Smoke Session Etiquette
A smoke sesh is such a warm and welcoming environment; a time for good friends and good conversation. While you may think it’s as simple as sitting down and getting high, there are a lot of unspoken rules in the community that can make newcomers feel disconnected. Smoking etiquette is learned over time through your interactions with other smokers, but breaking the rules, even when you’re not aware, can be a real bummer to the rest of the group. To avoid an embarrassing situation with your buds, we’re here to go over the Do’s and Don’ts of getting high.
Do: Bring Something to Share
Would you show up to the potluck empty handed? No, so why show up to this pot-luck without anything? Bring some bud, bring some blunt wraps - maybe bring snacks to satisfy the squad’s late night munchies. We understand you can’t always contribute herb, but there’s tons of other treats to bring that will show you’re not taking advantage of someones’ generosity.
Don’t: Bring Bad Bud
Yes, you should bring whatever you can, but don’t bring something that you wouldn't smoke alone. Bringing your last few popcorn nugs, cracking open some roaches, or gathering some shake that’s at the bottom of your stash jar isn’t cutting it. That being said, it’s quality > quantity. A nice kief topper would suffice.
Do: Respect the Roller’s Rights
If you didn’t roll it, regardless of if you threw in, you don’t get to choose what happens. The roller sparks the blunt. That’s the rules and lots of people find it bad luck to light up if you didn’t roll it (or use a white lighter). There's another superstition that says to always pass to the left, but in recent years, I’ve known more people to play Marco Polo* rather than care about left or right. Either way it's the dealer's choice.
*Marco Polo is when the roller yells, “Marco!” after the first hit, and whoever says, “Polo!” first gets the blunt next and you keep that rotation.
Don’t: Sit on it
It’s pretty common to get carried away when smoking with your friends. Someone starts telling a good story and before you know it, the blunt is gone. Either they’re still sitting on the blunt ages later or they keep hitting it absentmindedly. It hurts, and it feels a little unfair. While it sucks to be called out, don’t take it personally. It happens to the best of us and friends don’t let friends be assholes. Always remember, puff, puff, pass!
Do: Say No to Peer Pressure
Friends do not peer pressure friends! Don’t convince or tease someone to do something outside of their comfort zone and don’t let yourself be swayed to smoke more than you know you can handle. If one person starts feeling bad, it’ll impact the mood of everyone.
Don’t: Blow Smoke at Someone
This should be obvious - It’s just not cool. No, you’re not getting a contact high. You’re just being incredibly ignorant, not to mention rude. Not only is the smoke bad for your skin (sorry hotbox fans), but our smokers with sensitive eyes may be heavily impacted when you do this. Just blow the smoke up into the air or down between your legs so as not to bother anyone.
This goes for the cat too. Blowing smoke into a cat’s ear doesn’t get anyone high, just gets the pet owner angry. Don’t abuse animals because you think it would be cool to get them high. Buy some catnip!
Do: Clean up after yourself
If you’re a friend, you should know better. If you’re a guest, where are your manners? Whoever is hosting the sesh probably will be equally as high as you are, so be a friend and help them out if they need it. Even just cleaning up after yourself can make a huge difference. Be considerate and they will probably invite you back again in the future.
Finally
Do: Understand everyone has their own etiquette for smoking
The smoke sesh rules vary from person to person, and your core group of friends will develop their own smoking routine over time. While there are the overall basics, you should be able to slip right in if you’re with a group of supporting smokers. If you do break one of these rules, don’t worry. Most smoker’s won’t even remember, and there's always next time.