The third and final installment of the Beginner’s Guide to Marijuana aims to provide a comprehensive working knowledge of marijuana.  It discusses some of the etiquette of social smoking, developing a fuller understanding of the terminology and expectations of cannabis culture.  An introduction to some common methods of using marijuana will help prepare readers for the many unique encounters they may have with marijuana.  The guide concludes with tips and tricks to maintain a stash of marijuana and some important advice regarding personal life.

Introduction

If you have read this far into the Beginner’s Guide to Marijuana, it is likely that you already have or are planning on smoking marijuana.  This installment of the guide focuses mainly on marijuana experiences outside of the initial novice period–the regular smoking routine.

Social Smoking

As I have stressed many times before throughout this guide, marijuana is a largely social activity.  Though at times it can be enjoyable to light up a spliff by oneself, it is far more rewarding to partake in the fine herb in groups.  As with any regular social activity, there eventually develops etiquette to facilitate a worry-free smoking environment.

It is important to note that smoking etiquette varies by location, time, and group.  There is no universal code for smoking.  One of the most entertaining aspects of smoking outside of your typical group is learning the traditions of other groups.  If you disagree with something in this guide or know of an interesting tradition from your area, feel free to leave a comment below.

Smoking Circles

When smoking in groups of three or more, it is called a smoking circle.  This section is merely an introduction to smoking circle etiquette.  See the article on Smoking Circles for a more comprehensive study of this social phenomenon.

Circles take on a number of shapes an sizes.  It is important to maintain a logical and cyclic rotational order throughout the circle.  This is often difficult, especially in oddly shaped circles.  Typically, one takes one or two hits and passes to the left (called “puff-puff pass”); however, a variation of the traditional circle is popular in Europe and is referred to as Euro-style, in which each smoker takes four or five long drags before passing.  Euro-style can be enjoyable if time and quantity of marijuana is not of major concern.

Directly from the article on smoking circles, the following is a brief list of some etiquette rules and terminology.

The direction of smoking circles is not important.  The important thing is that direction is maintained throughout the entire session.  It is a major party-foul to “fuck up the rotation” by passing in the wrong direction.  Though there is no universal direction, the generally accepted direction throughout popular culture has been pass to the left.

A salad bowl is a bowl that is packed so heavily that it extends past the lip.  Salad bowls are good for larger circles, but can sometimes expand outward and fall out of the bowl, requiring a repack.

To cough or laugh into the bowl resulting in an expulsion of the marijuana is called a volcano.  Volcanoes are to be avoided under all conditions as it most commonly results in lost weed.

The green hit is the first hit from a newly packed bowl.  The person who is loading the weed has the right to decide who takes the green hit.  The choice is sometimes his or her self, but common courtesy dictates that it should be offered to another.  When taking the green hit, it is important to corner hit, which refers to lighting only one side of the weed to leave some green exposed for the next person in the rotation.  If you accidentally torch all of the green, it is courteous to cheat the green or rotate the bowl around so that more green will be exposed for the next person.

It is acceptable to not take a hit when the bowl reaches you in the rotation if for whatever reason you so choose.  However, simply because someone refused once does not mean that they should be skipped the next time.  As long as someone remains in the circle, they should always be passed the bowl.

Methods of Use

There are five major ways of using marijuana, only three of which actually involve smoking.  The three smoking methods are rolled marijuana, pipes, and bongs.  The other two are vaporization and eating/drinking.  Each has its own unique experience, advantages, and disadvantages.

Smoking marijuana rolled into cigarettes (joints) or cigars (blunts) has a very traditional and natural feel to it.  Because blunt papers are often flavored, they can provide a very fun tasteful experience.  When instead of rolling exclusively marijuana, a mix of tobacco and marijuana is used, it is referred to as a spliff.  Spliffs provide a uniquely relaxing experience.  Many argue that nicotine and marijuana have a synergistic effect.  While rolled marijuana can be somewhat wasteful, it is very enjoyable and safe.  In emergency situations a joint can be much more easily disposed of than a pipe, bong, or vaporizer.  In the past, I’ve had to eat a joint or two to avoid police interruption!

Pipes are the preferred method of many smokers.  Pipes can range from the small and discreet to the large and elaborate.  Pipes are an efficient way of smoking marijuana and are usually relatively portable enough to take places.  Because pipes have such immense variety, it is difficult to provide a paragraph introduction, so see the full Introduction to Pipes for more information.  Pipes can be easily constructed from household materials, so even if it is difficult to obtain a suitable pipe in your area, one can be made for little to no money!  The preferred pipes among smokers are medium-to-small sized glass pipes with a choke or carb.  They often feature elaborate blown glass designs and come in an enormous variety of shapes and sizes.

For regular smokers who have the liberty of smoking inside, bongs or water pipes are preferable.  Bongs are typically large and non-portable, so they remain in one location almost exclusively.  Bongs also have a great deal of diversity even in the mechanisms used, but all have essentially the same principle of passing the smoke through water to cool it down and filter out some of the particulate matter.  Some studies show that bongs are not an effective method of filtering particulate matter, but it is undoubtedly so that bongs cool the smoke down making for a a much more comfortable hit.  See the Introduction to Bongs for more information

A newer method of using marijuana involves heating a sample of marijuana to a temperature in the range of 380-450 degrees Fahrenheit.  In this range, the THC and other active compounds are vaporized without combusting the plant material.  This provides for a cleaner experience with far less particulate matter.  There are two major types of vaporizers.  Induction vaporizers heat the material directly and convection vaporizers pass hot air over the sample.  Convection vaporizers are more complex and costly, but heat the material more evenly and are more efficient.  See the Introduction to Vaporizers for more information.

