What Is the Most Efficient Way To Smoke Weed and Not Break the Bank?

The most cost-efficient way to smoke weed is, of course, to smoke free weed. Sadly, most of us don’t have access to free weed and need all the tips and tricks we can get when it comes to buying it. Shopping for recreational cannabis at a legal dispensary sounds exhilarating to many people—until they get inside and see the mind-boggling prices.

While legalization increases access to cannabis, it does nothing to reduce the cost of the plant for consumers. In fact, regulating cannabis involves taxing it heavily, a practice many states have turned to for an easy yet lucrative revenue stream. Medical cannabis consumers enjoy greatly reduced costs and taxes, but recreational users are left to deal with a slew of scary price tags. Affordable cannabis exists, but it generally comes at the cost of quality.

You shouldn’t have to sacrifice quality in order to save money—there is hope for saving some green when it comes to buying your green. There are several ways to do this, but perhaps one of the most effective is simply learning the most efficient way to smoke your cannabis.

Conserving Your Cannabis

You can scour the internet and search every dispensary near your home to find the best deals on the block, but it won’t do you much good if you’re being wasteful with your weed. So, what’s the most efficient way to smoke weed? Is there truly one method that is better than any other? If you’re asking yourself this, chances are you’re on a tight budget or simply hate paying dispensary prices for cannabis. If you find yourself running out of weed frequently, these tips are for you.

When it comes to the age-old question of the best method of consuming cannabis, the answers are all over the map. Some people say pinner joints are best; some believe you need a fatty or hog leg; others say it’s definitely about toking a bowl. Then there are folks who believe bong rips are the only way to go. Some users have turned away from flower altogether, switching it out for cannabis concentrates. There are also folks who find vaping with a dry herb vaporizer to be the most efficient method.

All of these answers are right, and all of these answers are wrong. When it comes to the most efficient way to smoke weed, it really just depends on who you ask and who you are. This is because cannabis affects everyone’s endocannabinoid system differently, particularly due to the variation in frequency that people dabble in cannabis. Someone who smokes weed daily will likely prefer a different consumption method from their pal who only smokes at social events.

All in all, the most efficient way to smoke weed is the way that provides you with the most robust effects while using the most minimal amount of product. A 2019 study exploring the lung availability of cannabinoids found dabbing concentrates to be the most efficient way to intake THC, the primary active compound in cannabis. For folks who prefer good old flower, bongs are often regarded as the ideal method for getting high fast with a small amount. At the end of the day, experimentation and awareness are key.

Spending Less at the Dispensary

Even being careful with your cannabis, you might find that it still runs out sooner than you’d like. Here are some easy ways to save some dough at the dispensary and score cheaper cannabis from the get-go:

• Find a dispensary with a loyalty program. This is a growing practice that increases consistent business for the dispensary and helps consumers land deals—win-win. As you purchase cannabis at the dispensary over time, you’ll rack up points for free and discounted treats.
• Look for daily deals. Many dispensaries will have daily deals that can change the price of your order drastically. With just a 20% discount, you can get a $300 ounce for around $240—that’s an extra $60 in your pocket for the same amount of cannabis. Some dispensaries even have consistent daily deals for each day of the week; for example, discounted edibles every Tuesday or half-priced joints every Friday.
• Sign up for texts or emails from your favorite dispensary. Not all deals are available for everyone! The more established dispensaries will have text or email programs that allow customers to receive personalized deals and discounts. For example, a dispensary might text a unique coupon to a customer who hasn’t been in for a few months.
• Visit dispensaries during happy hours. Some dispensaries will dedicate certain times of the day to deals. Dispensary happy hours don’t always line up with the traditional 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. time period associated with alcohol; some will host happy hours early in the morning or late at night.
• Ask your budtender about deals on different tiers. Even if a dispensary isn’t having an explicit sale, chances are there are deals to be found in the different tiers of flower. Tiers are dedicated to varying qualities of cannabis flower, and sometimes the prices aren’t as straightforward as they seem. Before mindlessly requesting your go-to order, peruse the prices—you might even be able to get higher-quality cannabis for less money.

Tips From a Seasoned Cannabis Consumer

Throughout my years as a cannabis consumer, I have personally tried everything in the books to conserve my weed. Here are some of my best tricks for getting the most out of cannabis:

• When smoking a bowl out of a bong or pipe, try lighting a small corner of it rather than blasting the entire thing with the flame. Not only does this slow down the process of burning up your bowl, but it also gives you the benefit of a cleaner, greener hit each time.
• When smoking a joint, you might not want the entire thing in one setting. To save that precious weed, snuff out the joint when you’ve gotten your fix and set it somewhere safe to be used later. When you’re ready for more, just light it up again.
• Smoke good weed. You might save a few bucks on budget cannabis, but if it doesn’t produce results, did you really save anything? Smoking smaller amounts of high-quality weed will provide you with a better experience—and be gentler on your lungs—than smoking excessive amounts of low-quality weed.
• Learn about thermal extraction technology. I had initially been let down by the experience of using dry herb vaporizers, but everything changed when I found out about thermal extraction technology.
• Hands down, the most efficient way to smoke weed is to skip the dispensaries altogether and grow your own! Once you start to master the art of cannabis cultivation, it is one of the easiest ways to save money and have plenty of quality cannabis whenever you need it. Just make sure home cultivation for personal use is legal in your state.

And of course, there are some methods and practices to avoid that are guaranteed to waste your cannabis and money. These include:

• Using a gravity bong
• Using a leaf blower
• Rolling Cheech & Chong-sized joints
• Paying full price for top-shelf weed from a dispensary

It all boils down to what works for you. That’s the beauty of cannabis: It’s extremely customizable to meet the needs of various lifestyles, conditions, and budgets. While some get by fine with large amounts of cheap weed, others benefit from spending the time to find deals on top-tier weed. What tips do you have for smoking weed efficiently? Let us know in the comments!