You’ve decided to smoke weed for the first time! Well, there are some things you should know first. To create the perfect first-time experience, we have put together a guide with some healthy information. Keep reading to learn some tips about smoking weed for the first time.
If you’re new to smoking weed, the entire concept about how to even do it may seem foreign. Once you get past the hurdle of actually getting it, how do you use it? What does it do! Ah, well, your curiosity has led you this far, and we think that’s exciting. Being well informed on what cannabis does, where to get it and how to use it responsibly will set up a good first experience.
There’s nothing worse than creating an aversion to weed because you screwed up the first time by taking too much. Avoid that problem by reading this guide on how to smoke weed successfully for the first time!
Consider the effects of cannabis
Before you go jumping into the cannabis experience, you should acknowledge some of its effects first. This could save you a lot of anxiety when those effects start taking place. First and foremost, it is a psychedelic, mind-altering substance. It is going to make you high, which means everything is going to feel very weird and funny. It’s nothing like alcohol or other intoxicants that you might have tried.
When you are high, you might experience heightened sensitivity to sound, light and physical touch. Mental activity can be stimulated from cannabis use, meaning you might feel like your thoughts are on overdrive. These impulses can feel extremely creative, turning a single thought into a complex web of concepts.
You can also feel an alteration in your mood with weed. For a lot of people, this means entering a state of deep relaxation or meditation. However, there are strains of cannabis that are for the purpose of energizing you. Actually, the strain you choose will make a huge difference to your experience, so you should learn a bit about the different kinds of cannabis before you go shopping for it. We highly recommend reading this article to find out if you’re more interested in smoking sativa or indica for the first time (or even a hybrid). Stoners praise the euphoria and lightness that comes with smoking weed and is probably one of the most popular reasons that people come to weed.
It also isn’t uncommon to experience a rush of emotions when under the influence of weed. After all, the experience comes with many physical and subtle sensations, and this can trigger an emotional reaction for some people. The important thing is not to be afraid!
In general, you could feel the effects of cannabis on a physical, mental and emotional level. This is the quality of a psychedelic substance, and knowing this before going in means that you’re prepared for whatever might happen. The varying levels of these effects will depend on how much you take, the strain you are using and your method of ingestion.
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Safety first!
So now you know that there is the potential to get pretty intoxicated with weed. For that reason, there is some safety protocol about how to avoid some sticky and illegal situations:
- Don’t have anywhere to be or anything to do on the day that you decide to smoke. This prevents any awkward situations with people that you don’t want to know you are smoking weed. And of course, it saves you from looking silly in front of your friends and family.
- Smoke with friends that have already smoked weed before. It will feel more supportive and they will be able to guide you through the experience.
- Don’t smoke and drive! You are going to be intoxicated. Leave driving up to a friend who isn’t smoking or just agree to crash at your friend’s place! It’s not worth ending up in jail or in a car accident just to smoke a joint.
- Be gentle with yourself. You don’t know your limits yet when it comes to cannabis, so don’t go too fast too soon. Learn how to deal with an intense cannabis experience by reading this article in case it does happen (it happens to the best of us!)
- Finally, don’t allow yourself to be peer pressured. If you don’t want to smoke (anymore), you don’t have to!
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Methods of ingestion for first-time use
There are a few different ways that you can ingest weed, the most popular one for first timers being smoking. The method you choose is entirely up to you and your preferences, but we have some advice for each of them.
Smoking: If you’ve decided you’ll be smoking, the easiest way is a pipe. You don’t have to roll anything and you can take small hits at a time. If you’ve smoked a cigarette and know how to inhale smoke, then this should be really easy for you. If not, you will probably have to get used to inhaling the smoke of something. This could be really weird at first!
Smoking is one of the fastest ways to feel the effects of weed, which means you can judge the dosage accordingly. The affects are usually felt within minutes, and last anywhere between 30 minutes and 4 hours. The most intense effects will probably start to decrease after about an hour.
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Vaping: Vaping is also another easy way to ingest weed. It requires you to use oil, which could be harder to acquire depending on where in the world you are. Vaping is easier for those who don’t usually smoke, as it is easier on the throat and lungs. It is also a popular method among medical cannabis users.
It follows the same process as smoking and, just like smoking, takes effect almost immediately. One hit of a vape is usually enough to feel some effects, but some smokers will hit it a few times to get high. It will depend on the quality of what you are vaping.
Edibles: If you’re not into the idea of smoking and have chosen to go with edibles, be careful with dosages. It is best to buy the edibles off somebody who made them and who can give you a recommended dosage for a beginner – or better yet, buy from a professional. Edibles can take a considerably long time to take effect, and the effects can be long lasting. The speed of your metabolism also effects this process. For that reason it is important not to overdo it.
If you’re not feeling the effects within 30 minutes, don’t freak out by eating more. This could cause a pretty horrible first experience. Wait at least two hours before eating more.
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Where to get cannabis for the first time
The hardest part about using cannabis, thanks to legal reasons, is where to obtain it. Depending on where you are in the world, it could be as easy as stepping into a dispensary or as hard as walking down a dingy alleyway at night. Going back to what was said before, safety first. If you are in a country where it is illegal, only ask people you trust or your friends. It isn’t worth getting stuck in legal trouble or in a really compromising situation to smoke weed. And it definitely won’t make your first experience a pleasant one!
If you are in the USA, The Netherlands or Spain, it can be as simple as going to a dispensary or coffeeshop. If it is a coffeeshop, it also gives you a good place to smoke safely and in a friendly atmosphere. If it is a dispensary, you are free to pick the bud tender’s brain!
The last option is always to grow your own. Usually people start growing cannabis out of their love for using it, but there’s no reason you can’t do it the other way around. If you would like to be sure no pesticides have been used, and want to know exactly where it is coming from before tailoring your first experience, there’s nothing wrong with investing in good quality seeds and having your own garden. In fact, this could really add some magic to your first cannabis experience.
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So enjoy!
The best piece of advice is to relax and enjoy. The cannabis experience is meant to be a pleasant and relaxing one, if you don’t let too many worries get in the way. Remember to enjoy yourself by surrounding yourself with great people, great food and great music. This will all help to create the perfect first cannabis experience.
