Smoking Weed for the First Time: A Beginner’s Guide
Smoking weed for the first time goes best when you start small and take your time. One or two light puffs is plenty for a first try. Wait before having more, because everyone reacts differently and it’s easier to add than to undo.
You must be of legal age in your province to buy from Baller Club: 19 in most of Canada, 18 in Alberta and 21 in Quebec. See how to buy weed online in Canada for every province and territory.
Before you start
- Pick a comfortable place. Somewhere familiar and private, like home, where you can relax and don’t have to go anywhere.
- Be with someone you trust. Ideally someone who has used cannabis before.
- Clear your schedule. Don’t plan to drive, work or look after anyone afterwards.
- Have water and snacks ready. A dry mouth and the munchies are common.
- Set out your gear. Put a lighter, an ashtray and whatever you’re smoking within reach. If you’re using a vape cart, charge the battery the day before.
- Open a window. Smoke smell settles into curtains, couches and clothes.
- Skip alcohol. Health Canada advises against mixing cannabis with alcohol or other substances.
Choosing what to smoke
Health Canada’s lower-risk cannabis use guidelines recommend choosing products with lower THC, or with CBD as well as THC. Check the label for THC, and pick something toward the low end.
A pre-roll is the simplest start: no grinder, no papers, no rolling. If you’d rather roll your own, see how to roll a joint.
These are the smallest sizes we sell in each format, at our regular prices. A few flower strains cost more.
| Option | Size | Price | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA indica pre-rolls | 3 x 1 g | $20 | Rolled and ready, so you only need a lighter |
| AAA flower | 7 g bag | From $30 | For rolling a joint or packing a pipe |
| AAAA flower | 7 g bag | From $35 | Denser, frostier buds than AAA, $5 more at this size |
| Vape cart | 1 g | From $20 | Needs a 510-thread battery |
| Disposable vape | 2 g | $35 | Battery built in and rechargeable |
A 7 g bag is a quarter ounce, enough flower to fill about 28 full pipe bowls of a quarter gram each.
Our product names spell out the brand, grade, strain type and format. BallerClub AAA Indica Pre-Rolls 3 x 1g, for example, is three 1-gram pre-rolls of AAA indica flower under our own brand, with a strain that rotates with our stock. Flower names add the strain, and you choose the bag size on the listing.
Grades rate how buds look, smell and are trimmed rather than their THC, so a AAA strain isn’t a milder pick for certain. AAA vs AAAA weed explains the grades.
Avoid concentrates and dabs for a first time. They’re much stronger than flower. The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction puts dried buds at about 10 to 25% THC and some extracts at up to 99%.
Infused pre-rolls fall in the same group. The ones we stock are infused with liquid diamonds, an extract, and coated in kief.
Edibles are also tricky for beginners, because they take a long time to kick in and people often take more too soon. If you do try one later, read is a 10 mg edible a lot? first.
Gear for each method
The simplest setup is a pre-roll and a lighter, or a disposable vape on its own. Each method needs different gear. Baller Club sells the cannabis but no papers, grinders, pipes, lighters or batteries.
| Method | You need | Handy to have |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-roll | A lighter | An ashtray and a small airtight tube for what’s left |
| Joint you roll | Flower, rolling papers, a filter tip and a lighter | A grinder (clean fingers work) and a joint roller |
| Pipe | Flower, a pipe and a lighter | A grinder, a bowl screen, a hemp wick and a poker to clear ash |
| Vape cart | The cart and a charged 510-thread battery | The battery’s charger |
| Disposable vape | Only the device | A cable that fits its charging port |
Our 1 g carts fit any standard 510-thread battery. If yours has voltage settings, start on the lowest.
For rolling, our joint guide suggests 1¼ papers to learn on. One holds about 0.5 to 0.75 g, so a 7 g bag rolls about 9 to 14 of them.
How to take your first puff
These steps are for a joint or pre-roll. Steps for a pipe and a vape follow.
