One of the most popular ways of smoking cannabis is to use a water pipe (also known as a bong or a hookah). Water pipes are used to filter weed smoke through water. They do this in a variety of ways, but essentially they all do the same thing – they put water in between your lungs and the smoke, so when you inhale, the smoke is pulled through the water. At first, this seemed odd to me – I felt like the smoke should somehow dissolve in the water. But it doesn’t! It bubbles through – another common term for water pipe is “bubbler”.
Let’s Talk About The Best Gravity Bongs
The gravity bong is a great alternative to regular smoking methods. It involves using gravity and air pressure to fill up the chamber with smoke, which can be inhaled in one powerful hit. There are several types of gravity bongs…
Cooling and Filtering
One of the primary advantages of filtering marijuana smoke through water is that it cools down the temperature of the smoke before reaching your lungs. The coolness makes it easier for you to inhale and can make your hit smoother on the throat, making cannabis smoking that much more pleasant. The water also filters out some of the things in the smoke you don’t want being inhaled, or substances like ash. Bongs can also be used for tobacco smoke by tobacco smokers, who will get exactly the same benefits, so don’t smoke cigarettes without filtering them any more!
It’s hard to say exactly how powerful this filtration is. You will find a lot of claims that filtering marijuana smoke through water clears out all the toxins and harmful chemicals, but it’s unclear to what extent this is true. It certainly retains something, which is why the water turns brown after a while. But the water is also going to filter out some of the good things: cannabinoids, terpenes, etc. It should be noted that filtration only happens where the surface of the bubble touches the water – the smoke’s water contact area – so a bong with a diffuser that creates many very fine bubbles is more effective than one which just blasts big gas bubbles through.
The Types of Bubbler Pipe
I’ve written about bongs before, but not bubblers. They are both ways of passing marijuana smoke or vapor through water to filter it – the difference is that bongs use some external force such as gravity to propel the smoke…
What’s the Consensus?
The consensus is that water filtration clears out more bad stuff than good, and the amount of bad stuff is significant enough that it is actually a healthier way to smoke. There is evidence that marijuana users who prefer a bong when smoking cannabis have a lower incidence of cancer than those who smoke joints or use pipes, although it must be said that I can only find references to this study and not the study itself.
Why Such Inconclusive Science?
This brings up an interesting aside: why is the science around marijuana so lacking and inconclusive? The effectiveness or otherwise of heat and water filtration on marijuana smoke seems like something that should have been studied to death. It turns out there is a simple answer: prohibition. It has been illegal for scientists to obtain weed for the purpose of research on the open market – they have been forced to use cannabis grown in a specific government facility, and that weed is apparently extremely low quality.
It Looks Cool
In addition to any health effects and an improved experience, filtering marijuana smoke through water also provides an aesthetic effect. Watching and listening to bubbles form as cannabis smoke passes through water can be enjoyable and calming, making it a great way to relax after a long day. Additionally, bongs come in different shapes and sizes – providing endless design options that can enhance your smoking experience.
Review: Stündenglass Kompact Gravity Infuser
Got a bit of disposable income and a desire to upgrade your cannabis experience? Then read on, this might just be the luxury gravity bong you have been looking for! Introduction My first time smoking cannabis was a quickly assembled…
Welcome to Flavor Country
Some people like to add flavoring to the water when smoking marijuana. I find this has a negligible effect. In fact, it generally has no effect on the flavor of the smoke, but it can alter the smell, which is very close to changing the flavor – those senses are very tightly linked. This is why it’s important to keep your bong clean and use fresh water. You definitely shouldn’t try and use alcohol – it will strip out many more cannabinoids and terpenes than water, and you and your entire smoking device run a pretty high risk of spectacularly bursting into flames.
Conclusion
You don’t have to be using combustion to use a bong – you can use a water pipe with a vape or a dab rig. It will have all of the same effects, and as vaping is healthier than smoking anyway you’re well ahead of the pack! I love hooking up my vape to a good bubbler – the smoother toke makes it currently my favorite way to smoke cannabis. If you like collecting, there are all sorts of bongs and bubblers out there with all sorts of cool designs, and they look great on a shelf! Start off small and cheap, and you will never look back. Enjoy the water filtered smoke!
