How To Smoke Weed
Field Trippers
Cannabis Guide
Getting Started with Cannabis
Cannabis Tips for Amateurs & Pros
It’s normal for those new to cannabis to feel overwhelmed having to figure out some of the terms they might hear at the dispensary and some of the decisions that must be made as they begin their cannabis journey. Some common questions that can come up include:
- What’s the difference between a gram, an eighth, and an ounce?
- Is it okay to store my weed in the plastic container it comes in?
- What is the best way to enjoy my cannabis?
- Do I really need a grinder?
In this guide we are going to provide you with the basics of what you need to know to get started on your cannabis journey. And for those more seasoned, we’ll also share some tips that could help you save money, keep your weed fresh longer, and possibly boost the potency of your weed.
Even those who have enjoyed cannabis for some time can be happy to learn simple things they can do to enhance their cannabis experience. Let’s start by talking about the different measurements associated with cannabis and marijuana products.
Breakdown of Weed Measurements
Ounces vs Grams of Weed
Understanding different weed measurements can help to ensure you and your budtender are on the same page when it comes to buying your cannabis flower. Not only can this go a long way in making your visits to the dispensary easier and more enjoyable but understanding weed measurements can also help you easily spot good deals on your flower according to weight.
A Gram of Weed
One gram of weed is the smallest amount you can purchase at a dispensary. To give you an idea, one gram will consist of one large bud, or two smaller buds.
An Eighth of An Ounce of Weed
The next size up from a gram is an eighth of an ounce. An eighth equals 3.5 grams - and is the standard amount available at dispensaries. Many cultivation companies will save their biggest and best-looking buds for their eighths. An eighth will usually consist of two large, or four medium-sized buds.
Half an Ounce of Weed
There are 14 grams in half an ounce of weed. Since the standard package of cannabis at a dispensary is an eighth of an ounce, a half ounce will be made up of four containers weighing 3.5 grams each.
An Ounce of Weed
Most of you math wizzes have probably already figured out that one ounce of weed equals 28 grams. Depending on where you live, one ounce is usually the limit when it comes to buying cannabis flower.
An ounce of weed can be abbreviated as an “oz” - which is an abbreviation for the Italian word for ounce, onza. Another old-school abbreviation for an ounce of weed is a “z.” Some believe this abbreviation came about since a full ounce of weed fits nicely in a standard Ziploc® resealable bag.
A Pound of Weed
So, if an ounce equals 28 grams and if there are 16 ounces in a pound, how many grams are in a pound of weed? 448 grams. Don’t worry you won’t have to do this type of math at the dispensary because the limit for most is 2.5 ounces per month.
A few nicknames for a pound of weed include(1):
- An “LB”- which is the standard abbreviation for a pound
- An “elbow” - a combination of phonetic and mnemonic devices for “LB”
- A pack - often used to refer to multiple pounds (10 pack = 10 lbs.)
Field Trip Friendly Sizing Tip:
Smalls and Popcorn Nugs
You may see some cannabis flower available at the dispensary that includes the name “smalls.” This simply means that the nugs are smaller.
But, since you need to grind your weed to enjoy its full benefits anyway, this can be a good thing. Smaller buds are easier to break apart and fit into your grinder, without overstuffing it. And smalls are usually available for less than larger buds. Not only that but smalls will also tend to have less stems, meaning you won’t waste your money on the weight stems can add to your purchase.
How to Store Your Weed
Ceramics, Glass, and Plastic Storage
One of the easiest, and most important, things you can do to improve your cannabis experience is to pay attention to how you store your weed. The main goals here are to protect your cannabis from three things: air, moisture, and sunlight.
Storing Weed in Plastic
(Not the Best Option)
Many dispensaries package their cannabis flower in plastic containers that do a good job of keeping air and light out, but they're not the best option for storing your buds long term.
You want to avoid plastic is that it has a static charge that can affect the trichomes in your bud. Trichomes are those tiny little hair-like structures you see on your flower and the static charge can attract those trichomes and cause them to fall off your flower. This static charge in plastic can also degrade the THC in your flower.
