Whether you’re a first time smoker or a seasoned stoner, you’ll be surprised to know that you may have been inhaling wrong until now. Inhaling weed correctly isn’t as simple as lugging on that bong as hard as you can and then holding your breath until you have a coughing fit. Inhaling weed is an art form and a key aspect of the entire experience. It’s important to know how to properly inhale weed to ensure you get the most out of your stash and to protect your lungs. Whether you’re a seasoned smoker or a newbie, try out our tips on how to inhale weed properly and I promise you won’t look back.
What happens when you inhale weed?
First let’s talk about the science of what happens when you inhale weed and how it is absorbed. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the main psychoactive compound found in marijuana that gets you high. When you inhale weed, it is absorbed into your lungs where it enters your bloodstream. The transfer of THC from the lungs into the blood all happens within the first few seconds of inhaling. From there, it travels through your bloodstream to your brain and other organs, it is in the brain that THC interacts with the endocannabinoid system, which regulates mood, appetite, and pain. This is what gives you that euphoric, relaxed feeling that we call the high.
Does it matter how long you hold in smoke?
Contrary to popular belief, holding in your hit for an extended period won’t get you any higher. The absorption of THC in your lungs happens almost instantly, so holding your breath for a long time won’t increase the amount of THC absorbed. In fact, holding your breath for too long will most likely be harmful to your lungs and cause unnecessary strain making you cough. So, take a hit, inhale deeply, and exhale slowly and steadily.
How to avoid inhaling too much?
While getting high is the ultimate goal, inhaling too much weed can lead to an unpleasant experience. So, here are some tips on how to inhale weed without overdoing it:
Start Slowly
If it’s your first time smoking take small hits and gradually increase your intake over a period of a few hours. This allows you to gauge your tolerance and avoid over doing it.
Watch Your Technique
Proper technique can help you control the amount of smoke you inhale. Avoid deep inhales and avoid holding your breath, and instead, take shallow, controlled breaths.
Know Your Limits
Everyone’s tolerance is different, so it’s important to know your limits. Don’t feel pressured to keep up with more experienced smokers. Listen to your body and take a break when needed.
Drink water
Inhaling smoke causes irritation to the throat and dry’s your mouth. To avoid cotton mouth take regular sips or cool water to sooth the throat.
How to inhale weed to get higher?
Now, let’s get to the fun part and probably the reason you decided to read this article. Here are some tips on how to inhale weed to get higher:
Deep Breaths
Take deep breaths to ensure the smoke reaches the lower parts of your lungs, where THC is absorbed most effectively. However, don’t hold your breath as this can be harmful and doesn’t actually get you any higher.
Slow and Steady
Inhale slowly and steadily, breathing out slowly after each inhale. Try to avoid coughing and take a break and have some water if you start to. Contrary to popular belief coughing does not make you any higher.
Hold for a Moment
While holding in your hit for an extended period doesn’t get you higher, holding it for about a second will allow the THC to absorb before you slowly exhale.
Blunt, bong or vape
Mixing tobacco with weed is less healthy and won’t get you any higher. To intensify your high try smoking a blunt, bong or vaporizer.
Eat Mango
Although there is not much scientific evidence to prove this, many smokers claim that eating mango while you smoke gets you higher. This is thought to be because there are similar terpenes found in mango that could intensify the experience. And worst case scenario if it doesn’t do much, it’s a healthy way to satisfy the munchies.
For more tips on intensifying your smoking experience, read our complete guide on how to get higher.
What is the safest way to inhale weed?
Smoking anything is not good for your lungs, but lots of us enjoy it and do it anyway. So, if you want to continue to smoke wouldn’t it make sense to do it the healthiest way possible? Here are the safest ways to smoke weed….
Use a Filter
A filter can help to reduce the amount of tar and other harmful substances that you inhale. Instead of rolling up a piece of card for the filter on your joint or blunt, why not invest in some activated carbon filters? Good quality carbon filters not only reduce the carcinogens that you inhale but they also make the smoke much smoother and even refine the taste.
Use a Vaporizer
Good quality devices such as Firefly or Pax vaporizers allow you to heat weed to the perfect temperature instead of burning it. This creates a vapor that you inhale which contains less harmful tar and carcinogens that smoking a joint. Because it burns at a much lower temperature the vapor retains more of the THC and terpenes in your weed, creating a more potent high and better taste.
Use a Bong
Bongs use water to filter the smoke, reducing the amount of harmful substances that you inhale. If you are smoking a bong, try putting some ice in the water to cool down and make the smoke smoother.
Don’t Mix with Tobacco
Mixing weed with tobacco is a common practice, however there are lots of harmful chemicals in tobacco and therefore it increases the amount of carcinogens that you inhale. If you are set on smoking a joint, make it a blunt instead.
Take Smaller Puffs
Taking smaller puffs can help reduce the amount of smoke that you inhale and reduce the strain on your lungs.
How to inhale weed using each method of smoking
There is more than one way to smoke weed, so if you are bored of rolling endless joints, why not try inhaling weed using bong or vaporizer? Each method has its own unique way of inhaling and provides a slightly different experience. Here’s a guide on how to inhale weed using each method of smoking:
Smoking a Joint
Smoking a joint is by far the most popular way of consuming weed. To inhale properly using a joint, follow these steps:
- Light the joint and hold it in your dominant hand.
- Place the joint in your mouth, sealing your lips around it.
- While still inhaling, light the joint and continue to inhale for a few more seconds.
- Remove the joint from your mouth and exhale slowly and steadily being careful not to hold your breath for more than about a second.
Ripping a Pipe or Bong
Smoking a pipe or bong usually provides a more intense high because of the amount of smoke inhaled in one go, however, it is usually a cleaner, smoother smoke because the water in the bong helps to filter out contaminants. Here’s how to inhale properly using a bong:
- After packing the bowl of the bong or pipe with weed, hold the pipe or bong in your dominant hand.
- Place your mouth over the opening of the pipe or bong.
- Using a lighter or torch, ignite the weed and inhale deeply.
- Remove your mouth from the opening and exhale slowly and steadily.
One important note, make sure before you smoke a bong that it has been thoroughly cleaned of any dirty bong water. Smoking through a dirty bong can be very harmful as mold can build up in hard to reach places so its best practice to clean a bong properly after each use. For more information on this, read our guide covering how to clean a bong.
Hitting a vape
Vaping weed has grown in popularity in recent years. There are two different forms of vaping weed. Vaping the raw bud of a cannabis plant and vaping a THC concentrate. Today we will look at how to inhale by vaporizing the raw bud.
- Turn on your vape and select your desired temperature (recommended between 350°F – 400°F).
- Place your mouth over the opening of the vape and inhale deeply.
- Hold the vapor in your lungs for a second or two.
- Exhale slowly and steadily making sure to release all of the smoke.