- Light the tip of the joint while drawing gently, and rotate it so it burns evenly.
- Take a small, short puff. Draw the smoke into your mouth, then breathe in a little air with it.
- Don’t hold it in. Health Canada’s guidelines advise against deep inhaling and breath-holding.
- Breathe out and wait. Coughing is normal, especially the first time.
- Wait 10 to 15 minutes before deciding whether to have more.
Start low and go slow. One or two puffs may be all you need.
A 1 g pre-roll holds far more than that. To save the rest, press the lit end into the ashtray and roll it gently until it stops smoking, then let it cool before you put it away.
From a pipe
A full bowl holds about a quarter gram, and a first try needs only a pinch.
- Break up a pinch of flower with a grinder or your fingers, and pick out any stems.
- Plug the hole. Set a slightly bigger piece or a screen at the bottom of the bowl, then add the pinch loosely on top.
- Cover the carb, the small hole on the side of the bowl, with a finger. Some pipes, such as one-hitters, don’t have one.
- Light one edge of the flower and draw gently. That leaves the rest unburnt for later.
- Let go of the carb as you finish the small puff, so the stem clears, then breathe out. Don’t hold it in.
- Set the pipe down and wait 10 to 15 minutes. The bowl gets hot, so hold the pipe by its stem and rest it in the ashtray.
From a vape cart or disposable
Carts and disposables hold extract oil, so keep the first draw very short.
- Charge the battery. A disposable comes ready to use, so charge it only when it runs low.
- Screw the cart onto the battery until it just stops, without forcing it.
- Turn it on if the battery has a button. Many turn on and off with five quick taps, but check the instructions that came with yours.
- Take a short, gentle draw, holding the button down if there is one. Draw-activated batteries and disposables fire on their own when you inhale.
- Breathe out and wait 10 to 15 minutes before deciding on another puff.
The vape pen guide covers buttons, voltage and charging.
Storing what’s left
Put away what you don’t use, so it stays fresh and out of reach. Health Canada advises storing cannabis locked away and out of sight and reach of children and pets.
- Flower: an airtight glass jar in a cool, dark cupboard. Every Baller Club order with flower ships with an Integra humidity pack, so keep it in the jar with the buds to stop them drying out.
- Half-smoked joints: a small airtight tube or jar, kept apart from fresh flower, since the burnt end smells.
- Carts and disposables: upright, at room temperature and out of direct light. Take a cart off its battery when you’re done.
- Labels: if you move flower from its bag into a jar, write the strain, grade and date on the lid. Keep everything else in the package it came in.
Jot down what you tried and how many puffs you took, so next time you can start from the same product and amount. Does weed expire? covers how long flower keeps and how to spot mould.
Don’t drive
Cannabis affects your reaction time and coordination. Health Canada advises waiting at least 6 hours before driving after inhaling cannabis, and longer for some people. The driving after cannabis guide explains the rules.
Who should avoid cannabis
Health Canada’s guidelines say people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and people with a personal or family history of psychosis, should avoid cannabis.
Common questions
What should you do when smoking weed for the first time?
Set things up first: an evening at home with nothing planned, someone you trust, water, a lighter and an ashtray. Take one small puff without holding it in, then wait 10 to 15 minutes before deciding on another.
What do you need to smoke weed for the first time?
You need only a pre-roll and a lighter, or a disposable vape, which works on its own. Rolling your own joint takes flower, rolling papers, a filter tip and a lighter. A pipe takes flower, the pipe and a lighter, and a vape cart needs a charged 510-thread battery.
How should a beginner smoke weed?
A pre-roll is the simplest way, since it needs only a lighter. Light the tip while drawing gently, take a short puff with a little air, and breathe out without holding it in.
How much should a beginner smoke?
One or two small puffs, then wait 10 to 15 minutes.
Is it better to start with a joint or a vape?
Both work. A joint is simple and familiar. A vape pen smells less, but cart oil is stronger than flower, so keep puffs very small.
For an overview of what’s out there, see types of cannabis products.
