from joints to dabs to bongs
When it comes to one of our favorite plants, we’re lucky to be alive at a time when the different ways to smoke weed are seemingly limitless. Maybe you remember when pot came in a plastic bag, or when the only option was to smoke it. Legal cannabis means choices, and what seems like a hundred different ways to smoke weed to enjoy the plant’s benefits. Today you can dial in how you want to feel and how exactly you want to get there.
Whether that be rolling up a joint, hitting your favorite vape, packing a pipe, or breaking out the dab rig, the best ways to smoke weed comes down to personal preference. And when considering the most efficient way to smoke weed, it all depends on how you measure efficiency.
Pre-roll aka joint
Joint | Also known as a “marijuana cigarette” a joint remains one of the most popular methods for consuming cannabis. A joint is the product of ground cannabis bud expertly wrapped in a rolling paper in a fashion that closely resembles a tobacco cigarette.
Benefits: Fast acting, easy to dose.
If you’re wondering how to smoke without a pipe, consuming a joint is one of the best ways to smoke weed for a few reasons. Firstly, smoking cannabis is one of the fastest methods for feeling it right away. When you smoke cannabis flower, It’s absorbed by your lungs followed by quickly entering into your bloodstream.
The rolling itself also takes dedication (although now in a world full of handcrafted pre-rolled joints that’s not always necessary) and requires all five senses; first choosing your favorite flower, grinding it up, enjoying the aromas throughout this process and then taking the time to roll it into a joint one would be proud to share with friends or enjoy solo. This mindful process is therapeutic and can be part of the overall plant medicine experience. It may also be considered the most efficient way to smoke weed as it utilizes the whole flower in its original form, with little flower being wasted.
Vape
Vaporizer | A device that allows an individual to consume cannabis vapor, as opposed to smoke. Vaporizing cannabis product involves a process called decarboxylation wherein the cannabis product is heated—not burned!— to produce a warm vapor that is less detrimental for the lungs. Vaporizers also allow the consumer to control the temperature at which the product is heated, which can facilitate the extraction of certain cannabinoids over others.
Benefits: Discrete, accessible sessions.
Amongst the different ways to smoke weed is vaping, one of the hippest and most controversial smoking trends of the 21st century and a great option for how to smoke without a pipe. Vaporizing cannabis usually means inhaling heated oil through a vaporizing device. There are also vaporizers that allow you to heat ground cannabis flower. Vaping has become one of the best ways to smoke weed due to its ability for discretion. Vaping produces an almost non-existent smoke and aroma which makes it the most efficient way to smoke weed in a pinch. Vape devices are small and easy to transport, and similarly to smoking the high kicks in almost instantly but can be gentler on the throat and lungs. It can cause you euphoria that reduces inflammation, pain, or spasms, and depending on your body, the duration could be anywhere from three to four hours.
High Guide Julia Jacobson: I’m all about clean and sustainable consumption. I use a PAX 2 vaporizer, which you put ground flower into, not an oil cartridge. With my PAX and a good night-time strain, currently my favorite is our Watermelon OG, I can stay asleep for at least a few hours. And it’s not just being asleep, it’s a good, deep sleep. So cannabis has given me a safe alternative to treat my insomnia and I am incredibly grateful for that.
Dab
Dab Rig | A device part of the water-pipe family used to consume cannabis extracts such as shatter or wax. While some dab rigs include special technology which heats the bowl into which the extract is placed, the OG dab rig typically involves the heating of the glass bowl using a blowtorch. Typically made of glass, a speciality water bong designed to smoke dense concentrate oil. Benefits: Smokeless, fast, and effective.
Dabbing is not as intuitive as some of the other different ways to smoke weed but it’s quickly becoming well known for its wide range of benefits. It is arguably the most efficient way to smoke weed since it provides a quick rush and high dose of cannabinoids to the body in an instant. Not recommended for the newbies, dabbing is great for medical patients or seasoned users who require larger doses of cannabinoids to combat a specific ailment or to reach their ideal high. For example, dabbing has been shown to help decrease migraine and headache pain by up to 50% upon immediate consumption.
High Guide Bess Byers: So for me, with dabbing, I love to get super, super lit and then go and work out, whether it’s going for a run or roller-skating by the river, or going to a dance class… I would always just get so, so ripped and then go to Zumba and it was just the most amazing release and I could feel the music and my body was so on point in terms of hitting the beat and feeling like I was in the zone, and I don’t know how else to explain it, but it’s like the best.”
Glass
Dry pipes | usually called a bowl, no water. Made w/ all sorts of materials, safest = glass.
Benefits: Portable, tasty, and stylish.
Bong | The infamous term disallowed in head shops nationwide. These cannabis consumption devices come in all shapes and sizes, vary in their functionality, and should always be kept clean. It contains a large chamber for water resulting in a ton of smoke in one hit. Best for maintaining a desirable temperature for smoke (less harsh than pipe). syn. piece, glass, waterpipe
Bubbler | Halfway between a pipe and a bong, a bubbler is a glass pipe with an additional chamber that holds water – allowing the smoke to be filtered and percolated for a smoother inhale than a classic pipe. Cross between bong and pipe, allows for water in pipe form. The bigger the chamber, the more water = less harsh.
