Contributor: Asia Mayfield
Grab a nug, burn it up, inhale the smoke. Sounds easy, but becoming an expert stoner takes practice. Now that concentrates and edibles are becoming more popular, even veteran tokers are stumbling.
Read our list of noob mistakes before your next marijuana session, if you want to get stoned like a pro.
New To Cannabis? Don’t Make These Mistakes
1. Using the Black Market
If you live in an area with legal dispensaries, stop going to your old dealer. Seriously. The black market hurts everyone if there are legal alternatives. You might think you’re saving money, but most dispensaries offer deals. You’re also picking up better weed. Even if you know that your dealer has a dank supply, it hasn’t been tested for contaminants. In states like Nevada and California, independent testing laboratories test dispensary products for things like mold, pesticides, etc.
2. Licking the Bong
Your lips go inside the bong, people. Inside! Wrapping your lips on the outside wastes weed. Plus, it’s disgusting. You won’t be able to create a proper seal to suck up the smoke, plus it’ll leave a fine layer of slobber on the outside of your piece.
3. Eating too Much THC
You can pack A LOT of THC into edibles. Nevada state law limits recreational edibles’ potency to 100mg of THC per package. Edibles intended for medical patients, however, are allowed to be much stronger. And there are no limits restricting home cooks. You can pump as much weed oil as you want into your creations. If you’re inexperienced, you’ll be tempted to consume an overly strong edible. Or, you might stuff multiple 100mg dispensary packages down your throat.
This won’t kill you. But it can make you feel too stoned to function, turning your happy high into anxiety. It’s one of the sole dangers of marijuana. If you’re good at avoiding weed-induced panic you’ll probably just go to sleep. The only time it makes sense to eat a lot of THC at once is when you’re about to board a very long flight.
4. Eating too Much – Period.
Look, we all joke about the munchies. Every stoner remembers the time they smoked an insane batch, and ended up scarfing down 5 tacos, and a couple of churros, for an afternoon snack. However, you can’t continue down that path. It’s the road to destruction. If you’re going to become a regular smoker, you have to get the munchies under control. Switch to healthy snacks, stop buying junk food, and forbid yourself from going on food runs. Do whatever you need to do to make sure you’re not continuously binging.
5. Drinking Bong Water
Stoners believe a lot of weird things, but this might be the weirdest. For some reason, there’s a rumor percolating through the marijuana community that drinking bong water is a good idea. If it’s not immediately clear why you should avoid this, buy a bong and use it for a couple of days. Then pour the water into a clear cup. The smelly, grimy, blackened water should repulse you. It probably won’t make you sick, but it definitely won’t help you get “high” or anything like that. Just pour it out. Is marijuana bad for you? No, but drinking bong water is.
6. Choosing Quantity over Quality
Dispensaries changed marijuana – permanently. The buds you’re smoking today are significantly stronger than the ones your parents were smoking. If THC isn’t your thing, you can also find high-CBD strains, or strains with designer terpene profiles. There’s so much good weed for sale, there’s no need to pick up schwag. Yeah, you can buy a lot of poor quality buds for a low price, but why bother?
7. Not Cleaning Your Pieces
Clean your bong, your pipe, etc. Not only is it hygienic, but your smoking sessions will also be better. A resinated, dirty piece taints your bowls. You’ll still get stoned, but the smoke will have a bitter, unpleasant taste. There’s no need to experience this if you don’t have to. Cleaning your piece is quite easy. Use rubbing alcohol and salt to get it gleaming. If you’re out of rubbing alcohol, you can use very hot water and salt. Fill your bong with both, cover the holes, and shake vigorously.
8. Not Using a Grinder
If you’re buying flower, you need to use a grinder. This breaks up the plant material, so it’s easier to deal with. Loading a bowl with big, unbroken chunks wastes your supply. It’ll be hard for the lighter to hit every bit of the bud. There’s a good chance that you’ll toss the bowl before it’s truly done.
Luckily, grinders are cheap. You might be able to pick one up for less than $10. They come in plastic and metal varieties.
9. Not Experimenting With Dabbing Temperature
Everyone who starts dabbing starts out with blazing hot dabs. And some people never change because this is genuinely what they prefer. For others, however, high-temperature dabs are too extreme. They make you feel very high, but can be harsh on your throat. You should also try low and mid-temperature dabs to figure out what you really like.
10. Not Storing Weed Properly
If you don’t store your weed properly, it’ll become dried out and crumbly. More importantly, the flavor and potency can also be affected. To avoid this, you need to store your weed in an airtight container. A sealed jar should be sufficient. Only open it when you want to add or remove a nug. This can also help if you’re worried about the smell. Even heavy smokers don’t want their abode to smell like marijuana 24/7. Edibles should also be kept in airtight containers, too. Concentrates, meanwhile, should be stored in dark, cool places with low humidity.
Avoid the above mishaps, and you can smoke as much as you want without any major problems. Happy smoking!
