The Mad Toker
New Member
Here's my second article. it will probably be expanded soon but this is all my thc-laden brain could come up with right now.
The Mad Toker's Guide to Healthy Toking
Smoking cannabis is the most widely used method to achieve the effects of THC in use today. Though smoking is not healthy there are many ways how one can toke a little healthier and enjoy some of the finer points of cannabis.
Da Bud
This is something you can't really control if you are like most recreational smokers and buy whatever is really available. A lot of the marijuana being sold today in the underground market is grown mostly for profit and not for quality. (Though don't get me wrong there is a lot of high quality bud being sold out there.) Thus a lot of growers don't take the necessary steps to enhance the quality of their bud. By this I mean they skip some necessary steps to make the bud more potent and natural. First off before harvesting the plants absolutely must be flushed. Unflushed plants give you bud that still has fertilizer salts in it that crack and sizzle when smoked. And smoking these salts can not be good for your lungs. Also the bud is not properly cured and a lot of people buy bud that is still damp. I don't know about you guys but I found that smoking damp bud is a little harsher then smoking properly dried & cured bud. Not to mention when you buy damp bud you're paying for water that will evaporate soon anyways.
Rolling papers & filters
There are literally hundreds if not thousands of different types of rolling papers available on the market. But what ones to pick? You want to look for a rolling paper that is 100% all natural with no artificial additives. My personal favorites being Club brand rolling papers and Skunk brand. You even want the gum (sticky stuff) to be natural. Or even better, buy ungummed papers. Stay away from most papers with designs on them unless the ink used is all natural and even then don't use these all the time. Same goes for flavored papers. Even though the amount of ink might be miniscule, your still bringing it into your lungs and who knows what long term exposure can cause.
If you use pieces of cardboard or paper filters then again you want something all natural. Even though it might cost an extra buck or two I highly recommend purchasing some precut paper filters such as Endjammers or Scrolley Tips. Avoid using anything with ink on it as you will be inhaling fumes from the ink when you're smoking (i.e. rolling paper packages, cigarette packages, packaging board etc.)
Bongs, bowls & screens
My preferred method of enjoying the kind bud is the water bong. A large majority of the carcinogens in marijuana smoke (yes there are many) are water soluble so get filtered out when using a water bong. This is not 100% clean as you are still taking in many chemicals but it cleans up the smoke a little. Cold water works best in filtration and also cools down the smoke making it easier to take a good hit. I much prefer glass bongs over acrylic ones as the hits taste better and there is no danger of anything from the manufacture of the bong getting into the smoke. Another good option is a total glass-on-glass bong. These have absolutely no rubber or metal in them so no dangers of chemicals getting anywhere you don't want.
For bowls glass is the only way to really go. Again the reason being there are no reactive chemicals that you will be inhaling from the manufacture of the piece. Glass bowls for bongs are cheap and can also get quite elaborate and expensive. Get one that will suit your needs. As for pipes and such glass is the good way to go. Although there are some excellent safer metal pipes out there they are a little expensive while you can get a glass spoon for under $10.
And finally screens. The absolute best screen is a glass one for the same reasons as mention above. They are more expensive then the metal screens but they are totally reusable and all they need is a soak in some rubbing alcohol and they are like new. If you can't find glass screens then go for the brass metal ones. The reason being brass is not a very reactive metal so fewer vapors from it will be inhaled. Avoid at all costs using a soda can with holes poked in it as you'd be inhaling a lot of nasty shit that you don't want inside of you.
Your source of ignition
You can smoke pot without burning it so this is also an area which you can work on to make your toke healthier. The majority of people use a butane flint lighter. Only bad thing about this is that if you inhale while lighting, you're inhaling flint fumes which are quite harmful. Not to mention you're also inhaling a small amount of butane. The torch lighters are better as they use an electrical spark to ignite the butane and because the flame is much hotter it burns up more of the gas then with a regular lighter. Matches are ok to use as long as you wait until the flame burns down the match a little to avoid sucking in any sulphur.
The ultimate way to light a joint or bong is easy to find and it's free. The sun is the absolute cleanest way to light up a joint or a bong. All you need is a magnifying glass to focus the light and voila! Instant combustion. I'm sure most of you have played around with this when you were little kids and burning leaves or bugs & stuff. Not only is it a healthy alternative to using a lighter or matches, you also get the absolute pure taste of the bud that you're smoking. Try it and you'll see. You will taste things you haven't before when using a lighter.
I realize I haven't said anything about vaporization but that deserves an article for itself which will be released in the very near future.
