First Time Smoking? People, Place, Dosage!

One myth that is constantly spread about cannabis users is that we all have bad memories. All though this can be true in some, and we all have our moments being space cadets. However there’s one thing every stoner remembers…. And it was their first time! There’s a few Firsts in life you remember. The first time you had sex and how awkward it was, their first time to vegas or at least the bits the remember and the day after, and than the first time they consumed cannabis. You can see the way someone’s face lights up the more they go into their story. They start by describing the scene. Telling you their age or grade to set the time, then follows up with describing the environment. This is when you see the grin or hear a laugh as the memory comes back even more clear. The details start to flow, Where they were, how they got the weed , who they were meeting up with. You see the excitement in their eyes and cheeks as if they are back there again.

I remember my first time. It was my freshman year of highschool. My friend Rich was the only one old enough to drive so a lot of the time when we went somewhere we had too many people so one person had to ride in the trunk. This had become a common occurrence so much so that we had a pillow and blanket back there to make it comfortable. Stupid looking back now, but hey we were just being dumb kids. Well this one night happened to be my turn to ride in the trunk. I wasn’t sure exactly what we were doing, but we were just driving around town looking for something to do. When we stopped. I heard everyone getting out and when the trunk opened I could tell we were in a nice neighborhood but couldn’t tell exactly where we were. There was another car parked 20 feet in front of us. My friend Alaska was talking to people in the other car. I asked Richard,” What are we doing here?” He replied,” We are picking up weed. You don't have to smoke if you don’t want to, but we are about to blaze. “ I thought about it for maybe 5 seconds and then just said, “ Fuck it! I’m Down”

Now in Virginia at the time Cannabis was still treated as an extremely “bad” drug. In school they taught us about the D.A.R.E program and how cannabis was a gateway and if you used weed you were a criminal and horrible person. Well I knew my mom used Cannabis while she was going through cancer. And I knew my mom was not a criminal or horrible person. So when learning about weed in school I was very skeptical and knowing someday I would try it!

So when Rich told me we were picking up, I was ready. We probably picked up 1-2 grams for 4-5 of us which is funny now because I can smoke a gram or two in a single joint. We drove around the corner to a golf course. At this time I realize we are in the Stonegate neighborhood so at least I know my sense of area. We go down this one golf cart trail and find a section that is covered by trees. Alaska pulls out a homemade bong made out of a gatorade bottle. This thing looks wild to me. He pulls the weed out of a little baggy from his pocket. He breaks it up in his hands and puts a little bit in the bowl. We watch him take a hit, blow out the smoke, give a little cough, then he starts laughing then coughing. He looks up with the goofiest smile. He passes the bong to Ric then to me. When they passed it to me they had to assist for the first time. They packed it up for me then told me what to expect. They told me to take a deep breath out then start to pull the smoke through the bong as they light it. You could see the small bottle quickly fill with smoke as the weed turned from a green, to bright red while crackling, quickly to a soft gray as it turned to ash. I tried to be smooth, blowing out the smoke but couldn’t. I ended up having a coughing fit for 3-4 minutes but once I caught my breath I could not stop laughing. We passed around the bong 3 more times so we could all get toasty. We decided to leave. It had only been 30 mins but I felt it had been hours. When we drop off Alaska at his place, he reaches back in the car for his tub of cheese balls. I threw my body on the tub and said , “ You are not taking these. You can have some but these are mine now!” He laughed and said he would catch us later.

Now some people say they don’t get high the first time. I think they just didn’t know what to expect. Well I won’t lie I got High as Hell the first time I smoked. The goddess Mary Jane and I have had a connection from my first hit and she continues to bless me with every bong rip. Even though my admiration for this plant grows more every day, nothing can recreate my first time smoking. So the next time you are chilling with your friends ask them about their first experience and see the light shine in their eyes as they tell you.

Also if you are not a consumer of cannabis, but have thought about trying it. There are 3 things I suggest to make your first time enjoyable. First is the environment! Make sure you are in a safe place where you can hang out for a few hours. Don't be somewhere you may have to leave after 30 mins and trying to figure out where to go while medicated for the first time. The 2nd important info is make sure you are around the right people. You don’t want anyone who will mess with you or try to get you too stoned your first time. Surround yourselves with true friends to make the experience unforgettable. The final advice I have and this is the most important information to enjoy your first time. Know your DOSAGE. Cannabis is an amazing plant that has great properties, but remember to go at your speed! You can always take/smoke more, you can never take less. The biggest thing I hear from people that didn’t enjoy their first time is that they got too stoned. That a buddy gave them a fat bong rip or that they ate 100 mg and felt uncomfortable. Start off with a bowl hit instead of a bong rip and if you do edibles only take one. If after an hour you don't feel anything you could take 1 more but don't eat the rest of the bag. This is like taking one shot and not feeling it so you decide to down the whole bottle. You wouldn’t do it with alcohol so you shouldn’t do it with Cannabis. So if you follow these tip