So, if you plan on storing your cannabis for longer than a few days, you’ll need to find a better option. In case you’re wondering what to do with all those empty plastic containers, some dispensaries offer recycling programs. Otherwise, they make good airtight containers for anything you would like to keep dry.
Storing Weed in Glass Mason Jars
Or Ceramics
You want to protect your weed from air, moisture, and sunlight. Storing your cannabis in glass mason jars that are airtight, can help to protect it from air and moisture. Besides glass, ceramic containers with air-tight lids are also a great option and can also help to block out sunlight.
Glass Jars with Anti-UV Coating
If your glass mason jar does not have the UV protective tint, you can store the jar in a dark closet or wrap a towel around your jar to protect it from sunlight.
Sunlight can lead to your weed losing its potency. It can also lead to the THC in your cannabis being degraded into CBN (cannabinol). If that happens, instead of enjoying the full effects of the THC in your weed, you’ll most likely just end up feeling sleepy and tired.
Field Trip Storing Pro Tip:
Invest in Jars
If you are just starting out on your cannabis journey, it might be a good idea to invest in a set of glass mason jars with air-tight lids. You can pick up a multi-pack for a reasonable price and this small investment can go a long way in helping to preserve the quality, potency, and taste of your bud.
Even if you’ve enjoyed cannabis for some time and have gotten used to storing your flower in the plastic containers your bud comes in - switching to air-tight glass or ceramic containers can be one change that could greatly enhance your cannabis experience.
How to Grind Weed
Grinders, Chambers, and Tips
When done right, using a grinder to break up your cannabis can help you achieve a nice consistency that can result in improved taste. But that’s not it. Did you know that using a grinder could actually help boost the potency of your cannabis?
Here’s why. When you break up your weed by hand, the tiny little hair-like structures you see on your flower, known as trichomes, can stick to your fingers. By using a grinder, you can avoid losing those trichomes.
Before we move on it is important to note that using a grinder does not always guarantee that your ground up flower will come out with the right consistency. A couple of things to keep in mind here are to aim for as even of a consistency as possible - while not overgrinding your bud.
How to Correctly Place Buds in Grinder
(Be Careful Not to Overfill)
First, get your cannabis and grinder out. Next, you will want to place your cannabis flower into your grinder. It is important to be careful not to overstuff your grinder. If your buds are huge, you will want to break them up a bit before placing them in your grinder.
Next, place your cannabis buds in between the serrated edges, or grooves, of your grinder. If your nugs do not fit in between the grooves, you can place them on top of the grooves and gently push down on them to secure them in place.
Field Trip Pro Tip:
A common mistake is to stuff large buds into the grinder and start twisting. This will most likely lead to an uneven consistency of your ground flower. So, take your time and make sure not to overstuff your grinder. It is better to grind up smaller amounts and have to repeat the process, than trying to do it all in one go.
Grinding Weed Without a Grinder
Take Care of Your Buds
Using your hands to break up your flower is an option, but we would advise against it. Here’s why.
Let’s say you decide to use your fingers to break up your bud, or perhaps scissors. Doing so can cause those valuable trichomes found on your weed to stick to your fingers or scissors. As a result, the weed you consume can be robbed of some of its potency and potential benefits.
Each time you use a grinder, however, those trichomes stay on your weed, or are left behind in the grinder. After a month or two, you can clean your grinder and collect those trichomes. This is known as kief, and it can be sprinkled on your flower to enhance your cannabis experience.
Utilizing All Chambers in Your Grinder
Always on the Grind
Some grinders will have more than one compartment. For example, some grinders have three compartments.
- Where you place your flower to grind it up
- Where your ground up bud will be collected
- Where your kief will be collected
Grinders are not expensive but can go a long way in helping you get the most from your weed.
Field Trip Friendly Sizing Tip:
If your grinder has multiple chambers, every once in a while, you can use a thin metal object, like the end of an unfolded paper clip and rub it on the screen in the middle chamber. This friction will help the kief make its way into the bottom chamber. After a couple of months of using your grinder, you can collect the kief and sprinkle it on top of your flower when rolling a joint or packing a bowl to enhance your cannabis experience.
