Ganja Guides

How to Inhale Weed Correctly

friends smoking weed on couch

Smoking weed is the most classic and popular way of consuming cannabis. Therefore, any casual or seasoned stoner should know how to inhale weed properly. With the correct techniques, you can minimize that awful weed cough and optimize your hit for the best high. No matter if you’re inhaling smoke or vapor, when you breathe it all in, you’ll surely get stoned. 

Photo: Pexels

How to Properly Inhale Weed

Cannabis comes in all sorts of forms and flavors. You can choose to inhale smoke or vapor, depending on whether you use flower, oil, or wax to get high. Inhalation itself is a very instinctive process – breathing in and out is something we all know how to do! However, smoke and vapor vary in density and call for different inhalation styles if you want to have the best experience possible. 

How to Inhale Weed Smoke

The basics of smoking weed starts with gently lighting your flower with a lighter or match. There are multiple vessels you can smoke from, so it’s also important to know how to inhale out of each. 

The key is to take short, tight pulls from your joint or piece and hold the smoke in for about 3 seconds. The body absorbs almost all of the weed’s THC within seconds of inhaling, so there’s no need to further damage your lungs by pulling in extra tar or ashes. What’s more, any dizziness felt after holding in smoke or vapor for too long is just the feeling of oxygen deprivation – a short inhale will still get you very high!

Smoking A Bowl

If using a pipe, bubbler, or bong, hover the flame over your packed bowl. Don’t sear it all at once or the smoke will overheat and fall through the bottom of the bowl. If your piece has a carburetor (a small hole on the side), make sure to cover it with your finger and remove it once smoke has collected inside the vessel. This lets the smoke into your lungs rather than letting it stay inside the pipe.

man inhaling from a clear pipe
When using any bowl, it’s best to inhale only after the smoke fills the vessel (Source: Unsplash)

How to Inhale a Joint or Blunt

Joints and blunts are so easy to inhale from – simply suck in and exhale after a few seconds! When you’re lighting up, it’s crucial to remember to evenly burn the tip of your joint while only lightly breathing in. This ensures that your perfect roll won’t smoke too quickly or unevenly. 

holding up a lit joint
You get the best inhales when your blunt or joint is burnt evenly! (Source: Pexels)

Learning How to Inhale Weed Vape 

If your method of choice includes weed oil, wax, or resins, then you’re actually inhaling weed vapor! Vape pens are a fantastic oil option because of their portability and potency. To inhale, all you need to do is suck in and press the battery’s button (if there is one). While these pens usually require a little more mouth suction, it’s important not to take too big of a hit as vapor from oils is much stronger than weed smoke alone. This isn’t the only way to consume weed vapor, though. Many stoners also love to inhale via dab rigs or electronic vaporizers.

woman inhaling weed pen
Vaping weed from a pen is probably the easiest way to inhale! (Source: Unsplash)

How to Take a Dab

Inhaling from a dab rig can be a bit more cumbersome and requires different skills, but dabs deliver very smooth and potent tokes. They can also be much larger than a hit from a wax pen. If you don’t already know how to use one, you can learn how here. As with flower or a dab pen, it’s best to take small hits and exhale after a few seconds. Since the vapor is very potent, you can always take your dab in several small hits. Just cover the top of the mouthpiece with your palm so that the rest of the vapor does not escape from the rig. After exhaling, lift your hand and continue enjoying the rest of your dab!

How to Inhale Weed: Youtube Video

If you’re still wondering what a perfect inhale looks like, this video displays proper toking techniques too. Check it out below!

In this video, a woman guides the viewer through the process of smoking a joint.

Upgrade Your Intake!

Now you can get the most out of each hit while reducing lung damage and savoring the strain of your choice. What’s better, you can share this knowledge with your friends next time they seriously start choking on a bunch of weed smoke. Now, go light up and notice the amazingness of weed smoke or vapor filling your body! Once you’re cough-free and can gauge the best hit for you, you can learn some awesome smoke tricks here!

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About Olivia

Olivia, our Oakland-based cannabis guides writer, graduated from the University of California Berkeley with a Bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. She's an independent writer, cannabis enthusiast and Sales Lead at her local dispensary. She's also a recent grad, history buff, and has a passion for animals. You can reach her at [email protected].