People who are looking for the healthiest way to smoke weed typically want a method that feels smooth on the throat and minimizes coughing, the ingestion of toxic substances, and lung irritation—while at the same time enjoying the full aroma and fast-hitting effects of the plant.
There is no way of smoking cannabis that’s entirely risk-free. However, certain methods and strategies reduce the risks and enrich the smoking experience. The first consideration when seeking a healthier way to smoke cannabis is the safety of the product itself. Then, consider the impact of different smoking devices and the kind of smoking experience you’re looking for.
The Safest and Smoothest Cannabis Products to Smoke
There are three key considerations when selecting the healthiest cannabis products to smoke:
- Lab-tested vs untested flower
- Live dried vs traditionally dried flower
- Flower vs concentrate
Lab-Tested Cannabis vs Untested Cannabis
Lab-tested cannabis has generally been certified to be free from lead, mold, non-permitted pesticides, and other substances—depending on state laws. It’s essential to purchase lab-tested cannabis flower rather than untested flower from the street to avoid inhaling these unnecessary and harmful toxins when smoking weed. It’s also important to do your research and seek out high-quality cultivators as lab-testing doesn’t always tell the whole story.
Cannabis that comes with a cannabinoid and terpene analysis also makes for a more enjoyable experience when smoking marijuana because you can select a strain based on the cannabinoid and terpene percentages. For example, those looking for an uplifting experience might opt for a strain that tests high in limonene whereas those looking for a relaxing experience might opt for a strain that tests high in myrcene or linalool.
Live Dried Cannabis vs Traditionally Dried-and-Cured Cannabis
Live dried cannabis flower is much smoother to smoke than traditionally dried-and-cured cannabis flower. Live dried cannabis is produced by freeze drying fresh or fresh frozen cannabis flower rather than hanging it in a drying room. It maintains a similar “live” flavor and aroma to live concentrates like live bubble hash, live rosin, and live resin. You can even taste the flavor of live dried buds all the way to the end of the joint.
Live dried bud is smoother, more flavorful, more colorful, potentially more potent, and less likely to induce coughing compared to traditionally dried cannabis. This is a result of several factors:
- Live dried flower is fresher as it has undergone less biological aging.
- Live dried flower has a more even moisture content due to the freeze drying process.
- Live dried flower has a lower chlorophyll content.
- Live dried flower has a higher terpene and cannabinoid content (up to 15% more THC, although this depends on the strain), so it’s potentially more potent than the same strain dried traditionally.
Additionally:
- Live flower stays fresher for longer when properly stored.
- Live flower has a softer texture, making it easier to roll and hand mill.
- Live flower is less likely to be affected by cross-contamination due to a reduced need for handling.
The Live Dried Perzimmon #2, dried using our proprietary Crop-to-Cure® methodology, won the “Innovative Product: Consumable” award at the Emerald Cup in 2023.
If you haven’t tried live flower before, you need to ask your dispensary for it. If you’re an operator, buy our Turnkey Crop-to-Cure® Live Dried Bundle (includes our award-winning Crop-to-Cure® SOP) to give your customers a smoother, healthier, and more delicious smoking experience.
Flower vs Concentrate
Flower has pros and cons vis-à-vis cannabis concentrates when it comes to safety. Take the following into consideration:
- Flower has lower THC percentages than concentrates, which can be up to 99% pure THC. Excessive THC consumption puts consumers at a heightened risk of psychosis.
- Concentrates may contain residual solvents like butane or propane. Inhaling butane can have neurotoxic and cardiotoxic effects.
- You inhale less with concentrates compared to flower and also bypass the possibility of inhaling the ash and foreign burnt material that comes with combusting non-cannabinoid plant matter.
Opting for solventless concentrates like dry sift hash, bubble hash, or rosin bypasses the risk of inhaling residual solvents. However, the risk of excessive THC consumption is still higher with solventless concentrates than it is with flower.
The Safety of Different Smoking Devices
Different smoking methods have pros and cons with regard to the safety and smoothness of the smoking experience.
Joints
Joints produce marijuana smoke, which irritates the lungs. You can reduce the harm from the smoke produced by the rolling paper specifically by using hemp or pure rice rolling paper instead of bleached rolling paper or rolling paper with added flavorings and colorings.
Blunts
Blunts are more harmful than joints because they are made from hollowed-out cigars. Blunt wraps are made from tobacco leaves and contain nicotine. Nicotine increases blood pressure, heart rate, and blood flow to the heart, and narrows the arteries. Cigar wraps also exhibit much higher levels of carcinogenic nitrosamines than commercial cigarettes. So smoking a blunt isn’t necessarily safer than smoking a cigarette.
