Healthy Ways To Smoke
Although certain crowds might try to tell you otherwise, smoking cannabis can be a part of a very healthy lifestyle. Of course, that's not to say that smoking cannabis is 100% healthy all the time, but there are some definite medicinal benefits! If you smoke weed the right way, and in moderation, smoking weed can be a net positive for your health. This guide will cover some of the healthiest ways for you to enjoy your cannabis.
Cannabis Filter
A cannabis filter is a device you can use while smoking to remove toxins and stay as healthy as possible. As you probably know, the biggest health concern when it comes to smoking marijuana is lung damage. The lung damage that you could receive from smoking weed is caused by marijuana tar buildup. A cannabis filter can remove marijuana tar and tip the ratio of THC to tar in your favor, making it so that you inhale very little tar and still get a great amount of THC.
For those who are wondering what a cannabis filter is or how to use one, it's a mouthpiece that you place between you and the device you're smoking with. As you inhale the smoke it will first travel through the filter which will remove the marijuana tar and resin build-up. A standard mouthpiece is used for bongs and dabs while you will need a miniature-sized mouthpiece for joints, blunts, and vape pens.
Smoke Weed from a Bong
Smoking out of a bong rather than other devices is another great way to be health conscious. That said, it's still a good idea to use a cannabis filter, bongs do not filter out tar completely. The degree to which bongs removes toxins is highly disputed, some studies claim as much as 90% of contaminants are removed while others say hardly anything is filtered out. Regardless of which side is closer to the truth, you can play it safe by opting to go with a bong since they are indisputably still cleaner than other methods. Plus, bongs are a great way to enjoy weed anyways, they offer the smoothest and coolest of hits. You can also go by this general rule, bigger bongs mean a little more filtration.
Along the same lines, bongs are easier on your throat. Having a sore throat may be less of a long-term consequence compared to lung damage, but it still isn't fun and should be prevented when possible. The water that bongs use as filtration not only filters out toxins but also cools your smoke down to make sure you don’t have to deal with harsh pulls and irritate your throat.
Smoking Joints Instead of Blunts
If you're not a bong person, no worries, there are still things you can do to mitigate your health risk. One way is to opt for joints instead of blunts. Blunts are worse for your health because they are made from tobacco wraps, which are very toxic. On top of this blunt wraps are also often sprayed with harmful chemicals to add flavor. And don't think that clearing out the blunt manually will remove all the toxin, inevitably there will still be some remaining— and the wrap itself is bad too. Joints still have the problem of marijuana tar and damaging your lungs, but they at least don't add another toxin from the tobacco wraps (nitrosamines). So, if you prefer rolling up your weed as opposed to a bong, stick to joints, and remember that you can use a cannabis filter with them to be even safer.
The Cleanest Way to Smoke- Dabs, and Concentrates
Believe it or not, dabbing is one of the healthiest ways to enjoy cannabis because you are inhaling vapor rather than smoke. concentrates are melted into vapors while the dry flower is combusted (you then inhale the smoke). Vapor is much easier on your throat and better for your lungs compared to smoke. The reason you inhale vapor rather than smoke with concentrates is because the processes are different. Concentrates are burned at a very low temperature that won’t cause any smoke and still produces a vapor; dry flower has to be burned at extremely high temperatures and this only creates smoke, not vapor.
Plus, because dabbing is so much stronger than standard weed smoking, you will not need to inhale nearly as much as you normally do to feel the same effects. Do note though, that dabbing is very new and so there have not been many studies done to verify many of the current claims surrounding its health benefits. And remember once again that using a cannabis filter when dabbing can help to remove extra toxins that its filtration doesn't catch.
Alternative Ways to Enjoy Weed
If you want to completely remove the risk associated with smoking weed then you may want to consider other ways of consumption, such as edibles. Edibles are great because they completely get rid of the biggest health problem associated with weed while still being able to produce intense highs.
The only real health concern with edibles is overconsumption, which can cause severe anxiety attacks and all the symptoms that come with those (rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing, etc.). The reason that you are more likely to overdue edibles compared to smoking weed is that edibles take longer to kick in. It's common for people to think the edibles weren't strong enough for them or didn't work and then take more to try and get high… this is a bad idea because it's likely that the effects from the original dosage just didn't kick in yet. That said, if you measure out your dosage and stick to it no matter how long it takes for them to kick in you'll be fine.
Final Thoughts
Smoking marijuana does come with some health risks, but most good things do, and they can be mitigated to a great extent when you take precautions. Using a cannabis filter when and smoking only in moderation will go a long way. And while this blog focused on mitigation tactics to have a healthier smoke session, it is also important for everyone to be aware that marijuana comes with many health benefits too. For example, marijuana is great for treating chronic pain, alcohol addiction, depression, anxiety, cancer, MS, epilepsy, insomnia, and more. Overall, marijuana can be a healthy part of your lifestyle and you shouldn't worry too much about the health effects of moderate cannabis usage. Still, it's good to mitigate risks where we can and you should be able to since you now know all the healthiest ways to smoke weed.
