Sometimes it’s not the weed, It’s You

How you may be contributing to your bad smoking experiences

Everyone who has tried cannabis has at least one bad experience story. Sometimes it’s because you’re blindsided by the potency, sometimes it has caused an uncontrollable coughing fit. We don’t always have control over how the high hits and what feelings it enhances, but there are some things that you can be proactive about to have better smoke sessions. There are many ways that you can adjust your smoke experience and better control the outcome of your high :

Pay Attention to Posture

If you’re hunched over or laying down when you’re taking a hit, you are restricting your lungs from taking full breaths and increasing the chances that your breath is too shallow or gets caught on an inhale.

Breathe & Dose

Remember to breathe clean breaths in between hits—if hotboxing, it’s okay to get air when you need it. Step outside. When we take in more smoke than our body is ready for, we can end up coughing and choking, especially if you’re holding in smoke. Holding your smoke doesn’t make you much higher but old habits die hard, we get it. If you must, hold for a shorter amount of time (maybe 1 - 3 seconds). Even with edibles, know your dose (when in doubt, start slower) and save yourself the stress.

Smoke “Clean”

Smoking with glass isn’t always the option of choice. If you usually roll your weed, what kind of wraps are you using? Blunt wraps are popular; they burn slower, they often come flavored and enhance your high. However, this usually means that you’re inhaling harsher compounds like tobacco. If your body doesn’t like or isn’t used to how the wrap changes the smoke, you’re less likely to have a smooth experience.

Keep Cool

When you take big bong rips or use extracts like budder or wax, you may notice yourself using more intense heat like blow torches instead of lighters. The smoke being too hot can burn your throat. Add ice cubes to your bong water or put your glass pipes in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to cool it down. Go easy on yourself.

Inform Yourself

Do you always know exactly what strain you have, when it was grown and all the dates and details? No. But people will often know if the strain is a sativa, hybrid or indica. They’ll also be able to tell you if there’s anything else mixed with it like fanto leaf which is a type of tobacco. That’s a good start—any information can influence whether and how you smoke this particular bud. Normalize asking “what is it?” because if it’s a strain that usually gives you headaches, it will save you the trouble knowing beforehand. Think of it the same way people say “I can’t drink tequila.”

Hydrate!

Have water with you while you smoke. Smoking contributes to dryness, raspiness and irritation. Being dehydrated doesn’t contribute to smooth, satisfying hits.

Clean your Pipes

Smoking out of clean pieces gives a stronger and tastier hit, plus you don’t want all of that residue and gunk to get inhaled to your lungs.

Just remember to control what you can control: gather whatever you need (it may require some forethought), support your body during and after sessions and stop when you feel good—you can always come back for another hit later.