• If it’s your first time smoking weed, it can be difficult to decide which method is best for you.
  • Common ways to smoke cannabis include joints, blunts, bongs, and pipes.
  • Healthier alternatives to smoking weed include vaping, edibles.

From joints and pipes to blunts and bongs, smoking is the most common way people consume cannabis.

Although getting high can be a relaxing and enjoyable pastime, you should be aware that cannabis smoke, like cigarette smoke, contains tar and other irritating chemicals that can cause respiratory issues.

Noteworthy: Using cannabis is prohibited in a few US states. Therefore, before attempting any of the smoking techniques listed below, make sure you are aware of the laws in your area.

If you’re new to smoking marijuana, you may feel a little confused by the variety of options available to you and want to know the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. What you should know about Ways To Smoke Weed is as follows.

1. Joints

A person holding a smoking marijuana joints in their hand.
Joints are made with rolling paper and smoked like a cigarette. 
Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

Joints are one of the most popular ways that people smoke weed.

The process involves encasing cannabis within a rolling paper that is “usually made of hemp, rice, or paper,” according to Curaleaf’s clinical cannabis pharmacist and dispensary manager Stacia Woodcock, PharmD. Additionally, you have the option to add a filter to stop smoking-related finger burns, shop here.

To roll and smoke a joint: 

  1. Break down weed using an herb grinder or your fingers. Remove any seeds or stems.
  2. If you want to use a filter, cut out a small piece of thin cardboard (you need it to fit into your paper when rolled) and fold it “accordion-style” into a tip.
  3. While holding the rolling paper lengthwise, “hot dog style,” fill it with the crushed weed, placing your filter on either end.
  4. Pinch the filled paper between your fingertips and roll into a cone or tube shape.
  5. Light the end of the joint and inhale from the filter.

Keep in mind that many commercially available rolling papers — particularly those labeled as fast-burning, bleached, or flavored — contain harmful pollutants and chemicals, which could damage your lungs. Therefore, opting for rolling papers that are unbleached, unflavored, and unrefined may lessen your chances of exposure. And if you’re really worried about chemical exposure, consider using a paper-free smoking method, like a bong or pipe.

2. Blunts

A person rolls a blunt on a wood cutting board. Ways To Smoke Weed
Blunts are rolled similarly to joints.

Despite being constructed similarly to joints, blunts are usually larger and last longer. What separates blunts from rolling paper is that they are constructed from a blunt or cigar wrap.

Nicotine is present in blunt wraps because they are made of tobacco leaves. In 2010, researchers found that the nicotine in blunts increased the amount of the hazardous chemical carbon monoxide in the blood of the participants, which resulted in headaches, nausea, and dizziness, shop here.

To roll and smoke a blunt: 

  1. Break down weed using an herb grinder or your fingers. Remove any seeds or stems.
  2. Use a blade to slice open the cigar or blunt lengthwise. Or if using a blunt wrap, unroll the wrap with your fingers.
  3. If necessary, empty the tobacco from the middle of the cigar or blunt.
  4. Moisten the wrap by dipping your fingers in a bit of water.
  5. Fill the wrap with weed.
  6. Pinch the wrap between your fingers, rolling and tucking to form a tube shape.
  7. Use a lighter or match to light one end.

3. Pipe

Someone holding a marijuana pipe.
Make sure to pack bowls lightly so there’s still air pockets throughout the weed. 
Stefan Malloch/Getty Images

Pipes, also referred to as spoons or bowls, are one of the simplest ways to smoke.

Pipes consist of a hollow bowl, a “stem,” and a mouthpiece through which you inhale. Some pipes also have a carb hole — a small hole next to the bowl that you cover and uncover with your finger while inhaling in order to clear the pipe of smoke, shop here.

To smoke from a pipe: 

  1. Break down weed using an herb grinder or your fingers. Remove any seeds or stems.
  2. Loosely pack the bowl about halfway with crushed weed. Make sure not to pack the bowl too tightly or it might be hard to take a hit.
  3. Light the bowl with a lighter or match and inhale from the mouthpiece.
  4. If the bowl has a carb, cover it with your finger as you light it and first inhale. This will cause the smoke to build up in the pipe. After that, lift your finger off the carb to “clear” the pipe and inhale the smoke into your lungs.