Water pipes, or bongs, have been used by humans for thousands of years. Originating in Persia, Africa and Asia, they were traditionally made of bamboo or ivory, and were used for smoking cannabis. The oldest stash of marijuana, discovered in Western China, is said to be 8,000 years old. Since it was found in a burial tomb, it is believed to have been used for medicinal or visionary purposes, although no smoking device such as a bong or pipe was found alongside it. Ingestion might well have been the preferred method of getting high at the time. Continue reading
History In The Baking
Marijuana In The Movies
Bongs have long been used in the movies as comical elements, props for the actors to use in an attempt to view marijuana use in a humorous light. This is true even in movies that are not particularly comedic, such as Quentin Tarantino’s True Romance with Brad Pitt’s plastic honey-bear bong, or another Tarantino movie, Jackie Brown, in which Robert DeNiro’s character tokes on a ceramic Grim Reaper. The Coen brothers’ classic, The Big Lebowski, has several hilarious scenes involving pot and paraphernalia. Oliver Stone’s Platoon also had a memorable scene which gave new meaning to term “shotgunning” one’s hit. Continue reading
Oh Canada!
It may seem un-American when a state such as Florida puts restrictions in place that effectively wipe out a seedling industry, specifically head shops that sell bongs, pipes and other smoking materials to an underground culture created by anti-drug laws. We’re supposed to be a free people. This kind of Big Brother-ism is something one would expect to find in a place that holds liberty in a much lower regard… Like Canada. Continue reading
Dispensaries Find A Retail Niche
From Maine to California, more and more states are legalizing the medicinal use of marijuana. If a patient meets a certain set of criteria, his or her physician may either prescribe marijuana as a treatment or refer them to a state-regulated dispensary where they can self-medicate with a substance that they say relieves the conditions of their illness. Continue reading
Convection Vaporizers
Convection vaporizers present a slightly different approach to the same idea, of vaporizing / extracting herbal essences from plant matter at temperatures short of combustion, as conduction vaporizers. Instead of having the heat source make direct contact with the herbs, air is heated (usually using a ceramic heat element) and then passed through the herbs. Continue reading
Bongs For The Do-It-Yourselfer
There is no short supply to the inventories held by head shops across America. An endless array of colors, sizes, shapes, designs and prices is on hand for anyone to browse or purchase. However, not everyone is inclined to spend a tremendous amount of money on a bong. In the case of low-income Americans, there are just too many other demands for their money. There are also people who are just plain thrifty, and then there is a subset of smokers who just happen to have an inventive streak, preferring to make their own devices. Continue reading
Bling-Bling, Meet Bong-Bong
The design of the bong is simple enough in and of itself. A tube is connected to a water basin with a stem feeding into it. When burned, the smoke is drawn through the stem into the water. where it collects in the chamber above the basin. When the chamber is opened, either by carburetor or by removing the bowl from the stem, the smoke passes up the tube and into the lungs of whomever’s turn it was. Continue reading
“High” Tech Pipes And Bongs
For the most part, smoking devices have always been pretty straightforward. From the simplicity of rolling papers to the longest multi-chambered bongs, the idea has always been the same: Light, draw, inhale. The past few years, however, have seen innovations in bongs and pipes that go beyond novelty items. Continue reading
Modern Gravity Bongs
Bongs can be a costly item if they are purchased from an upscale head shop (a store that deals primarily in smoking materials, accessories and misc paraphernalia). Some of the more artistic pieces can fetch hundreds of dollars – a pretty high price to pay for something that, in all likelihood, will end up in shards someday. The same can be said of ceramics. Bongs made of Plexiglas are popular as well, and are more durable, but they seem to be frowned upon (with reason) by those who consider themselves connoisseurs of fine cannabis (see snobs). Continue reading
Radiation Vaporizers
Another type of vaporizer uses comparatively sophisticated technology to achieve its goal: The thermal radiation vaporizer. While it may sound like a corny prop from an old Buck Rogers movie, the radiation vaporizer is somewhat more mind-boggling than that. Scientifically speaking, thermal radiation is electromagnetic radiation emitted from all matter due to its possessing thermal energy, as measured by its temperature. Very well, then… Seems simple enough. Continue reading