resulting in the blunt being a much faster and stronger method of getting high, compared to a joint.

What are the advantages of a blunt over a joint? First of all – the burning time. The thicker paper makes the blunt burn slower. The fact that blunts also contain tobacco (in the wrap) provides a whole new sensation while smoking, where the user experiences the pleasant taste of tobacco before cannabis rolls in.

Dabbing

No, we aren’t talking about that silly dance move that everyone is doing lately.

We’re talking about BHO (butane hash oil), also called dabs, an extract of the cannabis plant. Dabs are very potent and are usually smoked using a dab rig, which looks like a glass pipe. The difference is that you need to use a blowtorch to light weed instead of a lighter.

Dabbing quickly became one of the most popular methods of consuming cannabis because of the high heat used to burn weed which results in almost instantaneous vaporizing experience. And since it’s a concentrated extract, users get stoned unbelievably fast.

Is dabbing dangerous? One study points to the possible dangers of inhaling toxins that are released via dabbing, but this has not been sufficiently investigated. Most users believe that since dabbing is a form of vaping, it is significantly healthier than smoking joints.

Bear in mind that dabbing is not for beginners, especially because of the use of a blowtorch. Use this method at your own risk, or simply ask for help from someone who is more experienced.

Apple (pipe)!

Sounds confusing? We’ll get straight to the point.

Remember those times in high school when you didn’t have a bong or a pipe, but you desperately needed to smoke some weed? 

Now, what’s the best way to make full use of a pen from school? Use it to create a weed pipe, of course!

First remove the stem and poke a hole through the top of the apple that you packed for “dessert.” Then carve out the apple’s inside. You’ll want to go about halfway through the apple.

Then, poke another hole through the apple from the side. This time poke the pen all the through to the other end. Ensure that the horizontal hole intersects the bottom of the vertical hole you created through the stem.

To start using it, you simply place your weed inside of the alternative bowl at the top where the stem used to be. Use a lighter to light it up, and inhale from one side of the horizontal hole.

Obviously, this solution isn’t as elegant as some modern vape pen, but it’s certainly creative and practical. The apple gives weed a nice flavor and the “pipe” is easily disposable. You can simply eat it, especially if you get the munchies.

Soda can (pipe)!

If you liked the apple trick, you’ll love this one! Using soda cans for smoking weed is really easy.

Use your thumb to press the can somewhere in the middle, creating a little dent. Poke a few holes in the dent with a knife, pen, pin, or anything else sharp enough to create a makeshift “grill.” Then move on to the side a bit and make a bigger hole.

Place your weed on the dent grill, light it with a lighter, hold a finger over the bigger hole you poked, and smoke through the regular can opening (where you drank the soda). You’ll know right away whether it works. If it doesn’t, you may need more holes on the bent side of the can.

Soda can enthusiasts say that the sugar which is left on the sides of the soda can give additional flavor and taste to weed. Give it a try and let us know if it’s true!

There’s more…

The list goes on and will certainly keep growing because people come up with different ways to smoke weed all the time.

We presented you with only the most popular ones.

Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed this list. Feel free to share your experience with some of the methods above in the comments, or enlighten us with some less known/new ones!