Cannabis for Dummies: The Simple Weed Guide
When I first started experimenting with Marijuana, it was certainly an…. interesting time. Some of the best times I have had were passing a bong around with friends while playing some COD: Zombies… but that was also the situation for some of the worst times I have ever gone through.
I had friends who helped me when they could, but I was a hard-headed new stoner boy who wanted the full experience, and that often meant I got more than I asked for.
In the spirit of a late 4/20, here are some things YOU need to know before you toke for the first time…
— Jackie and Drew offer a doink (Photo: Jim B (2025))
The World Wide Weed
First things first, we must do a quick rundown on the different ways of smoking. This is important because each medium has a different strategy associated with it, and remember, knowledge = power…. or in this case, knowledge = stoned.
The Humble Cart
The first device I ever tried; it is certainly not my favorite way to smoke, but its pros and cons are really hard to dispute.
THC Carts are popular because weed… stinks to say the least. Carts, do not smell at all besides that first initial exhale, so it is popular among discreet smokers.
That being said, they hurt like hell. THC Carts are a special type of burn too, it feels like your throat is being harassed AND tickled. Certainly not an… ideal experience, but it does the trick.
A fan favorite…. The Bong!
The Bong (water pipe) is one of the oldest methods of smoking. Excavations in Ethiopia found ceramic water-pipe bowls with cannabis residue dating to the 13th–14th century CE (Source)
The idea is simple, you light the bowl, smoke passes down the stem, through the water, and into your lungs. This produces a cooler, but stronger hit, so beware!
There are two main things you can smoke through a bong (cannabis wise). That is bud or concentrate. Bud (Leaf, flower, etc.) is just dried, raw weed, and this is the weed most of us are familiar with. Concentrates are a newer realm in the weed world, and they are much stronger.
Concentrates (dabs, wax, shatter, badder, crumble, etc.) are exactly what they sound like. Concentrated weed. They look weird at first, often appearing as yellow to white goop to crumbly stuff, but it is really just concentrated trichomes, which are little hairs on the cannabis buds that harness all the good stuff, melted together into a resin that you can then vaporize.
Honestly, if you are doing dabs for the first time, just have your friend teach you how to light it, the only way to truly do it right is to see it done.
The edible
Nature’s humbler…
I have seen ancient Egypt off some brownies I have made. I have been abducted by aliens, contacted by spirits, convinced I was going to die…
And all of it was because of edibles.
Edibles are notoriously hard to dose, and that’s very funny considering how strong they are. Edibles are almost psychedelic with the journey you take.
So, if you are considering trying edibles for your first time, remember these words: Low and Slow. (first timers around 5mg-10mg) Some of the best advice I ever heard was:
“You can always take more, but you can never take less”
That covers pretty much everything except for one more method.
The classic style, the one we all know and love, the iconic look.
The Joint
Hands down the best way to smoke, the Joint (called either a joint (Jay), blunt, or spliff depending on the composition of the joint) is also the most simple. Find your favorite strain of green, grind it up, roll it up, and smoke.
Do not worry, we will make a whole article on rolling, but right now, let us focus on the lighting.
Lighting a joint looks simple, but needs to be done carefully. I like to hold the flame slightly away and under the the joint tip and roll the edge along the flame to make a circle around the joint. This provides a soft, circular, even light.
Even with care, lighting a joint is honestly a 70/30 game even under ideal circumstances. 70% of the time, you will get an alright light and everything is fine. 30% of the time, one side of the joint burns twice as fast as the other, creating a lopsided joint with poor airflow. This is called a “canoe,” and it sucks.
The Types of Marijuana Cigarettes
When we think of joints, we tend to think of a white-wrapped, toilet paper looking roll that sort of looks like a cigarette if you squint. But this is far from the modern truth. There are many different ways of enjoying weed! Here is a quick rundown of the types.
Joint
Basically, all a joint is is weed wrapped in rolling papers (usually hemp paper), with a cardboard tip at the end, hence the name, “joint.”
Fun Fact: Mexico is credited with the creation of the Marijuana Cigarette, with versions of the spliff (normal cigarettes cut with Cannabis) appearing as early as the 1840s. Early Mexican immigrants brought their medicines (including Cannabis) with them to America, and this would later be used as fuel for Cannabis Prohibition. (source)
Blunt
This is another common type. This is the same as a joint except, instead of hemp paper, it is wrapped in blunt wraps (or tobacco leaves), which contain nicotine. The idea is that you get a light nicotine buzz as you enjoy the Marijuana. Usually does not have a tip, but sometimes does! (Some are even super boujee and have wooden tips)
Spliff
The spliff is a Caribbean staple, but is less popular in the US. Originating in Mexico, the spliff is a joint or blunt that is part Cannabis and part Tobacco. Traditional spliffs usually eyeball a 50/50 ratio Weed to Tobacco, but there is no standard. Spliffs are often used medicinally, most notably by the Rastafari people of Jamaica, who see spliffs as an integral part of their meditative and spiritual practices. (source)
Joint Maintenance
Canoes are basically inevitable, and so you must know how to deal with them. Simply lick your finger, and rub it along the paper under the lower side’s flame. This will slow down the burn and allow the slower side to catch up. The key is to catch canoes early. If they get out of wack, then they are really hard, sometimes impossible to deal with.
It is not the end of the world though. If a canoe gets too bad, just let it go. Eventually, it will fall off and then you can deal with what is left.
Another problem you may run into is a joint that is either under packed or over packed. You see, the key is to pack a joint tight enough to where it retains its shape under pressure, but loose enough so that you can still pull air through it.
When a joint is too loose, it is floppy, hard to light evenly, and burns very quickly. The way you solve this is you either open it back up and put more weed in (obviously), or you twist the end tightly to press the weed down. This will make a shorter joint, but structure is better than length (that’s a hilarious phrase).
When a joint is too tightly packed, it restricts airflow and makes it hard to pull… which pretty much turns your joint into a skunk-y, diesel-y incense that is… polarizing to say the least.
The way you solve this is to break up the weed. I do this by rolling the joint in my fingers, putting pressure on and feeling the flower powder break up. This should to the trick, but if not, check the filter.
Remember: Toothpicks are your friend.
Conclusion
Honestly, that is about all you need to know! Cannabis really is not a difficult substance to utilize. The hardest part is maintaining balance. Always use with intention, and never with excess, and you can explore the medicinal and mind expanding effects of Cannabis.
While we would never tell anyone to try anything, we know that many of you (like us), will! So, I hope you will feel just a tad more confident if you ever decide to experiment with our green friend.
And once you do, maybe you’d like a cartoon to make you laugh ———> “Hit This”
In the mean time, stay trippy hippies! And happy late 4/20 once again!
Author: Andrew Locke
Sources
Van der Merwe, N. J. (1975). Cannabis smoking in Africa: The archaeological evidence. African Archaeological Review, 1, 1–15. https://www.jstor.org/stable/181897
Arellano, G. (2022). Cannabis, marijuana, and the origins of the word. The Banner. https://www.thebanner.com/community/local-news/cannabis-marijuana-language-YGQPMNLZ5NENXNUBGGVKKTBLOE
Soussan, C. (2014). Cannabis and consciousness in Rastafari reasoning practices. Paper presented at the NomadIT Conference. https://nomadit.co.uk/conference/29/paper/20068
