2023 Guide to Cannabis Paraphernalia

By: Sativa Baker | September 20th, 2020 (UPDATED 2023) | Product Guide

Paraphernalia are the tools we use to consume cannabis. But with so many different types these days, finding the right option can be confusing! What is the difference between all these types of paraphernalia? How do I choose? Do I need to buy accessories to go with my paraphernalia? So many questions to ask!

Names of Marijuana Paraphernalia

To help make it easier to decide, we have compiled a go-to list of common marijuana paraphernalia to help you sift thru all the different varieties out there and hopefully help to make your shopping trip a whole lot easier!

Marijuana Paraphernalia

• Hand Pipes
• Bongs & Waterpipes
• Joints
• Vape Pens
• Dab Rigs

There are also Edibles which are cool because you don’t really need any paraphernalia to consume, just the edible and some good friends to share with!

Related: https://budeezbremerton.com/5-creative-marijuana-edibles-for-any-cannabis-lover/

Where to buy paraphernalia

The best place to buy paraphernalia is at a Marijuana Dispensary. It is like a one-stop shop for all your marijuana needs. They are well stocked and the Budtenders are knowledgeable on the different types to choose. Here at Budeez Recreational Marijuana Dispensary we have an excellent selection in store of everything you need to consume cannabis!

How to buy Marijuana Paraphernalia in a Pot Shop

Some people feel uncomfortable buying marijuana and paraphernalia in person. Some things to consider when venturing out to your local cannabis dispensary:

• Bring a Buddy, they can help you make good choices and make it fun.
• Don’t be shy, it is normal to ask questions!
• Make a wise, informed decision. This is a big investment.
• Stay flexible, you may find something you weren’t expecting.
• Consume cannabis before and after, it will help calm your nerves!

Old School Types of Marijuana Paraphernalia

There are some cannabis smoking tools that have been around for a very long time and are still very popular today. Hand pipes, Bongs, and Joints are a great way to indulge in greenery and there is a huge variety of different types to choose from. There can be a down side to these classic methods. They are likely to fill the air with smoke and are not very discreet. So if you are trying to be on the down low about your consumption, you may want to look to other paraphernalia.

Hand Pipes

The pipe or spoon is a primitive smoking tool that has been around for thousands of years and was used by our ancestors. A pipe consists of a bowl and a reservoir leading to the smoker’s mouth. Some pipes have a hole in the side that allows for air intake, called a carb. Covering the carb allows a hit build up in the hollow of the pipe. Releasing the carb pushes all the smoke at once to the user. It can overwhelm some people if they didn’t realize they took that large of a hit until it is too late.

Accessories for Hand Pipes

• Grinders – This is a tool to make your nugs smaller so they burn better in the bowl.
• Pipe Cleaners – A clean pipe will allow you to taste the weed better and ensure your pipe doesn’t clog with resin.
• Pipe Bags – Something to put your pipe in to keep it safe.
• Hemp wick – Burns at a lower temperature than a butane-fueled lighter which allows you to enjoy more of the terpenes for better taste.

How to Use a Pipe

Hitting a pipe is easy! Just load up your marijuana with a loose pile of herb in the bottom then pile more on top loosely until you have a full bowl. Place your finger over the carb and hold the lighter to one side of the bowl just lightly touching it with the flame, don’t hold the flame directly over the bowl. You want a nice and smooth hit! Inhale until you taste smoke in your mouth, this means the pipe has a full hit. Release the carb and continue to inhale. Hold it in for a couple of seconds and then exhale and fly high. The best part about a pipe is that it is easily transported, you can take it with you wherever you go.

Types of Hand Pipes

• Chillums, Tasters & One-Hitters – The convenient size of these make it perfect for on the go.
• Gandalf – Designed to get the bowl away from your face and give you a full view of the bowl.
• Sherlocks – The pipe’s shape fits great in your hand and fit your hit into the body rather than the spoon head.
• Spoon – The classic pipe. They will have a round bowl, a long mouthpiece, and a carb on one side of the chamber.
• Steamrollers – Packs a punch! You cover the end to carb the piece and let go when you want to take the hit.
• Bubblers – Half bong and half pipe, their small size and water incorporation helps you get a smooth, filtered hit.

