How to Inhale Cannabis for Best Benefit: Joint, Vape, or Bong

No matter if you are new to cannabis or an experienced marijuana user, you want to get the most out of your product and smoking experience.

People smoke marijuana for many reasons. Some use it to help them relax and deal with the pressures of the day. Others find smoking cannabis to be a social experience, something they can enjoy doing with good friends.

No matter why you started smoking weed, you likely continued because you enjoy the benefits each strain provides.

Below, we offer tips to help you get the most out of the benefits your cannabis has to offer, whether you are using a joint, vape pen, or bong.

What Determines the Strength of Your High?

When it comes to using marijuana, different factors determine the effects and benefits users experience as well as the strength of their high.

The factors that determine the effects you’ll experience include:

• The type of marijuana plant you are using (Indica, Sativa, or a hybrid).
• The strain of marijuana you choose.
• The consumption method you use.
• The makeup of each strain (THC and CBD content and terpene profile).
• How much you use.
• Your experience with cannabis.

A lot of factors go into determining your high. But, once you find the right plant, the right strain, and the correct method for you, you’ll be able to enjoy your cannabis experience.

It’s All in the Inhale

Whether you are smoking a joint, vaping, or using a bong, one of the biggest things you can do to get the best benefit from your cannabis is inhale correctly.

Figuring out the proper technique when using marijuana can be tricky. In the movies and on television, first-time marijuana users are seen coughing after taking their first drag. Even the most experienced smokers likely coughed a time or two before they figured out the best inhalation technique (and may still from time to time).

So, why is inhaling properly so important when it comes to getting the best benefits from your marijuana? Because your lungs absorb THC, and inhaling the cannabis correctly can help your lungs get the most THC possible.

When inhaling, whether using a joint, bong, or vape, you should slowly inhale about two-thirds of your hit. Then, follow it up with a deep gulp of air. This inhale brings in fresh air, which can help push the smoke down into the lungs and improve their THC absorption.

Tip: As you inhale your cannabis, don’t hold it in your mouth. You want to suck it and the fresh air all the way into your lungs.

Hold this smoke for just a second, then release the smoke and air from your lungs. You’ll likely begin to feel the effects shortly.

Some people believe holding the smoke in your mouth for long periods of time will improve the effects and help your body absorb more, but there is no evidence to support this. In fact, most THC is inhaled quickly, so holding the smoke or vapour in your lungs for longer than five seconds (at a maximum) is not necessary.

Heat Is Important

Raw marijuana does not offer users any benefits. That’s because it has to be heated for its compounds CBD and THC to be activated. In their raw form, they are CBDA and THCA and are not effective in humans. 

Heating cannabis triggers a process known as decarboxylation. This process causes the “A” of the compounds to drop off, activating them and allowing users to experience the benefits of using cannabis.

So, when it comes to smoking marijuana, using the right heat temperature and a quality heat source before inhaling it is essential in helping you maximize the benefits marijuana has to offer.

Getting your buds too hot before you inhale your joint, bong, or vape can cause them to burn. This not only impacts the effects and taste you’ll experience but can cause you to inhale unknown carcinogens, tar, and other things that you usually wouldn’t and that are not healthy to inhale.

Not heating your cannabis enough won’t trigger the decarboxylation process that is necessary to put THC and CBD into their active states. So, no matter how much you inhale, you won’t get the full effect and the experience you want.

Vaping, smoking, and heating your bong to the right temperature can enhance your experience and even make inhaling your marijuana a more pleasant experience, leaving you less likely to have a coughing fit after doing so.

Maximizing Your Cannabis Benefits While Inhaling: Final Thoughts

There are so many factors that go into determining the effects marijuana users will experience, not all of it within your control. 

However, there are two ways you can maximize the benefits of smoking your joint or bong and even using your vape pen: Using proper inhalation techniques and smoking product heated to the right temperature.

Smoking cannabis is very different from smoking cigarettes, and it can take some time for marijuana users to get the hang of it. But, it is important that users inhale deeply, getting the smoke from the mouth and into the lungs so that the THC can be absorbed better.

Once you get the hang of inhaling deeply, try adding a gulp of fresh air after inhaling the majority of the product, which will help push the smoke down into the lungs. Hold no longer than five seconds, and release the smoke.

You will also want to make sure you heat your bud to the proper temperature as heat can help ensure the compounds are at their most effective or leave you with burnt buds.