How to Smoke Weed - An All-Inclusive Guide

More people are smoking now than ever, which means they're going to want to learn how to smoke weed properly. No problem. This short guide from MJ Arsenal is going to start you off on the essentials of smoking flowers.

We'll talk about the different ways you can smoke marijuana and go over the different devices out there that can help enhance the experience. Read on and learn how to smoke weed for the best experience:

How to Smoke Weed (For Absolute Beginners)

For the first-timers trying their hand at smoking marijuana, we offer a few basic but very important tips:

• Pace your puffs and take things slowly. Smoking isn't a race. It's an experience for you to enjoy. Just let the cannabis do its thing, and soon, you'll be flying high.
• Smoke in comfort. You want the experience to be relaxing, so for your first experience, make sure you're in a place with people you're comfortable smoking with.
• Make sure it's legal. Unfortunately, not every state has legalized recreational marijuana or even medical marijuana. To avoid any issues, check if smoking weed is legal in your state.

Now, let's talk about the main methods of smoking marijuana. The first thing is getting your cannabis products, typically at a dispensary. Next is using a grinder to make some well-ground cannabis that you can then pack into a joint or a bowl.

You then burn your flower with a torch or lighter, drawing the smoke produced into your mouth. Inhale slowly and bring the smoke into your lungs, where your body will absorb the compounds that make the sensation you're looking for.

Don't inhale too deeply, though, as that can irritate your lungs and cause adverse health effects. Just take slow, small drags to get used to the technique, and pace yourself so you don't go overboard.

Besides all that, just stay cool, drink water, and have your go-to snacks nearby for when the munchies hit.

The Essential Tools for Smoking Weed

The joint and the blunt wrap are two common ways to enjoy marijuana use, but you've got way more options, too. Tools like hand pipes, chillums, water pipes, and bubblers all simplify and enhance the smoking experience, increasing your enjoyment just a bit more. Below, we go over the basics for each tool so you can decide which one you'd like to try out in the future:

Hand Pipes

Hand pipes are small, portable pipes used for smoking herbs. They're usually glass pipes with a bowl, a stem, a carb hole on the side to control airflow, and a mouthpiece from which you inhale smoke. There are different types of hand pipe styles, including one-hitters, spoons, Sherlock pipes, and many more. Just know that when it comes to hand pipes, there's variety and ease.

Now, how do you use a hand pipe? It's easy enough:

• Pack your ground cannabis into the bowl. Loosely pack it for better airflow.
• Next, light the bowl up and cover your finger over the pipe's carb hole.
• Finally, inhale that pungent cannabis smoke and enjoy the effect.

And that's it. This tool is pretty hassle-free, aside from cleaning out the tough residue left from burning up all that flower.

Chillums

A chillum is a type of hand pipe, but it is more classic in shape and use than the ones we see today. Chillums have been used for a long time in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. Unlike a one-hitter, these tube-shaped pieces are used to smoke tobacco leaves and cannabis.

With the rise in smoke culture, they've made a comeback here in the States. Most of them are now in the form of a glass chillum, which is no surprise considering how portable and easy they are to use.

Like most hand pipes, chillums are easy to use, with a few differences. The first thing is to pack your chillum with coarse flowers. Grind them too fine, and they can burn up too quickly or end up in your mouth when you inhale.

You can either hold your chillum piece vertically between your middle and ring finger and draw smoke in through the hole made by your index finger, which is the classical way, or you can puff it horizontally like any hand pipe.

Chillums are a nice addition to the many devices you can use to smoke herbs. Even its tube shape makes it easy to clean with a slim brush and some elbow grease. Just be careful if you have a glass chillum, as too much pressure could cause it to crack or break.

Water Pipes

A water pipe, also called a "bong," is probably one of the most iconic devices for smoking marijuana.

Mostly because it's pretty easy to use and helps you stop inhaling particles that cause breathing problems while smoking. Its construction is also simple:

• At the top is the mouthpiece, where you'll inhale your marijuana smoke.
• Smoke rises from the neck, which connects the mouthpiece to the water chamber.
• The chamber stores water that's used to filter smoke coming from the downstem.
• The downstem connects the bong's bowl to the water chamber.
• The bowl is where you pack and light your herbs.

Not too complicated a device, but its effects are great. Because the smoke from the bowl passes through the water chamber, bubbles are produced as you inhale. This then filters a lot of irritating particles so you can enjoy purely consuming cannabis smoke.

The process of using a glass bong is pretty much the same as using a hand pipe but with a few details. First, as you light the bowl up, you should slowly inhale so that smoke from the downstem is pulled up from the water chamber. Next, stop lighting the bowl when enough smoke is produced. By then, you should pull the bowl out to keep from producing more smoke than you intend. After that, just inhale, hold, then exhale.

Pretty soon, you'll be enjoying the wonderous sensations of the cannabis plant and the best it has to offer since you're using a water pipe. Still, make sure to keep it clean. Leaving all that bong water inside will leave gunk and residue that'll make your next smoke session worse and can even cause respiratory infections.

Bubblers

An evolution of the hand pipe and the water pipe, a bubbler mixes parts of both to create one excellent smoking tool. It's basically like a compact bong you can put in your bag or pants pocket. It has a long mouthpiece, stem, and bowl like a hand pipe.

In addition, it has a nice little water chamber and a downstem with a small hole in the side to constrict airflow. The best are glass bubblers made of durable borosilicate, which makes them lasting and effective for quick smoke sessions on the go.

Using a bubbler is also a blend of techniques:

• Like a hand pipe, you're going to pack the bowl up nice and loose with herbs, then burn it up with your torch or lighter.
• As it produces smoke, you'll cover the carb hole with your finger and inhale.
• Smoke from the downstem passes through the bubbler's tiny water chamber and back up to your mouthpiece.
• You then inhale, hold, exhale, and enjoy.

Just as with any piece, take care of it, and it'll take care of you. To remove the leftover residue, soak the whole thing in a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and salt. Or, if you feel it just needs a little wash, a quick rinse of distilled water will do the trick.

Conclusion

Learning how to smoke weed comes down to patience and experimentation. The more you smoke, the better your technique will get. On top of that, the more research you do on new tools and methods of smoking, the better experiences you'll get. With that said, we recommend you test each of the tools above and find where your preference is.

Also, make sure you use the best tools available. Find them at MJ Arsenal, the top provider of smoking devices. Our bongs, hand pipes, and bubblers are all made from premium borosilicate glass, which can absorb high amounts of heat and stress without cracking or breaking. They also come in a variety of dope styles, colors, and designs you will love and enjoy with every smoke session.

Shop MJ Arsenal today and find the perfect smoking tool for you.