Bongs

Bongs are also an ancient tool used for centuries. Current discoveries have dated the earliest found water pipe at roughly 2,400 years ago, which was solid gold and used by tribal chiefs in and around modern-day Russia. Bongs come in a variety of sizes, shapes and some look like works of art. Some even name their bongs to give it personality! A bong consists of: a bowl to place the dried flower for smoking, a pull carb to clear all the smoke from the chamber, a downstem which is the small tube that allows the smoke to travel from the bowl down to the base and the tube, which ends in the mouthpiece, is the chamber that fills with smoke after it has filtered through the water. 

Accessories for Bongs

• Ash Catcher – Keep your water pipe cleaner, while adding additional filtration.
• Grinder – To make your weed smaller and easier to hit.
• Bong Bags, Cases, and Duffels – Protecting your valuable and prized glass bong is a necessity.
• Cleaning Soaps, Wipes, Resin Removers, etc. – You want to clean up that piece for a fresh hit.

How to Hit a Bong

If you are hitting a bong you are definitely wanting to get stoned. The best method is going to be stacking your hits in the chamber. Stacking means you hit a bong, and the smoke gathers in the chamber and does not move significantly up the mouthpiece. The key to stacking is keeping your breath under control. Slow and steady wins the race.  Start with you lighter next to the bowl and gently pull filling up the empty chamber with smoke. Keep gently hitting until you run out of breath. Then with your next inhale, remove the bowl and quickly inhale a large amount of smoke all at once. Then enjoy the ride!

Types of Bongs

• Beaker Bong – If you’re upgrading to something larger than a hand pipe, this is the way to go.
• Tube Bong – Deliver hits the fastest! Super easy airflow because there is no large chambers to fill.
• Bong with Percolator – A bong with extra water chamber through which smoke flows to provide extra filtration.
• Silicone bong – Durable piece that is unlikely to be broken. Perfect for camping, water sports, or other outdoor fun.

Joints

You can use rolling papers to make a marijuana “joint”. This is a great way to smoke cannabis when you are out and about because you smoke it, and then just dispose of it. This paraphernalia has been around for hundreds of years. The earliest company producing rolling papers was Pay-Pay, formed in Spain in 1703. Rolling papers for cannabis consumption sky rocketed in popularity in the U.S. in the 60s and 70s because of our friends, the hippies! Nowadays rolling papers are available in a wide array of materials and sizes to suit a stoner’s smoking preference.

Accessories for Joints

• Rolling Papers – Try different types to find the material that works best for you.
• Lighter – This is a no brainer but a good tip is to make sure you have a spare handy.
• Grinder – You will want your cannabis very fine to roll a good joint.
• Crutch – This is an important piece for your joint for filtration and as an anchor point for your joint.
• Rolling Tray – You want a place to catch excess weed when you roll your joint. This can also be decorated to make a kick ass piece of art.

How to Roll a Joint

Grab yourself all your accessories: rolling papers, a crutch, a rolling tray, grinder and of course cannabis flower. To begin you’ll want to grind your flower so that it is crumbly and free of stems so the final product burns evenly. The powdery stuff that is at the bottom of the grinder is kief and it is packed with THC! Grab the tray to catch excess weed and place your rolling paper on it. Fill the paper with weed along the crease, make sure to leave room for the filter at one end. Sprinkle some kief on top of the weed for extra potency.

The secret to getting a tight and cylindrical joint is to grab the flower-filled paper by both ends, pinch the tops of the paper with your thumbs and forefingers, and rub your fingers together in an up-and-down motion. Lick the glued inseam, tap the filter to settle the flower and then twist the other end to keep things in place. Enjoy your masterpiece!

