By T-town Terps
It’s 1998 – your buddy Bruce is rolling a fatty of some brown weed that was probably grown in Mexico five years earlier. He licks the glue and twists, using his saliva to seal it before passing it around. Four or five other people proceed to share the joint, putting their mouths on the same tip.
Sounds gross, right? But it’s still common in cannabis culture for people to share joints, pipes, or vapes. This stems from the fact that cannabis was illegal and scarce for a long time and people like to share with their friends. These days are now thankfully behind many of us, and I think it’s time we reexamine the culture and social etiquette around smoking.
We Don’t Share Beer or Cigarettes, Why Cannabis?
If you had a guest over and wanted to offer them beer, would you offer them their own bottle, or would you open one, take a sip, and pass it to them? Sounds silly to even ask, right?
It’s the same thing with cigarettes. We don’t tend to share these things unless we’re very close to someone.
Yet when it comes to cannabis, the culture is one where people generally share by passing it around. I get it. I’ve done it for years without thought, myself. However, I was recently exposed to COVID-19 by doing exactly this and it made me reconsider how we share our favorite plant. If we are to take cannabis use out of the shadows and use it legally, openly, and socially, then we should think about some of these prohibition era practices and ask if they’re really necessary today.
The Risks of Sharing Cannabis Cigarettes, Vapes, or Pipes
I don’t want to sound like your mom but turns out that sharing saliva with others comes with all sorts of risks! This is a buzzkill, I know, and you can feel free to spread your love and germs around freely with those who consent. I just don’t think it should be the norm among cannabis users in 2024.
Trust me when I say that I pass no judgement. I used to go to concerts and take hits off mystery joints being passed around the crowd. Thinking about it now, having just lived through a pandemic, skeeves me out! I had no idea what was in it or who had put their mouths on it… It’s gross!
My dudes, just look at the kind of things you can contract off a joint tip or pipe:
- Herpes
- Hepatitis B and C
- Mononucleosis
- COVID-19
- Cytomegalovirus
I had to Google that last one and now I have a new anxiety unlocked. Great… I’m collecting those like 20-somethings are amassing student loan debt.
Cannabis Social Etiquette in 2024
It’s time to leave things like passing joints around and smoking our roaches in the past. Come with me, fellow cannabis enthusiast, to a world of cannabis social etiquette. In the regular, non-illegal world where people consume things that aren’t traded in secret on the black market, etiquette guides how we interact with others as we eat, drink, and smoke. It’s precisely because human consumption can be off-putting or even gross, that we develop rules of conduct. We use utensils to serve food. We chew with our mouths shut. We don’t smoke cigarettes at the table where people are eating. We drink hard liquor in small amounts as to not lose our composure or appear uncivilized.
It’s time for cannabis to join the civilized the world. That means developing an etiquette of our own. Etiquette seeks to limit the negative effects of your consumption on those around you.
Some suggestions would include:
– Using cones instead of rolling joints for guests
– Encourage guests to bring their own pipes or vapes
– Provide options for guest consumption: a clean vape, a clean pipe, a personal joint, or an edible
Personally, I love giving my guests their own personal-sized cone joint. I typically stuff between a quarter and a third of gram into each one. People really enjoy smoking them and feeling like they have their own joint. It just goes to show that we can still smoke together and enjoy company and socialize without passing the dutchie like our forefathers did. It’s a new day and a new age.
In fact, we’re all so used to sharing and passing, having your own personal joint feels almost lavish. Spoil your guests by offering them their own personal-sized mini joint. They’ll love it!
Of course, let me know what you guys think.
Use Cannabis Responsibly! T-Town Terps does not promote or endorse illicit or underage use of cannabis. Consult your local laws and ordinances to ensure you are using lawfully and be sure to always keep all cannabis products away from children.
