The Healthiest Ways to Smoke Weed (If You’re Going to Smoke)
Jul 21, 2022
Casual and budding cannabis users alike are looking for the healthiest way to smoke weed now that legalization is becoming so common. If you are a smoker, it is probably not a secret to you that smoking can come with risks—even when you are smoking weed instead of tobacco products. So, what is the healthiest way to smoke weed? Let’s explore in detail how you can avoid carcinogens and limit lung damage.
Is Smoking Weed Healthy?
Even among medical professionals that see the value that weed can offer, you would be hard-pressed to find a provider who considers smoking weed healthy. When it comes down to it, burning something and inhaling any kind of smoke really just isn’t good for the body. In fact, it can come with quite a few complications if you aren’t careful. This makes it fairly obvious why people are looking for a healthier way to smoke weed.
While smoking cannabis is believed to be less damaging than something like a cigarette, this does not mean that weed is completely safe. This comparison is often made, but the reality is that cigarettes are loaded with dangerous chemicals in addition to smoke. With weed, you’re still inhaling smoke and carcinogens, and this isn’t great for your body. In fact, you can experience long-term side effects from regularly smoking anything, even if they might not seem as extreme as what tobacco smokers deal with. Being aware of the risks and how to mitigate them can improve your smoking experience and help you to support your long-term health.
Inhaling Weed vs. Ingesting Weed
In today’s market, there are countless ways to experiment with cannabis. Some people believe that the safest way to smoke weed is to avoid smoking at all while still enjoying cannabis. The versatility of the market really is a part of its charm, and as a cannabis connoisseur, you can use this to your benefit. Weed can be smoked, but it can also be eaten in the form of many different tasty treats.
Inhaling weed comes with some additional risks because of the smoke and heat involved with the process. Smoking is a damaging process, and it can come with some damaging side effects, particularly if you are a regular smoker. Knowing how to inhale weed won’t make it any safer, but choosing the right cannabis tools sure can.
Ingesting weed is a different process entirely. While it is impossible to say that every edible on the market is top quality, the fact is that edibles just do not have the damaging effects that come with smoking. The research on edibles and long-term effects is something that we will be studying for years, but we do know that smoking is more immediately damaging. Unlike edibles, smoking has known short-term and long-term side effects.
If you want to explore your options or minimize the health risks associated with smoking, edibles are a great alternative. It is the same great cannabis that you love with none of the smoke—and the flavors are pretty great too!
Effects of Smoking Weed
Smoking weed can have several short-term and long-term effects, just like you would expect with any kind of smoking.
Short-term effects are often associated with inflammation and discomfort. Many people find that smoking weed is really a fairly harsh practice. Repeated exposure to heat and smoke can have notable impacts on your lungs and throat, sometimes causing irritation. Due to this irritation, it is possible to develop a slight cough or even asthma-like symptoms if you are smoking at a high frequency.
The long-term effects of smoking cannabis are related to the long-term exposure to smoke. Smoke inhalation is inherently damaging, even if weed might not be quite as risky as tobacco products. When you burn plant material, you will find that toxins and carcinogens emerge. If you are smoking, you will inhale these toxins.
As you smoke weed more, you will find that you can have more exaggerated versions of the short-term effects. You might find yourself with a sore throat, even if you don’t smoke. You might also experience a general feeling of itchiness in your bronchial region, leading to an ongoing cough that can take time to go away. This can be paired with excessive mucus production.
For some, long-term smoking can have even more negative impacts. As you wear down your throat and lungs, your body can become more prone to certain conditions, like bronchitis. Excessive smoking and reoccurring bronchitis or even pneumonia can often go hand in hand. Significant long-term use can even lead to lung damage and air bubbles in the lungs, though we are still researching what truly causes these outcomes.
Is Vaping Weed Better Than Smoking Weed?
Smoking is quickly becoming a thing of the past. While previous generations grew up only having smoking as an option, today’s cannabis users are living in a different world entirely. For both tobacco and cannabis use, more people are turning to vaping as a viable alternative. In fact, some people are using vape products to limit how much they need to smoke.
While vaping is a new frontier, the fact is that it has received its fair share of scandal. In recent years, the ‘vaping crisis’ led by nicotine companies has painted vaping in a very bad light. While people previously considered vaping to be a healthier alternative, news headlines have made more people start to wonder.
Vaping can be broken down in two ways. There is vaping THC oil or concentrate, and then there are vaporizers that are designed to “burn” flower.
Concentrates are what have been receiving a significant amount of pushback, but it is important to acknowledge that this was largely caused by one major ingredient—Vitamin E. This has been a huge issue in nicotine vaporizers, but less so in cannabis. Avoiding this ingredient can be a good way to ensure that you have a healthier vaping experience.
With concentrates, it is important to understand that these products are all made in different ways with different ingredients. As is the case with any product market, there will always be some products that are very good and some products that are not as great. For now, we don’t know much about which brands might have harmful long-term side effects, but so far, vaping is proving to be a better alternative because it doesn’t involve smoke inhalation.
