Marijuana 101: The Ways We Consume Cannabis Products
Are you ready to start consuming marijuana but have no idea where to start? Fortunately, we’re here to help; welcome to Cannabis 101 where we discuss how to consume cannabis products.
Below, we’ve explored the various ways that users can consume their plant of choice. Generally, there are two major ways that users consume weed: those are by flower and through concentrates. We’ve explored the specifics of each of these methods, and we’ve also detailed the different ways that users can consume both types of the product.
That way, if you’re about to make your first legal marijuana purchase, you’ll have all the information you’ll need for a safe and enjoyable experience.
Flower
Consuming cannabis using the plant’s flower is the most common and prevalent method. This should not come as much of a surprise. Cannabis was cultivated as early as 4000 BCE and used for food, and it has since evolved being used for textiles and other products, or for medical and medicinal purposes. It took centuries for users to understand how to concentrate the accompanying THC so it only makes sense that the flower would be the most used cannabis product to this day.
One of the most enticing aspects of the flower is its accessibility; it doesn’t take long to prepare for smoking or eating. Of course, it might still take you a while to figure out which flower smoking method you’re going to opt for.
Paper
This is perhaps the simplest, most common and inexpensive way of consuming marijuana. You can find inexpensive rolling papers in stores, online, and in gas stations.There are different types of papers that you can opt for. Rolling papers are similar to cigarette papers. While they provide a vessel for you to consume marijuana, the paper still burns relatively quickly. If you’re looking for a quick high, then this joint is a logical route. However, if you want to take your time, then you’ll be disappointed when the joint inevitably burns out.
Many people enjoy filling out their joints with tobacco, and users refer to these as “spliffs.” Adding tobacco to a joint is enjoyed by those who typically smoke tobacco products and for those who are cutting back on the amount of cannabis flower used.
If you’re looking to extend the use of your cannabis, then blunt wraps are a strong alternative. Blunts are usually rolled using an emptied cigar or a tobacco leaf rolling paper. The user, empties the cigar and fills it with cannabis flower, and rerolls the cigar for use. These blunt wraps take a while to burn, making blunts a logical choice for those in social situations or for those who want to take their time.
Glass
If you’re focused on just inhaling marijuana smoke (as opposed to weed and paper), then a glass pipe would be a logical alternative. By opting for a pipe, you’ll only be smoking the actual plant, thus saving your lungs from any of those unnecessary toxins associated with rolling papers or cigar wrappers.
A small hand pipe is one of the most prevalent ways of smoking marijuana via glass. These tools have a small bowl where you can pack in marijuana. Simply burn the cannabis flower and trap the smoke by holding the hole (carb) on the side of the bowl. Then, when you’re ready to inhale, release the hole, and the smoke will stream through the mouthpiece. Hand pipes come in a wide variety of styles and configurations. You may even come across a small one-hitter, which burns the marijuana on one end and sends out the smoke on the other.
Another popular way of smoking marijuana via glass is bongs and bubblers. These types of glass include water, leading to a milkier, softer smoking experience. A “milky hit” or a “milkier” smoking experience means that when you exhale after use, the smoke you breathe out is a cloudy white color. While glass hand pipes will burn the marijuana and send it directly to your lungs (leading to a harsher hit), a bong’s smoke will see some much-appreciated cooling before it’s inhaled by the user. Of course, it’s important to remember that these bong hits are generally bigger than those created via a classic hand pipe; in other words, make sure you tread carefully when smoking a bong for the first time. Bubblers work similar to bongs, although they’re generally smaller and don’t include a removable bowl.
Hookah
Predictably, users have found plenty of alternative ways to consume the cannabis flower that doesn’t require paper or glass. You’ll occasionally find some users who enjoy smoking marijuana via a hookah, although this isn’t ideal. Shisha, which is traditionally used in hookah, is wet and dense. On the flip side, marijuana contains less water and burns quickly, meaning you won’t get the full effect of the weed if you’re smoking it via this apparatus. If you’re looking to smoke marijuana via a hookah, it’s advised that you mix the weed with the shisha. That way, you won’t be wasting your cannabis.
Vaporizers: Dry Herb and Oil
There are two main types of vaporizers: a dry herb vaporizer and an oil vaporizer.
When you’re smoking cannabis in a joint or bowl, you’re essentially burning the plant. It should come as no surprise that those methods can be tough on the user’s lungs. Many feel that vaping is an alternative to that harshness as the smoke that comes from a vaporizer is not as harsh.
With a dry herb vaporizer, the vaporizer will heat the cannabis flower to a hot-enough temperature where the plant will “vaporize” (as opposed to combusting).
A concentrate vaporizer is almost the same as an e-cigarette, the difference is that instead of a tobacco or other e-liquid filling the tank, you have a cannabis concentrate in the tank. Using a concentrate vaporizer is a great alternative to a dry herb vaporizer as your cannabis will last much longer. While you can get maybe a few hits off of a regular bowl or even a dry herb vaporizer, with a cartridge of cannabis you can get upwards of a hundred or more hits.
Concentrates
Some people want the benefits of THC without the actual plant. There are five major types of cannabis concentrates including tinctures, capsules, vaporizer cartridges, hash, and different types of dabs or oils.
Even in their various forms, they all generally differ from the traditional flower in two specific ways. For starters, the concentrates you smoke can rarely be used via traditional methods. You will require a variety of tools for most concentrates.
Furthermore, many of these products can be significantly stronger than their plant-based alternatives, meaning novices should probably avoid certain types of oils and waxes until they have a bit more experience. Everyone’s body is unique so cannabis effects each individual differently, it is better to start slowly so you know what to expect or how you might react.
Kief
If you look closely at a bud of high-quality weed, you’ll notice some crystalized “dust” that’s attached to the leaves. When the plant is ground, some of this dust is turned into a soft powder that we refer to as “kief” (many grinders are accompanied by a third “kief catcher” chamber).
This is essentially concentrated marijuana, and it’s the catalyst for a long-list of other concentrates. For instance, “hash” is compressed kief (or resin). Manufacturers essentially separate the THC-concentrated kief from the plant and subject it to high temperatures/pressure. There’s also “rosin,” which is made with the entire plant.
If you’re going to be smoking these solventless concentrates, then you’ll likely need to heat them before inhaling. For example, heat some hash on the top of a paperclip, and then place the melted hash on a cigarette or joint. Standard kief can simply be rolled into paper of placed in a glass bowl, although it’s important to remember that it will burn immediately.
Other Types
In recent years, edibles have become especially popular among marijuana users. Generally, the THC is extracted from the plant and infused with oil or butter, allowing the user to bake marijuana into their favorite treats. Edibles don’t provide the immediate high associated with marijuana, as the effects will likely take several hours or some time to kick in. However, there really isn’t a healthier alternative out there, so it should be especially enticing to those who don’t want to smoke their marijuana.
Topicals are also becoming more popular, although there’s some question marks surrounding the usefulness and effectiveness, as stated earlier, everyone’s body is different so it only makes sense that topical cannabis products will affect users differently. Topicals are placed on sore muscles or over joints and other parts of the body, and they’re intended to relieve pain. This type of marijuana could be attractive to those who value the medicinal incentives of the plant.
Whatever you are in the mood for or depending on your experience level, it is always best to do your research before you consume any cannabis product. Different strains of the flower will affect your body in unique ways, so it is also important that whenever you consume your cannabis product of choice, you do so in a safe environment, especially for a first time user.