How to Smoke a Joint

You would think smoking a joint is pretty self explanatory. You roll it, light it, smoke it, puff-puff-pass, and get stoned. But there is more to it than that. There are a few unspoken rules to follow when partaking in a smoke session. This advice will help you get invited to the next session.

Joint Smoking Etiquette

• It is common for the person who rolled the joint to be the one to spark it.
• Puff-Puff-Pass. You get two puffs then it goes on to the next person.
• You always pass to the left. This is helpful because smokers start to forget things after a few rotations.
• Don’t babysit the joint. This tends to happen when the joint comes to a person who is telling a story.
• Don’t lick your lips before smoking, then get the joint all soggy before passing it.
• If you are sick, but still want to participate, bring your own joint.

Types of Rolling Papers

• Wood Pulp – Same as cigarette paper, very popular type that is easy to handle. Medium burn rate.
• Organic – Free of bleach and other chemical additives that makes the paper almost transparent. Burns slow and even.
• Hemp – A classic choice made from hemp fiber that gives you a full cannabis-derived joint. And you save trees!
• Rice – Made from processed and pressed rice, there usually thinner than others. Burns slowly with no aftertaste.
• Flavored – There are a variety of flavors but it will distract you from the cannabis taste.
• Blunt Wraps – A non-tobacco option with the same cigar look and feel.

New School Types of Paraphernalia

Just like any other invention, paraphernalia has evolved with time. There are new trendy ways to consume cannabis, such as vape pens and dab rigs, and they have skyrocketed in popularity with the younger generation. Cannabis concentrates are the new big thing in stoner circles so if you are looking to try something new then give them a try! There are so many choices out there to consume concentrates, we will give you an idea of where to start and what to look for.

Vape Pens

For those that don’t know, a vaporizer (or vape) is an electronic device that is used to inhale vaporized ingredients without burning them. Vape Pens have largely replaced blunts or joints because of their stealth factor, they are very easy to use, and they are super potent. You can be chillin hitting your vape pen and no one will know it is weed because it is almost odorless.

Types of Vape Pens

• E-Liquid – A liquid solution containing concentrates from dry herb. E-liquid contains cannabis at varying potency, and many of them have tasty flavors as well. Cartridges attach to the battery either by screwing together using a 510 thread or by magnet. CBD vape juice has become much more popular recently because of the many health benefits of CBD.

• Wax – Also known as “Dab Pens” are used to provide a method for the consumption of thick oils and flower concentrates. With dab pens, the concentrate is placed into the heating chamber rather than loaded into a vape cartridge in liquid form. With this type of pen, users are not limited to cartridges, and can consume many forms of concentrate, including wax, badder, budder, and shatter.

There are two popular types of concentrate to choose for your vape pen:

Distillate is pure, raw, isolated cannabinoids, meaning that it’s high in potency and free of all impurities and the chemical compounds that give it a distinct flavor and aroma (terpenes), leaving an almost odorless vapor. In addition to stripping the extract down to raw cannabinoids, the heat in the distillation process chemically activates THC, changing it from THCA (which doesn’t get you high) to psychoactive Delta-9 THC. Distillate is activated cannabinoids so can be used to dab, vaporize, and mix in as an ingredient in edibles, topicals, and other products. Examples are THC oil or CBD oil.

Weed “flavors” that tastes just like the real thing are often put back into distillate by the manufacturers. They can combine a bunch of cannabis-based terpenes to mimic the taste of a certain strain such as Maui Wowie. They will extract myrcene or limonene and make a flavor that they think Maui Wowie tastes and smells like. Pretty cool stuff!!

Live Resin is a kind of marijuana concentrate which is produced by cryogenically flash-freezing and processing the live marijuana flower, this process is unlike any other concentrate. This delicate process preserves the aromatic terpenes as well as the cannabinoids for a naturally flavorful extract. You can taste every bit of the plant, what it was fed, how it was grown. If you were to eat live resin, it wouldn’t have any psychoactive effects. You still need to heat it by vaping to activate the cannabinoids.

