The COVID-19 virus has wreaked havoc on life as we know it, however, we wanted to address the Coronavirus pandemic from a cannabis users’ perspective.
We, as tokers, have proper smoking rituals that are hard to adjust to in this time of social distancing and anti-sharing.
“Puff puff” lost its “pass” and now everyone is just bringing their own. We will get into how to survive as a stoner without seeming like you have OCD at your next smoke sesh.
First, let’s address the overall issue. The danger is that we, as a country, do not have enough tests available to ensure rapid detection and treatment. Without proper testing available, the virus has spread quickly throughout the nation. This should hit home to all of us considering our parents, siblings, children, and friends with compromised immune systems, could be severely impacted by this contagious virus. That is why it is important to take extra health/sanitation precautions. Not necessarily for our own safety, but for the safety of those around us.
Ok, with that out of the way, let’s get into it.
Cleanliness is King While Smoking Weed
Wash your hands
Before we get into the smoking - wash your hands. Wash them more than usual. Does it feel like you are washing them too much? Good, you are probably on the right track. Use soap and warm water and pretend like you are scrubbing in for surgery. Make sure to get soap in and around your fingernails and at least up to your wrist. Bacteria can hide anywhere and it is proven that handwashing is the best first line of defense.
Avoid daps, handshakes, and hugs
Rolling up to the circle and saying “What up” to the homies with daps and hugs has always been the natural greeting. As nice as the social interaction is, for now, let’s just all keep our distance and go with a simple wave. Shaking hands originated in the 5th century as a symbol of peace to show that neither person was carrying a weapon. It’s honestly unnecessary in this day and age anyway. Wave and show me you brought your own, or at least a MouthPeace, and we’re good.
Keep your cannabis pipe clean
And your house, and everything else clean while you’re at it. It’s a great time to get high and get cleaning! Grab your favorite sativa and bust out the rubbing alcohol and disinfectant!
Step 1:clean your cannabis pipes and glass. It’s super important to keep these things clean, especially if you are living and smoking with others. If your roommates are going out during the day and coming back and hitting the bong, they could be passing along unknown bacteria. That’s why it’s important to always make sure you keep your pipes clean. Give everything a good soak with rubbing alcohol and let it air dry for at least 60 seconds before rinsing with water so the alcohol has time to work. Alternatively, grab some Resolution Gel and save the alcohol for disinfecting.
Step 2:smoke weed more. Gotta boost that motivation and break in that clean glass!
Step 3: is to bust out the disinfectant spray and paper towels and get to cleaning the gear. Spray down any shared items such as grinders, lighters, torches, dabbers, rolling trays, etc. Keeping these items clean is a great start! If you are still motivated, start cleaning all your doorknobs and the drawer pulls in your kitchen. Then hit other shared surfaces like the bathroom, tables, and chairs.
Avoid seshes and weed smoking gatherings
Be wary of event companies downplaying the severity of this pandemic. They want you to attend their event and don’t want to issue refunds. Some event hosts are choosing to go forward with their events. We definitely don’t recommend attending at this point. Pop up events are full of people coughing and spreading germs in close quarters. It’s just not worth the risk. Beyond that, consider staying home as much as possible and using delivery services rather than shopping in person.
If you do choose to smoke pot socially, keep these things in mind:
Roll your own weed
Smoking weed has long been a social event where puff puff pass is the norm and it’s well known that “you pass the dutchie on the left-hand side.” In this new world of social distancing, we recommend you just bring your own and let everyone smoke personals. It just makes sense, in a time when we are not supposed to be shaking hands, to not be putting our mouths on things either. We understand that it’s not always practical, so in those instances consider using a MouthPeace.
Use a MouthPeace
We get that it’s not practical to clean your pipe between every pass, so when sharing with friends or roommates, we recommend using a MouthPeace to avoid passing germs between one another. Using a MouthPeace has been proven to reduce bacterial contamination by more than 5000%.
Vampire Cough
Coughing and smoking goes hand in hand. That said, don’t cough into your hands. You will inevitably touch people or things (like the bong and lighter) and spread germs to them. Coughing on the bong just means it should be cleaned again ASAP. Bummer, since we just did that. Let’s be honest though, as the saying goes, you ain’t smokin’ if you ain’t chokin’. So when you do cough, the best way to do it is into your elbow crease, like you are pulling up your vampire cloak. This stops the outward spread and is not an area on your arm that generally comes in contact with your face or other people.
Take smaller hits to avoid big coughs
We are by no means babies over here at Moose Labs, but we know how to have proper toking etiquette. If you are smoking pot with people and know you are a cougher, consider taking several small hits rather than your standard large hit. This will cut down on the coughing fit as well as the spread of germs and bacteria around the room. Also, using a MouthPeace with Filter is known to cut down on coughing and make your hits much smoother.
Do’s and don’ts after smoking weed properly during this pandemic
Do stay hydrated
It’s very important to stay high! It’s even more important to stay hydrated! The National Academy of Sciences recommends we drink some ungodly amount of water that is practically impossible. (15.5 cups for men, 11.5 cups for women) While that would be ideal, we recommend stepping up your intake. If you generally drink 1 glass a day, try for 2 or 3. We, as weed smokers, need even more so really try to increase your intake.
Don’t touch your face
We touch our faces a lot more than we realize. Scratching your nose, resting your face in your hands, rubbing your eyes; every touch is another opportunity for germs and bacteria to get in your body. The fastest way is through your eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. As smokers, our eyes get dry and red and we cough more than most. Make sure you are rubbing your eyes with a towel and not your bare hands, unless they are washed and clean, and be sure not to put your hand to your mouth when you cough.
Don’t Panic
While times are scary, we will get through this. It is important to remember not to panic, not to overbuy, and most importantly not to fall apart as a community. Be there for your neighbors and check in on the elderly. They may be struggling more than usual and might be in need of some extra help. Try to be a helper.
