The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we do a lot of things, but how has it changed the way that we get high?
For some people sharing a bong, pipe, or joint with friends was always a key component of the cannabis scene. A lot of people have always associated cannabis with social activities. Whether that’s at a music concert, a party, or just hanging out with friends. The concept of hit and pass is ingrained deeply with many cannabis smokers. After all, there are even songs about passing the joint and not holding on to it for too long, but COVID-19 may have changed that culture forever.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a lot of widespread effects on how we interact with our friends and family, how we socialize, and how we work. Many businesses instantly switched to offering employees remote working opportunities.
Suddenly, we’re working from home and responsible for managing our own schedules and work-life balance with siblings, partners, and children tearing around the house. For many people, it was an extremely stressful transition.
Restaurants, theatres, parks, beaches, malls, schools, non-essential businesses, you name it, governments around the world were closing it. There were different restrictions in place depending on where you lived, but the idea was the same, stay home and don’t hang out with your friends in large groups.
Now, we’re feeling even more isolated. No work and no social time with friends and family. It’s at this point that many governments, including the Canadian government, after some back and forth, deemed that cannabis was an essential service. Why? Let’s take a look.
Canada Deemed Cannabis an Essential Service
Once businesses across the country started closing down, many cannabis enthusiasts were worried about which way the government would fall on deeming cannabis businesses as essential services. After all, cannabis is just for potheads and stoners. Why would that be considered an essential service? Wrong.
The beginning of the legalization process for cannabis always begins with the medicinal side of the industry. In most cases, medicinal programs are set up first, then later comes recreational marijuana programs.
There is already a lot of documented information available about the medicinal benefits of cannabis, so we’re not going into that now. It’s enough to say that there are a lot of people who depend on cannabis for medical reasons, which alone is enough to ensure that it’s always deemed an essential service, just like a pharmacist.
Originally, in some Canadian provinces, cannabis dispensaries were going to be closed. However, with liquor stores remaining open, this was quickly amended to include Toronto cannabis dispensaries.
For many people, the stress and anxiety of being cut off from friends and family could quickly become overwhelming. Cannabis was one way to alleviate that stress. Although you may be away from your support network, at least you could still socialize and relax with some of your favorite cannabis products and alleviate some of the stress of the pandemic.
How Has Smoking Cannabis Changed?
Remember when you used to hang out with your friends and pass a joint or bong around? Share a drink, pass a bowl of chips, and there wasn’t a bottle of sanitizer or a sanitizer wipe insight. Those were the good old days before we were all worried about catching COVID and germs being everywhere we went.
Now, we’ve had to make a lot of changes about not only how we smoke but when we hang out and how we hang out with our friends. Getting together with friends and enjoying some cannabis involves a little bit more planning than it used to.
What are some of the ways that you can reduce the risk when smoking weed with friends?
- Don’t share bongs, pipes, or joints – If you’re going to be smoking with friends, then make sure that you bring your own hardware or glassware. This eliminates the need to share or pass anything around. You could also sanitize between people, but the safest way is to not share at all. The price of bongs, vaporizers, and other smoking devices are coming down quite a lot, and there are some great deals to be had.
- Think about share sizes – Rather than roll one big joint that you pass around, consider rolling several smaller joints that each person can smoke themselves. Holding the joint and bogarting it for yourself is strongly encouraged these days! A variety of companies are creating mini joints that are perfect for a small group of friends.
- Edibles and infused-beverages – During the pandemic it’s a great time to try cannabis products that are single-serve or for one person only. Cannabis edibles are becoming increasingly popular, and a lot of companies are now releasing cannabis-infused drinks. It’s important to take your time if you haven’t tried edibles before. Start slowly with low-dosage edibles before jumping in with both feet. The high associated with cannabis edibles can be quite intense, and it’s different from the high you get when you smoke or vape.
How the Pandemic Changed How We Get High – Conclusion
The pandemic has changed a lot of things, and one of them is how we get high, especially when we’re hanging out with friends. If you can still safely associate with friends and family in small groups, there are some easy ways that we can reduce the risks. How has the pandemic changed the way that you get high, and how are you handling it?