Ways to Consume Weed Flower
A Variety of Ways to Smoke Cannabis
According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) adults who consume cannabis are most likely to smoke it.2
A couple things that might help explain the popularity of smoking cannabis include its simplicity and ease of use. Perhaps another reason is that it’s one of the fastest ways to experience the effects of the THC in your weed.
There are a few different ways to smoke cannabis, including:
Joint
Ground cannabis flower rolled in paper (the most common method)
Blunt
Ground up flower rolled in a cigar wrap
Pipe
Traditional pipe for smoking cannabis flower
Bong
A water pipe that uses water to filter and cool the smoke
How to Smoke a Joint
Rolling a joint is one of the most popular ways to enjoy your cannabis. All you need are some rolling papers, cannabis flower, and a small piece of card stock paper to create a filter. As we mentioned, although optional, the use of a grinder is recommended.
Although cannabis has been smoked or vaped around the world for thousands of years, the idea of a cannabis cigarette, or joint, is relatively new in the history of cannabis. A pharmacist at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico seems to have been the first to document a cannabis joint in 1856. According to him, laborers were mixing cannabis and tobacco in their cigarettes.
So, for at least 166 years, people around the world have enjoyed the relaxing experience of rolling and smoking a joint, and so can you. Don’t worry if you have little rolling experience. A recent blog sponsored by our friends at RollCall Pre-Rolls takes you step by step through the process of rolling your own joint
How to Ensure an Evenly Burning Joint
Canoeing is when one side of your joint burns faster than the other - caused by unevenly ground bud or a poorly rolled joint. When it comes to smoking your joint, you will want to play close attention to how you light it. If you are looking for the cleanest way to light your joint, a hemp wick is a good choice. It can help you avoid inhaling butane from a lighter or sulfur from matches.
Step 1: Light Up
Keep your flame about an inch or so away from the end of your joint - allowing the twisted end of paper to burn off a bit.
Step 2: Slow Burn
Keep in mind that joints don’t burn the same as cigarettes, so make sure to rotate your joint as you light it. Also, try to make your first few puffs small and even.
Step 3: No Canoeing
If the joint didn’t light evenly, you can moisten your finger a bit and gently rub the paper under the side that is lit, to slow down the burn on that side.
Also, taking smaller and longer hits can help your joint burn more evenly.
How to Smoke a Blunt
Think of a blunt as a larger version of a joint, but instead of rolling papers, blunts are wrapped in cigar paper. Due to their larger size, blunts will tend to contain more ground up cannabis than joints.
Blunts are similar to joints as far as their simplicity goes. All you need are ground up weed, a cigar wrap, and perhaps a grinder. In addition to being larger than most joints, blunts can also have a slight tobacco flavor due to the tobacco in the cigar wrap.
Once again, if you are looking for the cleanest way to light your blunt, a hemp wick is a good way to go. Using your preferred method of combustion, keep the flame about an inch or so away from the end of your blunt and roll it a bit until it starts to burn. Then take your first puff.
How to Smoke Weed With A Pipe
Pipes are one of the most recognizable tools for enjoying cannabis. For good reason too. They are practical, reliable, portable, and produce less ash than smoking a joint or blunt. Although pipes can come in many different shapes and sizes, there are basically two types of pipes for smoking weed: carb & carb-less.
The word carb is short for carburetor. In the case of a cannabis pipe, a carb is the small little hole on the side of a pipe. A carb is meant to improve air flow and help you clear the smoke in your pipe more easily. Most pipes for smoking cannabis will have carbs. Pipes with carbs are also referred to as bowls. Bowls are ideal for larger amounts of weed and are ideal for sharing that kind Field Trip bud you just picked up.
Pipes that do not have carbs are referred to as one-hitters. One common type of one-hitter pipe is shaped like a cigarette, but they come in all shapes and sizes. Smoking out of a one-hitter pipe is fairly straightforward and similar to smoking a joint or blunt - while giving you the opportunity for more discrete enjoyment of your flower.
One-hitters can be harsh on your throat and airways. We suggest taking smaller hits than you would with a joint or blunt until you are familiar and comfortable using a one-hitter.