Bongs
Bongs utilize water to filter the cannabis smoke produced, which makes the smoke smoother on the consumer’s throat. The filtration using this technique—however—is minimal. While the smoke feels smoother on your throat, it isn’t necessarily easier on your lungs.
Vaping
Vaping has been touted as a healthier way to smoke marijuana (and cannabis concentrates) because it involves heating the materials without combustion. This means you aren’t inhaling smoke and marijuana tar as you would with traditional smoking. Vaping also permits a more customized experience thanks to the ability to control the temperature.
The main concerns surrounding vaping are the potential lung damage from vitamin E acetate (an additive that used to be added to some vape oils but is rarely used nowadays) and the high concentrations of THC consumed. Both of these dangers can be avoided by vaping dry herb. Additive-free solventless vape products like pure liquid rosin are the safest option if you prefer to vape concentrate.
Dabbing
Dabbing has certain similarities to vaping because it also involves inhaling the vapor of cannabis concentrates. The inhalation of vapor rather than weed smoke may reduce some risks. However, the use of concentrates comes with the risks of inhaling residual solvents (if a solvent concentrate is used) and negative side effects from consuming large amounts of THC.
Alternative Consumption Methods
We understand that not everyone can enjoy smoking due to asthma, emphysema, and certain other medical conditions. Here are a few options if smoking isn’t for you:
- Infused edibles and beverages: Edibles like gummies and baked goods are made by infusing decarboxylated cannabis flower or concentrate into a carrier oil or fat (like butter) and using this as a cooking ingredient. Infused beverages can be purchased from a dispensary or made by mixing or blending a cannabis oil or tincture into a beverage. Cannabinoids are metabolized in the liver in both consumption methods before being released into the bloodstream.
- Juicing: You can juice the raw leaves of the cannabis plant for the therapeutic effects of a cannabis beverage without the high. Please note that this consumption method does not involve decarboxylation, so you would be consuming THCA and CBDA rather than their “activated” counterparts THC and CBD.
- Sublingual: Some cannabis extracts can be dropped under the tongue. The cannabinoids are absorbed by the sublingual tissues and carried to the bloodstream for a relatively fast onset of effects.
- Tinctures: Tinctures can be made with an alcohol or oil base and consumed sublingually, orally, or topically. The absorption mechanism and time depend on the method of administration.
- Topicals: Topical cannabinoid products include salves, balms, cosmetics, tinctures or oils, and transdermal patches. The cannabinoids in topical products are absorbed through the skin.
- Suppositories: These products are inserted into the rectum or vagina (depending on the product) from where the cannabinoids are absorbed.
Warnings and Tips
The following warnings and tips will help you minimize adverse health effects when consuming cannabis via inhalation:
- Always purchase bud that is free from pesticides, molds, and heavy metals, and preferably opt for live dried.
- Exhale after one to two seconds. Holding the smoke longer only increases lung irritation.
- Use FDA-approved rolling papers.
- Use glass bongs and pipes rather than plastic.
- Keep your equipment clean to avoid inhaling residues.
- Don’t share joints or mouthpieces with other people, as this comes with a risk of infection.
- Do not consume cannabis if you are a minor, pregnant, nursing, or have a mental health disorder that puts you at an increased risk of psychosis.
- Do not consume cannabis before driving, working in a safety-sensitive job, when on call for work or a sick relative, or when caring for children. Some studies recommend waiting 6 to 8 hours before driving after smoking cannabis and 8 to 12 hours after ingesting an edible.
- Do tell your healthcare providers that you use cannabis to avoid potentially dangerous drug interactions and ensure the most optimal care.
The Verdict on the Healthiest Way to Smoke Weed
The healthiest way to smoke weed is to vaporize live dried cannabis in a dry herb vaporizer. Using a dry herb vaporizer sidesteps the risks associated with smoke, nicotine, vape oil additives, excessive THC content, and residual solvents. Opting for live dried cannabis results in smoother smoke and a much more flavorful smoking experience compared to traditionally dried-and-cured flower.
If you are a cannabis consumer, ask your dispensary to get live dried cannabis in stock and try it—once you’ve experienced the difference, you won’t want to go back! If you are a cannabis operator, contact us to learn more about our award-winning live dried SOP, and purchase our live dried bundle to start producing smooth and flavorful flower that your customers will love.