Keep tokin!
The Mad Toker's Guide to Healthy Toking
Smoking cannabis is the most widely used method to achieve the effects of THC in use today. Though smoking is not healthy there are many ways how one can toke a little healthier and enjoy some of the finer points of cannabis.
Da Bud
This is something you can't really control if you are like most recreational smokers and buy whatever is really available. A lot of the marijuana being sold today in the underground market is grown mostly for profit and not for quality. (Though don't get me wrong there is a lot of high quality bud being sold out there.) Thus a lot of growers don't take the necessary steps to enhance the quality of their bud. By this I mean they skip some necessary steps to make the bud more potent and natural. First off before harvesting the plants absolutely must be flushed. Unflushed plants give you bud that still has fertilizer salts in it that crack and sizzle when smoked. And smoking these salts can not be good for your lungs. Also the bud is not properly cured and a lot of people buy bud that is still damp. I don't know about you guys but I found that smoking damp bud is a little harsher then smoking properly dried & cured bud. Not to mention when you buy damp bud you're paying for water that will evaporate soon anyways.
Rolling papers & filters
There are literally hundreds if not thousands of different types of rolling papers available on the market. But what ones to pick? You want to look for a rolling paper that is 100% all natural with no artificial additives. My personal favorites being Club brand rolling papers and Skunk brand. You even want the gum (sticky stuff) to be natural. Or even better, buy ungummed papers. Stay away from most papers with designs on them unless the ink used is all natural and even then don't use these all the time. Same goes for flavored papers. Even though the amount of ink might be miniscule, your still bringing it into your lungs and who knows what long term exposure can cause.
If you use pieces of cardboard or paper filters then again you want something all natural. Even though it might cost an extra buck or two I highly recommend purchasing some precut paper filters such as Endjammers or Scrolley Tips. Avoid using anything with ink on it as you will be inhaling fumes from the ink when you're smoking (i.e. rolling paper packages, cigarette packages, packaging board etc.)
Bongs, bowls & screens
My preferred method of enjoying the kind bud is the water bong. A large majority of the carcinogens in marijuana smoke (yes there are many) are water soluble so get filtered out when using a water bong. This is not 100% clean as you are still taking in many chemicals but it cleans up the smoke a little. Cold water works best in filtration and also cools down the smoke making it easier to take a good hit. I much prefer glass bongs over acrylic ones as the hits taste better and there is no danger of anything from the manufacture of the bong getting into the smoke. Another good option is a total glass-on-glass bong. These have absolutely no rubber or metal in them so no dangers of chemicals getting anywhere you don't want.
For bowls glass is the only way to really go. Again the reason being there are no reactive chemicals that you will be inhaling from the manufacture of the piece. Glass bowls for bongs are cheap and can also get quite elaborate and expensive. Get one that will suit your needs. As for pipes and such glass is the good way to go. Although there are some excellent safer metal pipes out there they are a little expensive while you can get a glass spoon for under $10.
And finally screens. The absolute best screen is a glass one for the same reasons as mention above. They are more expensive then the metal screens but they are totally reusable and all they need is a soak in some rubbing alcohol and they are like new. If you can't find glass screens then go for the brass metal ones. The reason being brass is not a very reactive metal so fewer vapors from it will be inhaled. Avoid at all costs using a soda can with holes poked in it as you'd be inhaling a lot of nasty shit that you don't want inside of you.
Your source of ignition
You can smoke pot without burning it so this is also an area which you can work on to make your toke healthier. The majority of people use a butane flint lighter. Only bad thing about this is that if you inhale while lighting, you're inhaling flint fumes which are quite harmful. Not to mention you're also inhaling a small amount of butane. The torch lighters are better as they use an electrical spark to ignite the butane and because the flame is much hotter it burns up more of the gas then with a regular lighter. Matches are ok to use as long as you wait until the flame burns down the match a little to avoid sucking in any sulphur.
The ultimate way to light a joint or bong is easy to find and it's free. The sun is the absolute cleanest way to light up a joint or a bong. All you need is a magnifying glass to focus the light and voila! Instant combustion. I'm sure most of you have played around with this when you were little kids and burning leaves or bugs & stuff. Not only is it a healthy alternative to using a lighter or matches, you also get the absolute pure taste of the bud that you're smoking. Try it and you'll see. You will taste things you haven't before when using a lighter.
I realize I haven't said anything about vaporization but that deserves an article for itself which will be released in the very near future.
Keep tokin!
