You’ve finally given in to the pressure, just became of age, or simply got curious and want to venture into the world of marijuana. Welcome! Since you’re reading this I’ll assume you’re already somewhat responsible for researching what to expect ahead of time. Though I’m sad I can’t join you on your journey, the least I can offer are some tips to make your first time smoking weed as enjoyable as possible. Here are my 7 tips for first time weed smokers:
1. Smoke with a Friend or Friends
Nobody should have to go through their first time smoking weed on their own. There is a reason you have friends, and showing the ropes of smoking weed is one of the reasons they’re there. Don’t have friends that smoke? That’s ok too! See if any of them want to try it with you. Clear your schedule, do a bit of homework (like you are now), and enjoy the ride. You don’t need to do anything wild, if you’re nervous about what is going to happen your first time its totally normal to spend it in the comfort of your own home. For those trying it alone or with friends that don’t smoke marijuana, I’d make sure to research what you want to smoke out of (see my previous blog post for your options). Once you decide that look up a YouTube video on how to pack/operate your smoking apparatus of choice.
2. Understand that Nothing Bad is Going to Happen to you
Don’t get me wrong, smoking marijuana is a relaxing, pleasurable, euphoric experience. Most of the time. Sometimes it makes some people paranoid. This mostly applies to people who smoke often, but I’m sure it can happen to beginners too (especially if you take edibles your first time, I’ll touch on that later). If you do feel paranoid or in a weird state, remember this statistic. The number of people that have died from a marijuana overdose is 0. You will be fine. If you need to remove yourself from what you’re doing and listen to music or get something to eat then do so. That usually helps. If all else fails and you still feel panicked, a hot shower is known to soothe and calm you down.
Don’t let me scare you off, I just wouldn’t want you to have a bad high and never try marijuana again if you were unfortunate enough to have a bad experience (which isn’t likely). If you’re curious why people are inclined to get paranoid after smoking weed check out one of my recent posts here.
3. Know that You Might not Feel High
On the opposite end, what’s more likely to happen is you won’t feel high your first time. Some people think there’s a biological reason behind it and no matter what you won’t get high your first time. I think that’s a load of B.S. I experienced it and I still think its B.S. In fact I didn’t feel very high my first few times actually. I have a theory. Maybe beginners just don’t know how to smoke weed? It’s not like smoking a cigar, you need to inhale to get high. First time smokers just don’t realize what that should feel like yet and are a bit conservative with their puffs. It’s a fine balance between breathing in the smoke and not burning your lungs (depending on what you’re smoking out of). The trick for me is first exhale most of the air in my lungs, hold the piece to your mouth, then use your chest to take a slow deep breath to fill your lungs almost like you would a normal breath. Your first hit might be pretty harsh and the next tip will help you out with that.
4. Water
Ahh the nectar of life…H20. You’ll desperately want some water after smoking weed your first time (or any time for that matter). Cotton mouth is real and if you’re stuck in public without any water or means to get water you are going to be riding the struggle bus all the way to Misery Lane. Plus it helps to stay hydrated to mitigate the foggy head in the morning.
5. Stock up on Food
We all know the stereotype: smoking weed gives people the munchies. Well that stereotype is 100% true. If I’m having a stoner-night I like to pick up smaller quantities of a few different snacks as opposed to a single large one. Either make sure your shelves are stocked or have plans to go out to a buffet. You’ll thank me later. If you want to make a habit of enjoying marijuana you might not want to keep your shelves too stocked.
6. Decide any Plans Beforehand
Whether you are going to stay in the comfort of your own home, play video games, go out to a show, or whatever you want to do, make sure you pick it out beforehand. It’s going to be an ultimate pain in the ass if you try to figure out plans high. Its 100% ok to not have plans, but just know if you want to go out and do stuff its so much easier to know what you’re going to do. (Funnily enough my girlfriend and I had our plans canceled last night and had to figure out plans on the fly high.)
7. Avoid Undosed Edibles
If you don’t plan on taking edibles feel free to ignore this one. Right now we live in the beautiful world of legal marijuana (depending on your state/country). One of the perks of legal marijuana is no more sketchy edibles. The days of taking that random brownie with no idea how you you will or won’t get are over (if you want them to be). For your first time, take a lowish dose edible. 5-10mg will give you a solid high, don’t go over 15mg for your first time unless you are a heavy person. I know too many people afraid of weed after getting wrecked by a mystery edible that probably had close to 50mg which would put most weed smokers on their ass. Edibles can wreck you and are the easiest way to have a bad experience with marijuana.
I hope you enjoy your first time smoking marijuana. If you have any of your own tips or questions feel free to contact me or leave a comment.