Of course, if you don’t feel like inhaling your marijuana, you can eat it too!  Everyone knows of pot-brownies and pot-cookies, but marijuana can be used in any recipe that includes butter.  As it turns out, the THC (and many other chemicals) are fat and alcohol soluble.  You can mix marijuana into a chai tea latte or dissolve it in grain alcohol for a shot of green dragon.  You can also extract some of the chemicals and do some interesting things with the THC-oil. Be aware that for many people, the effects of eating marijuana are distinctly different and more intense than with smoking.  The highs typically last longer as well.  Eating marijuana or taking edibles can be a difficult first experience, so I would recommend beginning with another method.  After you are more comfortable with being high, you can move on to experimenting with ingesting marijuana.

A Note on Mixing Marijuana with Other Drugs

It is very common to come into contact with other drugs while using marijuana.  The gateway drug phenomenon is a concern of many anti-drug activists and policy-makers, so be careful when meeting with dealers and be sure to do research on the benefits and risks of any drug you decide to take. If you do decide to use othe drugs, I would recommend not using them in combination with marijuana at first.  While with many drugs, marijuana has a synergistic effect, it is always best to become comfortable with using either substance alone first.

In many situations, marijuana use and alcohol use occur in the same place.  If you have used both many times before, this can be alright, but if you are new to either, it is best to shy away from this until you become more comfortable.  While many people find that marijuana can calm nausea, other people also find that mixing marijuana with alcohol causes them to get sick and throw up.  Reactions vary from person to person, so it is best to start mixing in low quantities and working your way up.

Your Stash

Maintaining a stash is an important part of cannabis culture.  For amounts less than a half-ounce, plastic sandwich bags are an appropriate storage place.  With larger amounts, zip-lock bags can usually accommodate.  Most people keep their paraphernalia with their weed in some type of container.  Secret stashes that look like cans or other household items are common.  Small wooden chests are also popular.  Some stoners contend that the only appropriate place to store marijuana is in a glass jar.  Personally, I use Tupperware containers.  They are airtight which takes care of smell concerns and stay closed so nothing is lost.  Most head shops carry many different containers specifically designed for holding a stash.

Sometimes, particularly with lower-quality weed, a large number of seeds are present in the marijuana.  Though you can deseed as you use it, it is more convenient to spend a half hour or so to deseed the weed all at once, so that you have a seedless stash ready for rolling and packing.  Smoking seeds is said to cause headaches and they certainly do not have a significant amount of THC.  Also, stems should be removed from the stash because they can puncture joints and blunts without providing any THC content.  Maintaining a seedless, stemless stash is an important part of personal cannabis life.

If weed is improperly stored, it may become too moist or too dry.  Moist weed will not light properly and can cultivate mold colonies, which is too be avoided.  To dry up a stash of overly moist weed, just place a small strip of paper or cardboard in the middle of the stash.  In a few hours, the paper will begin to absorb the moisture from the wet weed.  If, on the other hand, marijuana dries out, it will burn too quickly and result in a harsh inefficient smoke.  The solution to this problem is to place a fresh orange or lemon peel in the stash.  Be sure not to let it sit for longer than a few hours or it will make the marijuana too moist.

General Etiquette

There are some general etiquette rules that should be followed when dealing with any number of other smokers.  The rules exist for a reason to help protect people from undue stress, but these rules are very general and vary from circle to circle.

If you are sick, do not smoke from the same pipe as other people.  This seems like common sense, but it is a rule to help protect the other smokers’ health and should be followed.

Avoid being a mooch, because people will not want to smoke with you any more.  To avoid being labeled as a mooch, simply provide marijuana once in a while or pitch money to whomever is providing.  Unfortunately, it is difficult to rid yourself of this label once it has been bestowed.

On the other side of the spectrum, don’t be the only person to ever provide marijuana.  If you become this person, people will use you for your marijuana and it will dig into your pockets.  If you find that all of your friends are just mooching, ask that they provide once in a while or find new people to smoke with.

A common question that comes up in smoking circle is “where did you get this weed?”  This question is considered rude.  The issue at hand is the safety of the dealer.  It is extremely rude to give the name or number of your dealer to somebody else without the dealer’s permission.  Dealers depend on anonymity for their own safety.  If their customers are giving out their names left and right, it’s only a matter of time before they get caught.  Where I come from, breaking this rules can result in a trip to the hospital, so if someone asks you this question, kindly tell them that you are not at liberty to discuss the identity of your dealer.  You can, however, act as a middleman and deliver weed for your dealer to make a small profit or introduce the friend to your dealer with the dealer’s permission.

Peer pressure is allowable and encouraged to some extent, but respect people’s decision not to smoke.

Avoid slobbering all over the pipe, joint, blunt, vaporizer, or whatever.  This has various names such as “fish-lipping”. Nobody wants to put their lips around your saliva.

Among more traditional smokers, smoking a joint with another person using your left hand is a sign of respect.  This is a little-known tradition in most modern circles, so it may not carry a ton of weight, but traditionally it is an act reserved only for the most respectful smoking sessions (for instance, smoking with Bob Marley or Jerry Garcia’s ghost…)

Personal Life

In my own life as a smoker, I have been able to keep up with my studies, hold a job, and maintain familial and social relationships.  I have seen the negative effects of marijuana and other drugs on some other people’s lives.  In some circumstances, marijuana becomes an entire way of life for people.  They lose sight of all their non-marijuana-related goals and interests.  They move on to harder drugs and throw their lives away.  Marijuana is one of the safer drugs, but as with anything good, too much can be harmful.

I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping marijuana use under control.  Moderation is key.  If you’ve been smoking marijuana every day, take a short break.  As it turns out, sobriety is a trip when you’re getting high every day.

If used properly and with moderation, marijuana has the potential to improve your life and expand your mind.  So be careful, use your head, and enjoy it.