so tumblr has a massive number of people on it, so the responses to this post will probably be anything from “i can’t believe you missed out [x]” to “i can’t believe you’re even talking about weed so openly!!!! it’s illegal!!! stop encouraging kids to do drugs!!!” well, disclaimer. i’m not encouraging anyone to do drugs - this post is to educate and inform people as to what exactly goes on with the different types of weed and how they affect your body and mind. i am immensely respectful of people who chose not to smoke etc. - weirdly enough the smell of weed massively triggers my dad, and so this respect is mandatory as far as i can see. with that said, let’s teach y’all about it.

to start, weed is probably the safest drug out there. it is almost impossible to overdose to the extent of being hospitalised, and recorded ‘deaths’ from weed are usually when people do things like drive after smoking - which is VERY DANGEROUS, because the speed at which you register things happening slows down quite a bit when you’re high. a hundred times more deaths happen from drinking, and a thousand times more from smoking. that being said, the way you take the drug can change the likelihood of either overdosing or long-term negative effects.

BUT FIRST, the different types!

weed can be broken down into two main strains: indica and sativa. indica is the sort of ‘stoned’ you’d usually see on tv (or buzzfeed) - tired, chilled out, it acts as a very good anti-inflammatory and anxiety-reducing drug. on the other hand, sativa tends to make you more giggly, more likely to talk to those around you, and makes the world feel like a beautiful piece of artwork. from these strains you also get sub-divisions, but there are so many i might make another post instead of including it here. for reference - this is what the two strains look like:

note the larger ‘flowers’ on the indica, and the more triangle shape! this is useful to identify them if you find yourself in a situation where that is needed!

also, side note: weed tends to be stronger the drier it is, so if you’re wanting to smoke pot for the first time, definitely try one that looks ‘fresher’ - the more pebble-like it feels, the higher its going to get you, and you wanna learn your tolerance level before you start messing around with intensity!

this brings us on to the different ways you can ingest the weed! this list is by no means extensive, but it covers the basics, and should you be offered a spliff vs a blunt in a dorm room in college, you should be able to tell the difference.

• blunt - marijuana rolled with (brown) tobacco leaf paper, and looks like a skinny cigar. it has no tobacco in it, unlike a spliff, and will therefore often be harsher. would not recommend for first timers.

• unless you’re super against tobacco smoking, i would say that spliffs are the go-to method of getting high. spliffs mix the tobacco and marijuana, giving a smoother, and slightly less intense high. the smell of the tobacco also helps mask the otherwise very strong smell of the weed.

• joint - this is pure marijuana rolled in lighter, partially translucent papers. because its pure weed, it gets you more stoned than spliffs, but because it does not contain tobacco, it is healthier. that being said, if you’re rolling your own joint, this can be very hard to do without the aid of the tobacco.

(left to right: joint, spliff, blunt)

there are also other methods that don’t involve smoking! 

• bong - these can be made with literally anything if you try hard enough. the key thing about a bong is that the smoke passes through bong WATER before you breathe it in  - this gets rid of most (but by no means all) of the nasty additives found in the weed and/or tobacco. useful for a group, as they are easy to pass round, and you get a greater high per person than you would from a simple blunt/joint etc.

• pipe - you don’t get any filtration of the smoke, so i would not advise trying this as a young padawan smoker! that being said, they are very easy to store, and very quick to get out and puff up when you’re in the mood

• vaporising, or vaping weed is the latest trend that everyone’s crazy about. it doesn’t involve smoke, just vapour, which while being easier on your lungs, is MUCH more effective than pretty much any other method of inhaling pot, and will get you as high as smoking a full spliff in around 6 drags. make sure you have a friend with you if you do this!

• edibles - i saved this one til last because while it seems the best (mmm, food), it can actually be pretty scary. weed brownies are obviously the most common form, but they can be whipped up into pretty much any form - and the kicker here is that you WILL NOT FEEL HIGH until around 3 hours after you’ve eaten one. do NOT eat more before that time limit because you think they’ve not worked - it’s a rookie error, and even if they weren’t that effective, waiting three hours to stay safe wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

finally -  a warning. ‘whitey-ing’ is the most common way people are seen to overdose, and this involves feeling dizzy, faint, and finally throwing up. if you feel like you should stop smoking, stop there and then. don’t wait until you’re on the bathroom floor (trust me). also, weed can sometimes make people paranoid - this is only because it affects the perception of ‘self’ and your own abilities.

a lot of the time though, marijuana is a gentle and fun high where you get super hungry and giggle with your mates while watching spongebob.

so i hope this helps all of you young things who learned ‘don’t do drugs’ in school to understand what that really means, and how to stay safe if you do decide to experiment! ABSOLUTELY stay away from the bad end of the drug spectrum, but for many people marijuana can act as a pain medication as much as a drug. and even if you decide not to smoke yourself, this information may be useful to someone who never learnt about weed and its effects!