Using a flower vaporizer can help you to avoid smoke and additional chemicals. These vaporizers are designed to be loaded just like a traditional bowl and can provide a smooth and tasty vapor derived directly from the flower with no additional chemical additives. Both of these vaping options are among the healthiest ways to smoke weed.
Healthiest Things to Smoke Weed Out of and Why
Cannabis users are notorious for finding creative ways to smoke, and there are a lot of mainstream products available to support different interests. Every method of smoking is a little different, with many offer different levels of risk. Depending on what you use, you might be able to find a way to make your smoking experience a little bit healthier.
Dart Plus Filtered Marijuana Pipe
Filtration is a crucial part of smoking weed if you are looking for a healthier experience. With edibles or topicals, you don’t need to worry about carcinogens—but smoking weed is a different experience entirely. Using a powerful filter can help you to remove carcinogens and limit the potential for lung damage.
With the Dart Plus filtered reusable blunt you can enjoy the benefits of cannabis without worrying nearly as much about what you are actually inhaling. Fitted with biodegradable filters that are easy to purchase and even easier to replace, these marijuana pipes provide a safer smoking experience. Able to trap tar and other particulates, this filter goes the extra mile so you can enjoy your cannabis with less risk.
Bongs
The bong is a tried-and-true method of cannabis use that has been popular for ages. People love bongs because they provide a much smoother draw and can help you limit the carcinogens that you inhale in some cases. By placing a cooling chamber and barrier between you and the burnt flower, you can get more THC and less of the other stuff.
A bong works by filtering the cannabis smoke through water. When you pull on a bong, it will send the smoke into the water and force it to come out the other side, leaving residue and carcinogens behind. Many people also load their bongs with ice to cool down the smoke, offering a smoother and more pleasant draw.
Vaping
As far as modern alternate ways to smoke cannabis go, vaping is easily the most popular option available. The variety in this market really makes it an easy choice for many people. Every day, new vape brands are introducing their own products, each fully equipped with its own perks.
People prefer vaping because it doesn’t involve inhaling smoke at all. It allows you to get a very controlled amount of cannabis very quickly. With vaping, you still need to be aware that you will be inhaling hot vapor, which can come with some pain or discomfort with long-term use. However, many find that it is a highly efficient way to enjoy cannabis. Some believe it is also easier to control how much you use.
Joints and Weed Pipe
Historically, the most common way to smoke cannabis has been through the use of joints and weed pipes. These two popular methods were the standard for a long time, and they are still very popular today. However, they do require you to inhale smoke, which can be fairly damaging.
Joints are often considered to be healthier than smoking bowls because they often include filters. This can help to filter out some of the carcinogens—and it keeps you from accidentally inhaling flower, a truly unpleasant fate that will make your mouth taste terrible. With a good filter, you can often reduce the impact of the smoke when you inhale it. However, research still needs to be done in order to determine how helpful these basic joint filters really are.
Smoking a weed pipe puts you at complete risk of inhaling straight marijuana smoke. With the average pipe, you will not receive a filter or any kind of protection. This is one of the less safe ways to approach smoking.
Dabbing
Many marijuana enthusiasts have been introduced to dabbing as a concept, with a lot of us still wondering what exactly comes with it. As far as ways to smoke cannabis goes, this is currently considered to be the riskiest way to go about it.
Dabbing involves burning and inhaling potent cannabis concentrates at a very high temperature. When the concentrate burns, you will inhale the vapors that come off of it. With dabbing, you actually are exposed to common carcinogens, and more research is showing that dabbing might be even riskier by producing cancer-causing chemicals.
The general risks associated with dabbing are related to the high that comes with it. When you try dabbing, you should expect to start very slow and avoid having any other plans in your day. This highly potent approach to cannabis use can get you higher than you might prefer.
Reducing the Effects of Smoking
If you are going to continue to smoke because it is your preferred approach to using cannabis, there are a few simple steps that you can take to protect yourself.
Reduce Frequency
One of the best ways to really limit the long-term impacts of smoking is just not to do it with a high degree of frequency. Instead of smoking several times a day, try to limit how often you do it—and how much you smoke at a time. Simply reducing your use can limit exposure to carcinogens and lessen the heat damage smoke can cause.
Explore Other Mediums
The world of cannabis is massive, and it is only getting bigger. There are so many new products hitting the market that you can absolutely find alternatives to smoking that will meet your needs. You can try microdosing edibles, experiment with tinctures, or explore the wide world of topicals.
Use Filters
Filtering out your smoke is one of the best ways to maintain your current practices in a healthier way. Choosing a strong and dedicated filter can reduce the carcinogens and alleviate some of the discomforts that can come with smoking.
There’s No “Healthy” Way to Smoke, but if You’re Going To…
Smoking comes with inherent risks that cannot be ignored, but that doesn’t mean that it is a lost cause. Opting to choose products that support health, like the Dart Plus filtered marijuana pipe, can be a wonderful way to cut back on the risks while still enjoying the smoking experience. Sometimes, a little filter can have a big impact.