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Reading time - 7 minutes - February 24, 2022
Remember when smoking weed was seen as a healthy activity to do? Probably not. Most people alive today will not remember a time when smoking was anything other than unhealthy for you. However, there was a time when knowledge was so limited that smoking was thought to be, not only cool, but beneficial. However, in the 21st century, in the year 2021, can you be healthy and smoke weed? Well, today we’ll be looking through the history of smoking cannabis, the science behind it and any possible way that you can enjoy cannabis without it being too unhealthy for you. This one goes out to all you cannabis-lovers who wanted to be more healthy.
Smoking cannabis is thought to have begun in 5BC, when the ancient egyptians would heat hemp seeds on hot rocks in order to inhale it. But also there’s evidence that cannabis was…
“introduced to Africa by Indian Hindu travelers, which Bantu settlers subsequently introduced to southern Africa when they migrated southward. Smoking pipes uncovered in Ethiopia and carbon-dated to around 1320 AD were found to have traces of cannabis.”
As colonists from America and Europe began occupying the rest of the world, cannabis was discovered and used for textiles, rope and materials. This then spread throughout the world as colonists spread themselves around the world. In each place cannabis went, people began discovering its recreational purposes.
It wasn’t until the early 1900s that cannabis became commonly used recreationally and, consequently, was illegalized in most of the world. Weed was made illegal in 1928. Then, in the 1960s, when smoking tobacco was rife, a US surgeon released a report that showed the damaging effects of smoking. He reviewed around 7000 articles in the medical literature, and concluded that smoking caused bronchitis and lung cancer. In consequence, In 1971, all smoking advertisements on TV ended. Smoking in pubs and public spaces was banned in 2007, and any brand advertisement on cigarette packages was banned in 2015.
Now, the year is 2021, and smoking cannabis is of course illegal but is still the most common way to consume cannabis. In fact, according to Stastista, around 30 percent of all those aged between 16 and 59 in the UK have used cannabis.
It’s important to note that smoking only cannabis is slightly different to smoking tobacco. Nicotine, which comes from tobacco, is an addictive substance. However, most people, when smoking cannabis, will put a bit of tobacco in. Thus, the science behind smoking a joint (which contains tobacco) is much the same as smoking a cigarette.
When a joint is lit, it is set on fire at around 900 degrees. This is also referred to as combustion. When combustion takes place, dangerous toxins and cancerous carcinogens are inhaled into the lungs and body. In addition, tobacco can release carbon monoxide and tar into the body when set on fire. Smoking can cause problems with the brain, heart, bones, lungs, mouth and reproductive system. It basically covers all of the body.
Here in the UK, 78,000 people die a year from smoking related illnesses. That is more deaths per year than covid caused during its peak.
So, the question is, can you be healthy and smoke weed?
Being healthy and smoking is like jumping into water when you can’t swim. It’s almost inevitable that you’re going to drown, just like it’s inevitable that smoking will cause you harm. However, that’s not to say everyone gets ill from smoking. Some people are the lucky minority who, to use the metaphor again, jump in the water and survive. But there are also precautions that you can take to make smoking slightly healthier or there are completely different alternatives you can also take a look at. So what are your options?
The first option is to do a Seth Rogen and smoke only blunts. Blunts are joints that contain only cannabis and no tobacco. This will mean you avoid all dangers that burning tobacco brings with it. As mentioned before, this includes carbon monoxide, and tar which enters the body. In addition, you will avoid the addictive substance that is nicotine. However, this does mean you’re forced to pack a lot of cannabis into one joint, which will make the experience a lot more intense. Especially if you’re not used to this kind of strength. Plus, smoking a blunt still involves combustion and all of the health risks that that brings. In a sense, the only real benefit of smoking cannabis-only joints is avoiding becoming addicted to tobacco. In regards to your lungs, they’re still going to be at risk.
Although it might sound like an obvious solution, the next option is to smoke less. Smoking less can be hard, especially if you’re used to a certain amount of cannabis each day. In addition, if you require cannabis for medical purposes, smoking less could be detrimental to yourself. Therefore, it might require a bit of planning and figuring out what works best. However, even smoking one less joint a day could make you slightly healthier than if you didn’t. There are lots of tips on how to cut down on smoking weed. Click here if you want to know more.
If you require a certain amount of cannabis every day in order to maintain a happy lifestyle, then why not just start smoking more highly concentrated weed. Usual cannabis buds contain around 15-20% THC, whereas cannabis concentrates contain around 60% THC. If you want to know more about cannabis concentrates, we have a guide to help you. The benefit of this method will be that you smoke less times in the day, due to the purity of what you’re smoking. However, if you don’t enjoy smoking potent cannabis, then this method may not be the right one for you.
Another option is to avoid smoking altogether. Again, If you require cannabis for medicinal purposes then you’re going to need a certain amount each day. Perhaps you can try THC or CBD edibles. These won’t involve the dangers of smoking and you’ll still reap the rewards of cannabis. Edibles come in many shapes and sizes. You can get weed honey, weed butter, weed brownies, weed gummies… basically any food or drink can somehow be made with cannabis. However, if you’re used to smoking and enjoy the act of it, then edibles may not work for you. In addition, cannabis edibles are not the easiest thing to get a hold of in countries where recreational cannabis is illegal. This means that in the UK, if you’re looking for edibles with THC, you may find it difficult. Street dealers may sell them, but edibles are definitely rarer than usual cannabis buds.
The last option on this list, and perhaps the most ideal, is to use a dry herb vaporizer. A dry herb vape – also known as a weed vape – is an electronic device that heats up cannabis buds or concentrates, which are then turned into vapour, and then inhaled by the user. Whilst you’re still inhaling heated bud, it’s vital to know that vaping is not smoking. Vaporizers heat buds at around 180-220 degrees. Combustion does not occur until something is heated at 240 degrees or more. As mentioned before, a joint will burn at a temperature of around 900 degrees. Therefore, vaping avoids all health risks that are caused by the process of combustion. But the positive is that you still get that feeling of inhaling something. A dry herb vaporizer is basically a device that allows you to have all the benefits of smoking, without the dangers of smoking.
If you’re interested in seeing our range of dry herb vapes, click here.
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