I’m thinking about getting my first hand pipe and have been looking around. When I roll a joint, I always roll with charcoal filters, and I’d like to keep using filters when smoking a pipe. Now, this is the absolute standard for tobacco pipes, but for weed bowl pipes, it’s apparently not?
I don’t get it, it filters out harmful stuff, it’s cheap, easy, already normal for joints, but somehow, no nice glass bowl pipe I find has a mouthpiece that allows for charcoal filters.
Am I dumb and there’s a trick to using filters with those pipes I’m not getting?
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If you don’t want to breathe in harmful combustion products, your best bet is not producing any. I suggest you consider buying a vaporizer. And I don’t mean the concentrate pens, but dry herb vaporizers.
Since you’re not burning your flower you can actually taste the various terpenes and it’s much easier on the lungs.Absolutely. You have to be so careful with the extraction methods and diluent agents when it comes to vaping concentrates (that includes regulated vape carts–not just black market carts).
[Cannabis] extracts are not diluted in propylene glycol or glycerol like nicotine due to their hydrophobic properties. Instead, various forms of oils including vegetable oils, terpenes, and tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E acetate) have been reported as diluents. In most reported cases of EVALI, additional flavoring additives are also added to products.
Although many of these diluent agents and flavorings have been “generally recognized as safe” for oral ingestion by the FDA, recent research shows that when heated to form an aerosol and inhaled, conditions including bronchitis, bronchiolitis, acute hypoxic respiratory distress, lipoid-associated pneumonia, and pneumonitis may result. [1]
The terpenes used in vape carts to dilute and reintroduce flavor and aroma (which is lost in some extraction methods, like BHO) also produces harmful byproducts when vaped. [2]
Another problem with vape pens and e-cigs is the cheap atomizers/coils used. There have been confirmed cases of these coils/atomizers leeching heavy metals into the vapor produced.[3]
Dry herb vaping is the only medically endorsed inhalation method of marijuana consumption. Plus you get to keep your already vaped bud (AVB) to make edibles! If health is truly a concern for people, then dry herb vaping and edibles are really the only options. But that’s not to detract from the risk mitigation approach. I will very occasionally smoke a joint or a bowl. No more bong rips for me ever again tho.
Rosin extracts produced by heat pressing buds or hash through a filter bag doesn’t use any solvents. Vaporizing it off a hot nail/banger(dabbing with an enail) is the way to go w concentrates.
The filters reduce the amount of THC you get to the point that you’ll end up smoking more to get the same level of high, so you might not be reducing harmful byproducts in the end.
Not to mention, those charcoal filters mostly help with particulates. You’re still breathing in combustion and harmful byproducts that are produced, like benzene.
If your concern is for your health, you simply shouldn’t be combusting. You should consider switching to dry herb vaping.
Also important to note that this same dilemma exists for water pipes/bongs. With water filtration, it does reduce the amount of tar and particulates to a minor degree, but it much more effectively filters THC out of smoke than the tar and particulates. So while it does reduce particulates and tar to a very minor degree, you’re being left with more tar and particulates per THC molecule.
When comparing the THC to tar/particulate ratios, you get more tar and particulates per THC molecule from water pipes and bongs than from an unfiltered joint! Again, this is because you have to consume more from bongs to match the amount of THC from the unfiltered joint, because of how water filtration disproportionately filters out the THC over particulates. [1]
People who say that bongs/water pipes are to filter out the bad stuff are just terribly misinformed. That has never been the point of water pipes/bongs. The point is for the water to cool the smoke, and with bongs, to create a vacuum and condense the smoke. [2]
New studies have demonstrated that smoking out of a bong significantly increases the propensity for one to develop cannabis-related lung damage and health issues (widely referred to as “bong lung”).
This is largely due to the borotrauma (pressure difference on the lungs pulling thru water) and higher concentration of smoke/condensed smoke in a bong rip (far more smoke than you’d be able to inhale from a pipe/joint/blunt hit). Bong lung can cause irreversible lung damage and seriously affect quality of life.
Subjects typically develop large peripheral paraseptal lung bullae and are predisposed to spontaneous pneumothoraces [sudden onset of a collapsed lung]. The underlying mechanism for bullae formation is uncertain, but probably relates to direct lung toxicity and repeated barotrauma as the smoker performs frequent valsalva manoeuvres in an attempt to derive a greater drug effect.[3]
The definition of a bulla is an air-filled space of > 1 cm in diameter within the lung which has developed because of emphysematous destruction of the lung parenchyma [the portion of the lungs involved in gas exchange].[4]
There are two views as to the formation of bullae: both believe bullae to be the result of the increased intra-alveolar pressure that is present. [5] [Remember, bongs/water pipes cause unnecessary barotrauma on our lungs.]
Bong use can also lead to a particularly bad type of bronchitis, that often becomes chronic and people developing this bronchitis and continuing to smoke with it is believed to possibly play a role in developing bong lung.
The bronchitis that people get, the really nasty bronchitis, does tend to improve if you stop [cannabis use]. But what we, as lung doctors, see in people that don’t stop smoking cannabis, we see people coming in with lungs which are very, very badly damaged with lots of destruction of the lung tissue, and that is irreversible.” [6]
Bongs have always been my favorite medium, as I like the fucked up head high. But it’s just not worth the health risks to me. I switched to a Valcano and a Mighty+ and I’m happy with the switch. Took some getting used to, and it’s not quite as much of a inebriateling “dumb” high like bongs, but that’s just due to oxygen deprivation anyway… Vaping is great too because all of the Already Vaped Bud (AVB) can be used to make edibles! You get a second use out of all the bud you vape. Definitely recommend water baths for taste.
I am unsure about these types of filters. I’m a big fan of bongs/bubbler and don’t normally smoke joints. However I do know of moose labs. They have filters for joints, bongs, ect.
If this is what you’re talking about then I think the reason for this is glass had pipes have such a huge array of sizes that it’s hard to make a filter for them.
pipes have such a huge array of sizes that it’s hard to make a filter for them.
See, that’s what I’m not getting: Mouthpieces for pipes usually don’t vary that much - because they always have to fit a human mouth. They already end in some sort of the same shape. And the tobacco smokers have figured this out for a hundred years now: No matter how absurd your pipe is
they all have this same system where a filter can be inserted between pipe and mouthpiece.
You can make this super short or long, all you need is a tight, hollow space to fit a 6-9mm filter. They literally have an industry standard for that.
If you are concerned about your health, you should consider discontinuing your bong use. Here’s a comment of mine with info on health risks associated with bong use.
No judgment, just information! There is so much misinformation about bongs/water pipes out there, and I was a victim of that misinformation for years. Just want to spread awareness for people like me who care about mitigating the risks.
I appreciate that very much. I skimmed it and will be looking at it later. I did notice you mentioned desktop vapes.
I actually recently got a ball vape. The SS zeal and I absolutely love it. Changing Temps from low to high depending on when I’m smoking is the best. I’m about to smoke/vape now.
I use an activated carbon filter for my bong, absolutely love it. They have them at most head shops I’ve been to, or you can get a grav online or something like that.
I use the moose labs filters with my bong, I like the corn based ones. The mouth piece is silicon and can fit different pieces.
You know what, I now consider building my own silicone mouthpiece adapter. Conical, so you can just squeeze it into most glass pipe moutpieces, with enough room for 9mm filters or so. Might make your pipe look less nice, but makes your lungs nicer.
