Chapter 1 - Weed Etiquette

De-seed Your Weed

If you ever hear a "pop" while smoking a bowl, someone has packed a seed. Packing a seed is a surefire way to expose yourself as a novice pot smoker. The smoke from a burning seed, if inhaled, can cause a throbbing headache and absolutely ruin your high. Don't take chances; de-seed your buds completely before smoking them.

Quality Weed

There are many ways to differentiate between "kind bud" (excellent quality weed) and "dirt" (poor quality weed). Being able to quickly tell them apart is essential in proving yourself to be a stylish pot smoker. Listed below are four distinguishing traits of kind bud:

1) Smell. Great weed can have a wide variety of smells. The scent of pine trees and skunks, for example, are both common indicators of good pot. However, if the weed smells very pungent and "grassy," it may have been picked prematurely. (When a marijuana plant is harvested before reaching maturity, it often lacks the potency of a fully-grown plant.)

2) Look. A good bag of weed usually consists of medium to large buds with little or no stems. Kind buds may also have a crystalline quality that creates a "sparkle" under direct light. These buds will often be bright green with orange, red, or purple hairs. If the weed is brown, turn it down.

3) Feel. Quality weed is usually soft, light, and sticky to the touch.

4) "High." Finally, you can always tell a fine weed by the "high" you achieve after testing a sample. Great weed should inspire you creatively without that heavy "burnt-out" feeling sometimes associated with lesser quality marijuana.

Keep in mind that these are only guidelines and not concrete rules. It's possible (although unusual) to find dirt weed that smells, looks, and feels great. Occasionally, a less knowledgeable pot smoker may be fooled. However, if the pot doesn't deliver the "high" of kind bud, it's not kind bud.

Too Dry

If you allow your weed to remain unprotected for long (exposed to air, heat, and light), it will become dry and brittle. When dry, your bud will burn too fast and the hits will be harsh. To keep your weed in prime condition, place your "stash" (supply of marijuana) in an airtight container or a plastic bag. However, even when you're careful, your buds can loose a little moisture. So, if you notice your weed is getting too dry, add a sliver of orange or lemon peel to your bag, and seal it up tight for a few hours. The weed will sap the water from the rind and become re-hydrated. (Be careful not to leave the peel in for too long, as it could mold and ruin your weed.)

Too Wet

A less common, but more troublesome problem is wet weed. If you try to smoke weed that is too wet, the bud will burn slowly and won't stay lit. (This kind of saturated condition usually occurs when you don't give your homegrown enough time to dry.)

Here are a few options to help you adjust the moisture:

1) Leave the container open. If you aren't afraid of getting caught with your weed, simply leave your container open, exposed to air, heat and light. (Leaving your weed exposed to the elements can ruin the quality of the bud, so be careful not to leave it out longer than necessary.)

2) Add paper. When you need to keep the weed hidden, add a finger-sized piece of paper to your stash. The paper will absorb some of the moisture from the buds. Then, remove the paper from the bag when you think the weed is ready to smoke. If the weed remains wet, continue to add paper (one piece at a time) until you reach the desired level of moisture.

3) Wood containers. Placing your weed in a tightly sealed wood container will allow the pot to dry at a slow and steady pace.

Sandwich Bags

1) Small amounts. Sandwich bags are the most frequently used containers for holding small amounts of weed.  The sandwich bags of choice are the simple, non-zipping, pleated, plastic baggies found at all major grocery stores.  This type of container will hold anywhere from an 1/8th to 4/8ths of an ounce.  Before rolling the baggie for storage, the weed should be equally distributed along the bottom of the bag.  Then, the bag can be rolled toward the top (rather like rolling a joint) until there is a 1 inch flap exposed.  Finally, lick the flap and seal the baggie until further use.

2) Large amounts. For large amounts of weed, it is often easier to use a medium to large, zipping, plastic bag.  These are often sold as "freezer bags" and work very well for quantities of weed larger than an ounce.

Weed Measurements

Below is a table with all standard measurements of weed.