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How to Take Cannabis Safely

here are all sorts of ways to take cannabis. From joints to bongs, cakes to vaporizers â€" people have different preferences depending on their desired effect and/ or health issues.

Joints
Of course, the most traditional and widely used method is the good old fashioned spliff. There is something ritualistic about rolling marijuana cigarettes. The preparation itself is a wonderful precursor to the relaxation felt after a couple of tokes. It is popular among lone smokers and in social gatherings. Rolling a joint is quite a personal thing. Each person has his or her own individual method of rolling and they will have their own ideal ratio of hash or weed and tobacco. Cannabis joints come in myriad shapes and sizes. There are even books on different joint constructions!

Some slang words for a cannabis joint include "bifta", "booda", "doobie", "fat one", "happy cigarette", "J", "reefer", "spliff" and "zoot".

Bongs
Bongs are used primarily to get a very intense hit from smoking cannabis. But using this method has other advantages for the cannabis smoker. It is highly economical and some say it is less damaging to your lungs, although this last claim is debatable.

Bongs are often home made from bottles, or other household vessels. They can also be purchased legally from many shops around the UK and throughout most of the rest of the world, regardless of laws against cannabis smoking.

Some people believe that smoking through bongs is healthier than smoking joints because you are not taking in any carcinogens from rolling papers. But the impact is very hard on the lungs. Smoking cannabis through a bong is definitely economical because you don't waste as much smoke between tokes.

But by far the most economical and healthy way to take cannabis today is with a vaporizer (see below).

Hookah Pipes
A hookah pipe (or shisha pipe) is a traditional eastern smoking device. It's often called a "hubbly-bubbly" because of the sound it makes as you inhale. It is an ornate and colourful pipe with a glass base and several hoses for multiple users. The glass base is filled with water (that's what makes the noise as you toke) and the smoking mixture is usually a fruit molasses mix, sometimes blended with cannabis. Smoking a hookah pipe is a very sociable practice, associated with happy relaxation among friends and often it's a good way to make new friends. Hookah pipes are found in many eastern cafes where you can sit back and lounge on big cushions and float away surrounded by vibrant decoration and a good atmosphere.

Hookah pipes have been around for centuries and if you get the opportunity to try one, you'll understand why they've remained so popular. The hit is exceptionally smooth and the tobacco flavours are very pleasing. Also, you can now buy tobacco free mixes which are a healthier choice and certainly just as satisfying.

Hash Cakes
Some people don't like to smoke at all but they enjoy the effects of cannabis, so they choose to eat it instead. There are many different recipes around for hash cakes. In fact, you can pretty much take any cake recipe and add hash or weed to it to get what you want. Chocolate works especially well with hash because it blends well with the flavour.

WARNING!!! Eating cannabis has a much stronger effect than smoking it!!!! It takes longer to hit you but it also lasts a long, long time. A lot of people eat too much before they realise they've over done it and end up being stoned for days!!! Anyone experimenting with this should be very, very cautious about quantities of hash or weed.

Pipes
A time-honoured tradition â€" the smoking pipe â€" is used worldwide for smoking cannabis and will never go out of fashion! It's very practical for one-hit usage or social occasions and rituals (the peace-pipe, used by native Americans is a great example of this). It is more economical than smoking joints because there is less smoke wastage and you also don't take in any carcinogens from burned paper.

There are some great stealth (disguise pipes) pipes on the market today for people who smoke on the move. Traditional Indian pipes are also ever-popular.

Vaporizers
The vaporizer is without doubt the most economical and healthy was to take cannabis in this modern time. Basically, there is no smoke involved. A vaporizer will only heat up cannabis and what you inhale is pure vapour. The best thing is that the chemicals in cannabis that make you feel very lethargic â€" the CBDs - don't vaporize at the temperature you use, however the chemical that gets you high â€" the THC â€" does. So you get all the fun and none of the couch slouch!

They can be pricey, but as more are being manufactured, cost is coming down. And anyway, you make your money back in no time because you don't need to use much cannabis to get a strong effect. There are a few budget range ones that work really well. And if you want to give up smoking, vaporizers are the answer.

About the Author
Richard Young writes freelance and works with Shiva HeadShop on a variety of levels