A lot of stoners are high on celebrating 420 this weekend, but bad manners could get in the way of a good time.
So before you take that first toke Saturday, members of the cannabis community have some etiquette tips to keep your pot party from getting out of joint.
Jeremy Zachary, the CEO of Zen Cannabis, suggests taking your surroundings into consideration when consuming the wacky weed.
“If you’re in a public place, please choose other consumption methods instead of smoking,” he told HuffPost. “Smoking is equivalent to lighting up a cigar in a small space — it’s overwhelming. Edibles are so convenient and portable, there’s no reason not to go that route.”
Consent is also key, according to Michael Bologna, the CEO of Dip Devices, a cannabis hardware manufacturer. He cautions his fellow cannabis enthusiasts not to give edibles to someone “without their express knowledge and approval.”
Phoebe DePree, the founder and CEO of Goddess Growers, stresses the need to be aware of the disproportionate impact of cannabis prohibition on marginalized communities.
“Cannabis is now legal in many states, but only recently entire generations of people were imprisoned,” DePree said, adding that “some still are.”
“It makes me sick when I think about it. Acknowledging this uncomfortable truth and advocating for social justice and equity fall very high on my list.”
Wendy Bronfein of Baltimore-based Curio Wellness believes that using the proper terminology is just good manners.
“I’d like to see people refer to it as ‘cannabis’ rather than ‘marijuana,’ ‘weed’ or ‘pot,’” she said. “Cannabis is the scientific and formal term for the plant. A simple change contributes to the larger shifts we look to see as we remove stigmas and normalize cannabis use.”
Meanwhile, Rachel Sterling from Ounce of Hope, an aquaponic cannabis grower, thinks sharing is caring when you’re passing around a pipe.
“Look, if we’re all sharing a bowl, you need to corner it,” Sterling warned, suggesting that each person light only a small part of the bowl.
“You’re not going to get more stoned by blazing all the green on the bowl in one hit, Luke. Save some for the rest of us!”
Also, you shouldn’t force-feed your flower, joints or edibles to others, according to David Charles, the CEO of online THC dispensary Mood.
“Sometimes there’s peer pressure to consume more than someone may be comfortable with,” he told HuffPost. “This is similar to alcohol, where it can become a bit of a contest to see who holds their liquor better. I think this is silly ― nobody should pressure someone to take more cannabis (or anything else) than they want.”
When it comes to good ganja manners on 4/20, cleanliness is next to godliness for David Craig, the chief marketing officer for cannabis company Illicit Gardens.
“Clean your bowl after each use,” he said. “This isn’t because I’m a clean freak. It’s primarily because I’ve got some chronic and I want to enjoy its flavors fully. Smoking out of a clean piece of glass is the best way to get that. That means bong water too. I change it out after every bowl — ice, too.”
Peter Tang, who co-owns the vaping product company PlugPlay, has a variety of pot etiquette tips, including not blowing smoke in people’s faces, not hogging a joint, and never throwing a roach on the floor.
Most importantly, “don’t spit!” he said.
But the most universal tip may be the one suggested by Alex Allouche of C3 Industries, a multistate cannabis company.
“Keep passing that joint!” Allouche told HuffPost. “I am sure your story is great, but you don’t need to have the joint in hand to tell it.”
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