Each concentrate has its’ perks: Distillate has a higher potency of THC, sometimes 80-90% while Resin is only about 40-50%. But distillate is stripped of all other flavorful, aromatic terpenes and flavonoids (phytonutrients found in fruits and veggies). These other components are crucial to creating what is known as “The Entourage Effect” which is a symphony of all these elements coming together to get you high. Live Resin gives you the Entourage Effect which is more of a beneficial and intense high. Distillate is a cheaper option so if you are worried about cost, that is a better way to go.

An important note with Vape Pens:

If you vaporize your cannabis oil at a temperature beyond 400 degrees Fahrenheit, you miss out on most of the compounds. Therefore, you must choose a vape device that enables you to control the temperature. You will get better flavor and health benefit, and inhale fewer carcinogenic substances, if you begin vaping at a temperature of around 300 degrees.

How to Use a Vape Pen

Always read the user manual with your vape pen so you make sure you are using it correctly. Vape Pens are really simple to operate. Basically, a vape pen works by providing power to the heating chamber, which then heats the cannabis herbs, oil, or wax, until a vapor is produced. That vapor is then inhaled through the mouthpiece. If you have a pre-filled cartridge there is no need to load anything, you just dispose of it when you’re done and get a new one. But if you have wax you’ll need to grab a dabber tool to place it into the chamber. DO NOT PICK IT UP WITH YOUR FINGERS, that can degrade the oil. Before you hit the button on your vape pen, know these settings:

• TURN ON…………………..5 CLICKS
• ADJUST THE HEAT……..3 CLICKS
• INHALE………………………CLICK AND HOLD
• TURN OFF………………….5 CLICKS

Some vape pens may not have a button to push but have an “auto draw” feature that activates the heating coil as soon as you start to inhale. Concentrates are stronger than taking a hit of weed in a pipe so be careful not to inhale too long. Hold it in for a second or two and exhale. You should instantly feel like a high flyer in the clouds.

Dab Rigs

A Dab rig, also known as an oil rig is a collection of equipment which can be assembled into what is essentially a water pipe with a Banger (“nail”) or vertical, portable straws called Nectar Collectors. These pipes are designed to diffuse heat, not provide intense filtration, to offer dabbers an easy pull and to maximize the favor of their concentrates. They are used for “Dabbing” which is smoking cannabis concentrates and waxes. For example:

• Wax – most common type of concentrate, usually a “sugar” consistency.
• Shatter – typically glass-like consistency, can be tricky to work with.
• Crumble – similar consistency to a honeycomb.
• Live Resin – more liquid in consistency, may contain crystals.

Be sure to buy your concentrates from a Marijuana Dispensary because this is a trusted source and the knowledgeable Budtenders can help you make a good choice. Do not buy black market marijuana products!

Accessories for Dab Rigs

• Banger – A nail that attaches to your Bong or Dab Rig. Usually circular in shape and comes in glass, titanium or quartz.
• Dab Tool – Used to apply the concentrate to the nail. They come in many styles.
• Carb Cap – We highly recommend one of these to help regulate airflow.
• Scorch Torch – Mini torches are common. This allows you to heat the nail to the temp you want quickly.
• Silicone Mat – To keep your dabbing surface clean and not sticky.
• Silicone Containers – To store your dabs.

How to take a Dab

Dabbing involves heating up a nail and dropping in a golden glob of goodness so it vaporizes. You can heat it up to a high or low temp. High temps provide more intensity, but it can be harsh and it all vaporizes so quickly that you won’t taste the delicious flavors. Lower temp provide smoother hits are are ideal for experiencing the complex terpene profiles of particular cannabis strains, but they can leave valuable product behind. When getting the oils on the nail from the dabber, it’s important to let it just slide off the dabber so you can cap it quickly. When you’re ready to clear the plume of vapor, simply remove the carb to clear your rig.

Now you have a guide to what is available for marijuana paraphernalia. No matter what you choose, have fun and remember that sharing is caring. 💚