Marijuana can be ingested by smoking or by eating it. When it is eaten, the buds of the plant are cooked in a fatty substance like butter to release the THC and then used in the making of a dish – often a baked item, like brownies or cookies. In these cases, there is very little in the way of paraphernalia other than the cooking utensils used in preparation of the food item, but when the drug is smoked, there is a wide range of paraphernalia used to prepare the plant for use, to smoke the drug, and to store it.
An entire industry is devoted to creating the paraphernalia used by those who smoke marijuana chronically, and a large portion of it is marketed to teenagers. Sold in head shops and online, these items are marketed as intended for use in tobacco smoking, but the primary consumers are those who utilize the items in the use of marijuana.
Should you find any of the items listed below among your child’s possessions, your son may try to convince you that they are used for an alternate purpose. It’s important to note that there is almost no purpose for the items listed here other than smoking – and most are specific to marijuana.
If your son is smoking marijuana and you are ready to help him stop, we can help. Call now to learn more about the options in treatment for teen boys at Muir Wood.
Vessels Used for Smoking Marijuana
Teens can devise a way to smoke out of almost anything – including fruit, vegetables, tin cans and more. Anything with burn marks and/or the smell of marijuana on it is a possible piece of paraphernalia. However, some common instruments purchased for the intent of smoking marijuana include:
- Bong. A long tubular water pipe with a metal bowl attached, users fill the tube in part with water and pack the bowl with marijuana. Users light the bowl and breathe through the tube, filtering the smoke through the water before inhaling. These come in all sizes and colors.
- Bowl. A “bowl” is a stem pipe with a metal bowl at the end where marijuana is packed for smoking. This is one of the most common ways for teens to smoke marijuana, and when a chronic marijuana smoker has a bowl, they often carry it with them most of the time.
- Hookah. A Middle Eastern ornate brass or metal pipe with rope-like inhalation tubes attached, the hookah functions much like a bong. Teens may remove the tubes and disguise it as a vase or a lamp.
- Rolling papers. Used to roll a joint, rolling papers are white and square and come in a small rectangular cardboard pack. They are thin like tissue paper, and users roll loose marijuana in them to make marijuana cigarettes or joints.
- Blunt. A blunt is made when marijuana users purchase a cigar or other pre-rolled tobacco product and replaces the tobacco with marijuana before smoking it. Parents may find bits of tobacco, whole cigars, or the paper from a cigar.
- Roach clip. When a joint is smoked, the THC – the active ingredient in marijuana – becomes concentrated nearest to the mouth. Many marijuana users smoke their joints down until they cannot hold them with their fingers any more without getting burned and save the “roaches” or butts of the joints and smoke them later, often using a paper clip, hair clip, or other roach clip to hold them in order to keep from getting burned.
Storing Marijuana
- Bags. Clear plastic re-sealable bags of all sizes are used to distribute and store different amounts of marijuana. You may find discarded bags with what look like small stems and seeds in them that formerly held marijuana. They may or may not have a brand stamp or a stamp marking how many ounces of marijuana it holds. They range in size from a square inch to a sandwich-sized bag.
- Canisters. Rather than allow the buds to be crushed in a bag, or risk losing potency to light or product to a ripped bag, marijuana is sometimes purchased or stored in black 35mm film canisters.
- Pill bottles. Instead of bags, fully formed buds of marijuana or high-end strains may be distributed in old pill bottles to protect their shape and size.
Teen Marijuana Abuse Is Treatable
Marijuana is one of the most commonly abused drugs among teens, and use of the substance can quickly become such an obsession that it throws everything else off track. Learn more about how we can help your son fight back against marijuana abuse and addiction today here at Muir Wood.
