Whether you rip, dab, hit, or toke, you need to know the basics of how to inhale weed. It might seem intimidating to the uninitiated, but trust us, you can do it. Humans have been inhaling weed for over 2500 years—way before they had online blogs to help!
Lucky for you, this is the 21st century! We’ve packed this page with tips and tricks to help you master the art of smoking! Yes, it is an art. If you’ve ever seen someone blow a smoke ring or rock a French inhale, you know what we’re talking about.
Don’t worry; we’ll save the advanced techniques for later. For now, let’s explore how to inhale weed using the basic concepts in the following tips. With practice (and hey, who doesn’t want to practice smoking?), you’ll be a pro at inhaling weed in no time!
1. Avoid Mouth Hitting
One of the most common mistakes people make when learning how to inhale weed is mouth-hitting. This term describes a method of smoking that doesn’t involve inhaling weed. Instead, users pull from their smoking devices and hold the smoke in their mouths.
Our lungs absorb THC, allowing it to enter the bloodstream. Mouth-hitting skips this step, rendering your weed useless. If you’re worried about inhaling too much and want your mouth to serve as an intermediary between your weed and your lungs, make sure that you finish by bringing the smoke into your lungs.
2. Draw the Smoke Into Your Lungs
When you introduce heat to cannabis, you’re creating a chemical reaction. The strain’s psychoactive cannabinoids can bind to our bodies’ endocannabinoid system, creating feelings of euphoria. But as we mentioned above, the weed must reach your lungs.
Drawing the smoke (or vapor) is the first step in learning how to inhale weed. Imagine that you’re sipping a drink through a straw. But instead of swallowing, you spit it out—that’s what happens if the THC never reaches your lungs! Instead of pulling from your joint or pen like a straw, imagine you’re breathing in.
3. Start Slow
Starting slow is excellent advice for beginners at any activity, but it’s especially helpful when learning how to inhale weed. Even though studies show the effects of smoking hit users faster than methods like edibles, a smoking high can still be delayed depending on your tolerance and the strain.
If you blow through your bowl or bong, the high might sneak up on you in ways you weren’t anticipating. Since smoking too much can lead to anxiety and nausea, it’s best to take your time when you toke.
4. Take Smaller Puffs
Similar to starting slow, a good practice for beginners when inhaling weed is taking smaller puffs. This technique will help keep you from over smoking, and it’s also easier on your body.
Marijuana smoke or concentrate vapor is hundreds of degrees and can contain irritants and small debris. Taking massive puffs can cause afterburn and coughing. Smaller hits are more manageable when learning how to inhale weed and can save you from a sore throat or irritation. As you grow more accustomed to smoking, you’ll feel comfortable taking bigger puffs.
5. Inhale After You Smoke
Want to know how to inhale weed more efficiently? Incorporate some oxygen. Continuing to breathe after you’ve finished inhaling weed will get you higher while using less marijuana. This method is especially effective for new cannabis users who are taking smaller hits.
When drawing oxygen into your lungs while they still hold smoke, you expose more of your lungs’ surface area to cannabinoids. This leads to more absorption of THC in your bloodstream. You can maximize your hits and stretch your stash by taking this extra breath.
6. Exhale Slowly
A persistent urban myth about inhaling weed is that the longer you hold it in your lungs, the higher you’ll get. We know there’s only so much lung tissue can absorb, so the length of exposure doesn’t matter much.
Slowly exhaling doesn’t get you any higher, but it helps keep you in control of the smoke. Throat irritation can start just as easily when you exhale. Ironically, a lot of learning how to inhale weed is learning how to exhale. You’ll find that slowly exhaling is key to avoiding coughing fits.
7. Skip the Tobacco
Some smokers enjoy combining their favorite cannabis strain and tobacco in spliffs or blunts. Tobacco is a harsher smoke than cannabis, and this can cause throat irritation—especially if you don’t have experience smoking it.
Not only is the smoke harsher, but the method of inhaling weed is different than tobacco. Cannabis requires inhaling and drawing the smoke into the lungs as one movement. If you try doing this with a spliff, you’ll most likely hack up a lung until you start smoking it like a cigarette, wasting your precious THC.
8. Stay Hydrated
Even if you’ve known how to inhale weed for years, you can’t escape dry mouth. This side effect of marijuana has rendered many smoke sessions silent while users smack their lips, trying to break the spell. That’s why we recommend inhaling weed with a drink nearby.
Not only does it help quench your thirst, but it can also help soothe an irritated throat. Having your favorite beverage on hand is a delicious way to keep your thirst at bay.
Puff, Puff—You Passed!
Anyone can smoke, but inhaling weed the right way is an art form. Luckily, practice makes perfect! Load your bowl and have a blast while you become an expert. Following our tips will make smoking a breeze. You’ll be an expert toker in no time!
Our Venice Beach dispensary is your one-stop shop for premium cannabis products at amazing prices. Shop our fresh stock online for daily deals and hassle-free in-store pickup. Or, stop by today and pick the brains of our expert budtenders!
