You can’t escape the fact that Africa is one of the world’s highest consumers of cannabis. In a society with societal values that shame anyone and anything associated with marijuana, coupled with the fact that’s it’s illegal in most African countries, it’s hard to believe that Nigeria was rated one of the highest consumers of weed last year, a country that still makes the use of marijuana an illegal act.
“It is not surprising to see the African powerhouse coming third on the list of countries with the highest weed population. Nigeria is the most populous black nation on earth, boasting a population of more than 180 million people. The cannabis user rate in the country sits at 14.3 percent, and there are no indications that the price will dwindle soon” — According to Marijuana Span.
Other countries across Africa have also picked up the marijuana frenzy with some countries going as far as legalising it for medical and recreational use.
Marijuana is a creative and medical aid a lot of us use regularly to deal with different aspects of our lives.
7 Reasons Weed Should Be Legal In African Countries.
Yet, the use of weed is still highly stigmatised, and a lot of us aren’t properly educated on how to effectively understand and use marijuana in a way that benefits our individuality. We approach it most times through peer pressure, paranoia, uncertainty, depression and a need to escape our reality.
You’ve been thinking about getting high for some time now, but you don’t know how to ask the people you once judged for a drag.
As usual, we’ve got you. This is the beginner’s guide to La La Land:
Know What You’re Smoking.
The first advice will be to know what you’re smoking. If it’s your first time, it’s best to ask someone to roll the weed in front of you so it’s not laced with something you can’t handle and start in small quantities. Always know what you’re smoking, what strain or type of weed it is.
Weed is divided into two, Indica & Sativa. Indica makes you sleepy; it’s more of a body high, good for pain, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping. Sativa is a more upbeat, artistic, and cerebral high.
If you’re getting local weed, half of the time it’s Indica, and is quite relaxing for the mind and for someone who’s trying it for the first time, especially in small quantities. If it’s not local weed and it’s a particular strain, ask for the name and what kind of high to expect.
Never take ‘Colorado’, ‘FishHead’ or any sort of laced joints or synthetic form of weed on your first try. If it’s not weed say no.
Also, you can confirm what strain your loud dealer is selling on this site Leafly, so you don’t get fooled and you know the effects.
Ways Of Getting High.
Getting high in the right condition, environment and way is also very important for a beginner or a stoner. There’s different ways to get the THC hitting the right spots without wasting the high and we’ll take you through a few.
Joints.
This is the easiest way for a beginner to get high, rolling a good J.
A joint is basically a good cannabis roll, which consists of rolling paper filled and rolled with just weed.
You also have blunts, which is using a cigar casing that’s been emptied and filled with dry herbs, or real tobacco leaf paper to roll the weed. And Spliffs, rolling the weed with regular paper but mixing it with tobacco (mostly hardcore cigarette smokers do this, it’s really harsh on the lungs and not advisable if you don’t smoke cigarettes.)
Blunts
Spliff
For a beginner, stick to just joints for your first few sessions. If you can’t roll a joint here’s a video on YouTube to help.
Bongs.
A bong is a filtration device generally used for smoking cannabis. Using a bong can be an excellent way to get high quickly and easily. That’s largely because bongs let you take extra big rips, and theoretically, the more THC-rich smoke you can get into your lungs and into your bloodstream, the quicker and purer your high will set in + it’s pure air, no paper burning.
Vaporizer.
A vaporizers — also known as vape pen— is devices used heat cannabis for inhalation, it’s basically an electric bong.
Vaping is the heating of cannabis flower or concentrate without burning. The heat releases the active ingredients into a vapor that is then released into the air in a fine mist created by a vaporizer device.– Using a Vape pense is my choice but the high hits pretty hard. Take really slow hits if you’re a beginner, don’t take too much at once.
Edibles.
Edibles are cannabis infused treats that can be eaten, they come in the form of brownies, cakes, sweets, gum and actual food. The high is typically really heavy because it digests straight into your bloodstream, but can be beautiful once you get the hang of it.
I won’t recommend trying edibles for a beginner cause it can be overwhelming and intense. Take things slow.
Don’t Let The High Take Over.
If you’re just getting into weed, it’s sometimes easy to get lost in the euphoria that comes with getting high. For someone who’s been smoking for a few years, I can understand but I also know it’s quite important to not abuse it.
Getting high is a different experience for everyone and we all do it for reasons known to us, could be recreationally or medically. Whatever your reason, pace yourself. There’s no need to get beyond your tolerance. Always stop when you feel you’ve hit the right buzz, going further can make what started as a good high become a really bad one.
If you’re a light head and three puffs or hits get you right, turn it off and go on with your day. If you can handle more, that’s fine but always stay within your limits. Nothing in excess is ever right, not even weed.
You also don’t need to be high all the time. The come down can be underwhelming, tempting you to get high again just to maintain the buzz but it’s good to sometimes be sober and wait a bit for the next buzz.
Tolerance breaks also help once in while, if you feel you’ve been smoking or consuming too much THC.
Quit If It Ain’t Right.
We’re in a generation with a lot of weed consumers making it the ‘cool thing’ to do right now. If that’s the reason you smoke weed then you’re not on the right path.
Weed doesn’t work for everyone, and for some, it can have very negative effects on their mind and health. If you’ve tried to smoke a few times and end up more paranoid, stressed or confused then maybe it’s not meant for you and you should quit while you’re ahead.