How to Smoke Weed with a Pipe That Has a Carb
Smoking out of a pipe with a carb is not complicated. First, you’ll need to break up your cannabis flower a bit. Remember, we recommend using a grinder for this.
Once you’ve ground up your weed, lay your pipe on a flat surface and place some of your weed into the bowl. Next, you will want to pick up your pipe in a manner that allows you to cover the hole (carb) with your thumb.
If your pipe’s carb is on the left-hand side, grab it with your left hand and place your thumb over the carb. If the carb is on the right side, use your right hand and do the same. At this point, the bowl of your pipe should be furthest away from you and the part where you place your mouth (mouthpiece) should be closer to you.
You are now ready to spark up your bowl.
Bring the bowl’s mouthpiece up to your lips and with the other hand use a lighter to apply a flame to your bowl and take a puff or two. Once the flower has ignited, you can remove your thumb from the carb and inhale the smoke.
Field Trip Breathing Friendly Tip:
You don’t need to hold your breath for long periods of time to maximize the effects of your cannabis. It only takes a few seconds for your lungs to absorb the THC in your weed. So, a regular inhalation where you hold your smoke in a second or two will do just fine.4
How to Smoke Weed with A Bong
A bong is a pipe that contains water which can help to filter and cool down cannabis smoke. Other names for bongs include water pipes and bubblers.
One of the first times the word “bong” was documented in the western hemisphere was in the McFarland Thai-English Dictionary. Published in 1944, it defined the word bong as “a bamboo water pipe for smoking kancha, tree, hashish, or the hemp plant.”
The Scythians were an ancient tribe of nomadic warriors during the 5th century BC who were said to sit in enclosed tents following the burial of loved ones and would heat hemp seeds on hot stones and breathe the vapors in.6
Well in addition to vaping, it seems the Scythians also enjoyed their weed through bongs as well. Could the fact that they vaped cannabis following the death of a loved one and made bongs out of gold be a hint as to the value they placed on cannabis?
Click here to learn more about the history of vaping and how to vape marijuana.
Different Parts of a Bong
Chamber
Filled with a little bit of water to filter your smoke for a cleaner hit.
Downstem
A long tube that sticks into the bottom of the chamber
Mouthpiece
The piece at the top you breath in and inhale from.
Bowl
Container at the end of the mouthpiece to place your bud
How to Smoke Out of a Bong
Step by Step Guide
Step 1: Add Water
Add just enough so that the water is about one inch above the end of the downstem. Adding too much can cause some water to splash on you when you smoke.
Step 2: Grind Weed
We hope you took our advice and picked up a grinder. If not, you can use scissors or your fingers to break your bud up into a nice and even consistency.
Step 3: Pack Bowl
Don’t pack the weed down too tightly, that could restrict air flow. If you end up packing too tightly you can use something thin like a paper clip to loosen it up.
Step 4: Get Ready
Before you light up your bong, make sure you are sitting or standing near a table or countertop so you can place the bong down in case you start coughing.
Step 5: Ignite and Pull
You are now ready to inhale that cloud of THC goodness. Light your bowl and inhale softly (the more you inhale on this step, the bigger your hit will be.)
Step 6: Lift and Inhale
When you're satisfied or the bong is full - lift the stem, inhale the smoke, hold briefly, exhale, then enjoy. Congrats, you're smoking like a pro now!
Field Trip Bong Friendly Tip:
Once you are done using your bong, empty any remaining flower from your bowl and clean your bong out before storing it away. This can be as simple as dumping out the water and giving it a quick rinse to remove any residue. By doing so, you’ll be able to keep your bong clean and reduce the amount of time you’ll have to spend cleaning your bong over the long term.
The care and attention that goes into cultivating every strain of our premium herb ensures your Field Trip is always safe, effective, and a treat to the senses.
Field Trip Flower
Premium Genetics: We’ve collaborated with purveyors of the finest cannabis genetics to ensure our plants produce some of the kindest buds around.
Environmentally Friendly: Our plants are grown without the use of soil (hydroponically) - allowing us to grow quality herb in an environmentally friendly manner.
No Synthetics: We avoid the use of synthetic pesticides - to avoid harming flower flavor.
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