by Rayne Graham
This time of year marks the beginning of celebrating traditions. Think about it, all the holidays coming and the things we do every year around this time to commemorate them. Trick or treating during Halloween, the big turkey dinner for Thanksgiving, Santa and his cookies for Christmas, and so on. While traditions weigh heavily on my mind at this time, I also had a thought on what cannabis traditions there might be.
When I think of traditions when it comes to cannabis, I think more of the unspoken rules that the community lives by. In other words, no one really ever says any of the following things to us it’s just natural for us ganja smokers to act these traditions out. It is pretty amazing if you stop to think about it for a moment, almost as if this amazing plant makes us connect on a deeper level than just surface words. I digress, let’s just go ahead and discuss the rules or traditions however you want to word them.
- If you have bud, you share. Seriously, it is that simple. Have a friend coming over? Ask if they want some bud. Hanging in a group sesh and there is already bud being passed around? Ask if you can throw some in of your own.
- Do not, I repeat, do not hold onto the joint when it is being passed around. It is not a microphone. It is puff, puff, pass for a reason.
- Always ask if everyone is done before putting the joint out. Even if there is the slightest puff left, it is always polite to ask.
- Be cognoscente of being a knowledgeable host when you have new cannabis users over. This could mean new to cannabis or new to the method of which your choosing. Edibles, dabs, tinctures, etc. Hit everyone differently, don’t be the douche that thinks it’s funny to give your friends too much at once.
- If you are smoking in public, be aware of where your smoke is drifting. Of course, before this was because one might have been looking for law enforcement. However, now we want to make sure that everyone gets to decide what goes in their body and inhaling our secondhand smoke doesn’t fit that view of thinking.
- Clean your glass! This is a big one not only so it looks cleaner for those Instagram videos, but also because it could make you and anyone who smokes out of it sick If it’s not cleaned regularly. I mean, have you smelled bong water? Gross. Who wants two-week-old recycled water vapor in their lungs when hitting a toke? I will tell you, no one.
- I think the last and certainly not least of this least is, no judgement. The cannabis plant calls for a sense of fellowship, kindness, love, and no judgement. You want to eat an edible and chill? Cool. You want to smoke a couple bowls and see how high you can fly? Go for it man. Taking a tolerance break? Awesome. Your go to munchies are pickles and peanut butter? You do you.