When it comes to social settings, there are unstated rules and expectations that adults have to follow. Whether you’re talking with coworkers, sitting in class, ordering at a restaurant, or meeting your in-laws for the first time, there are specific rules that change depending on the context of the situation. The same goes for smoking marijuana.
Observing proper stoner etiquette indicates you’re aware of your actions and how they affect those around you. If you’ve been smoking cannabis for a while, practicing polite toking manners may come as second nature to you. But for marijuana newbies, the unspoken rules of a group smoke sesh can be a bit confusing.
So, whether you’re a veteran or rookie smoker, take a look at the list below to review or learn some of the most common rules of stoner etiquette. The cannabis community wants everyone to feel welcome, so let’s review.
Table of Contents
Bring Something to Share
Don’t show up to a smoke session empty-handed. Of course, bringing more weed to share is always ideal. But if you have no green to contribute, pitch in $5-$10 cash instead. If nothing else, extra rolling papers and some dank munchies will save you from looking like a total mooch.
Honor Roller Rights
If you roll the bud, you get to spark it. Think of it as a reward for all your hard work and effort. Next in line should always be the individual who actually provided the weed. It’s only appropriate for group members to get first dibs on their own supply.
Puff, Puff, Pass to the Left
When smoking out of a bong or a pipe, each person is generally allowed one hit before passing to the next person. With joints or blunts, allow for two hits per person. Any more than one or two hits and you come off as greedy.
Neither should you just sit there with the weed and let it wastefully burn. You’re either puffing or passing. Nobody likes a Bogart: someone who hangs on to the joint or pipe broodingly like Humphrey Bogart with a cigarette.
After taking your allotted hits, pass to the person on your left. Why? Because of its tradition! Ever since reggae group Musical Youth instructed listeners to “pass the Dutchie on the left-hand side,” clockwise has been the common direction of rotation in most smoke circles.
Save Some Green
The best hits are green hits, and everyone wants a taste. Instead of torching the entire surface of the bowl on your turn, be courteous and only light a corner or side of the bowl. That way, the next person can enjoy a green hit too.
Don’t Pass a Cashed Bowl
Sometimes, especially when you’re high, it’s difficult to tell when the last hit of a bowl has been had. But if you suspect the bowl has been cashed, don’t pass the dregs along to the next person. Rather, empty out all the ash and repack the bowl with some fresh green before resuming the rotation.
Keep it Dry
Unless you’re making out with your crush, nobody wants a mouth full of someone else’s saliva (they might not even want a mouth full of your saliva either). Just keep your spit to yourself.
When smoking a blunt or joint, try using your fingers as a barrier between your lips and the rolling paper so you don’t saturate it with your slobber. After taking rips from a bong or pipe, wipe off the mouthpiece before passing it along. Your immune system will appreciate it and so will everyone else.
Put an End to Lighter Hijacking
Pocketing something that doesn’t belong to you is stealing, and your mother taught you better than that. Think twice before swiping someone else’s lighter. It’s just plain rude. And while lighter hijacking can happen by accident, it’s best to just keep track of whose lighter is whose to avoid any inconveniences or awkward confrontations.
Your manners speak volumes about your character and the type of stoner you are. Regardless if you’re smoking with friends or a new crew, it’s important to always “say” the right thing so everyone is treated with consideration, respect, and honesty.
