There are so many different ways to smoke cannabis that it can be a bit overwhelming when you first start. There are unspoken rules to follow and different tricks you can use to get a better hit, all of which you will learn as you smoke more. It’s okay, we all had to start somewhere. Follow these tips to take your first hit like a pro and impress all your friends.

Taking Your First Hit Off A Pipe

When I first smoked off of a pipe, I took way too large a hit and ended up coughing most of it out. Don’t be like me. When someone hands you a pipe, the first thing you want to do is find the carb. If you don’t know what the carb is, it’s that hole next to the bowl. Place your thumb over the carb as you light the bowl with your other hand. If it makes you feel more comfortable you can ask someone to light the bowl for you. I promise that the person next to you will be more than happy to help, unless they’re an asshole and make fun of you. If that’s the case you should probably just get new friends.

As you’re lighting the bowl, inhale the smoke coming through the pipe. For your first hit make sure that you are not inhaling too deeply, otherwise you will end up coughing too much. Once you stop lighting the bowl, release your thumb from the carb and inhale the smoke from the pipe into your lungs. Hold it in and then exhale. Fair warning, you will cough a bit. Have some water ready. When lighting a pipe, make sure that you don’t torch the entire bowl. Try to leave some greens for the next person.

Lighting A Joint

Lighting a joint can be a little tricky the first time you do it. It’s not quite the same as lighting a cigarette. Light the tip of the joint while puffing to get a cherry going. You’ll want to rotate the joint as you light it to make sure that it lights evenly. This will help prevent what is commonly referred to as “canoeing”, where the joint burns only on one side.

Inhale as you drag off the joint, just as you would a cigarette. Some newbies make the mistake of holding the smoke in their mouth and then swallowing it. This will cause you to lose smoke and you won’t catch a buzz. Stoner etiquette dictates that you take two puffs, then pass the joint along, aka the “puff puff pass” rule. As the joint gets toward the end you should take one puff and then pass it, especially in larger circles.

Hitting A Bong

If you do it correctly, hitting a bong for the first time is an amazing experience. The key to hitting from a bong smoothly the first time, is having a good idea of what your lung capacity is. When someone hands you a bong, the first thing you’ll want to do is find the carb if there is one. Most bongs don’t have a carb (like glass bongs), but some of the plastic ones do. If you are smoking from a bong without a carb you’ll want to take the smoke in as you are lighting the bowl. Stop lighting the bowl once the chamber is filled with smoke. Pull the bowl out and inhale the smoke (or release the carb if the bong you're using has one). Hold the smoke in as long as you can without coughing, then exhale.

Polite stoners clear the chamber completely before passing to the next person, otherwise the next person’s hit will taste stale and gross. I cannot stress this enough. Don’t be that guy, or people will not want to smoke with you. You will cough your first time smoking out of a bong. If you can’t completely clear the chamber in one go, take in what you can, then clear the chamber after you’ve taken your hit. This is why it is important to know how much smoke your lungs can handle. Look at the size of the hits everyone else is taking and take smaller hits if you feel that you can’t handle as much. It’s better to take too small of a hit than take one that is too large and end up coughing so much that you either puke or cough into the bong, thus ruining the bowl and pissing everyone off.

There are many different ways to enjoy cannabis whether you’re doing dabs, taking knife hits, or using a gravity bong but these are the three you’ll probably do the most while you’re an apprentice. Don’t worry about people judging you on the size of your hits. Everyone has to start somewhere and soon you’ll be smoking them all under the table.

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Have any tips for first time smokers? Let us know in the comments!