TheBongPlace: The Marijuana Blog

When ZUG recently asked me to be a student intern for the summer, I asked all the usual questions. Was it a paid internship? (No.) Would I get course credit? (No.) Could I list it on a resume? (Probably not.)

But when they told me they needed a “Student Stoner Intern” to review the high-tech smoking device called the Volcano Vaporizer, I jumped at the chance. If you haven’t heard of the Volcano, this is a state-of-the-art, precision-engineered German smoking machine. It normally costs $539, which is about $519 more than I paid for my last bong. In exchange for a few articles, I’d get to try it for free.

But there was a catch: since this is a comedy site, I would have to smoke weird foreign substances through the Volcano. No problem. Like everyone, I tried smoking catnip in high school. I also smoked a page from a Victoria’s Secret catalog, on a bet. Once, when I ran out of rolling papers, I even smoked burning toilet paper. I have more foreign substances in my lungs than a traffic cop in downtown Bangalore.

As an English major at Harvard, this assignment gave me the chance to combine the two things I like doing most: writing, and getting mind-numbingly high.

The Volcano Vaporizer arrived at my Cambridge apartment, packed discreetly in this cardboard box. The vaporizer itself is legal to own, so I wasn’t worried about holding it at my place. Besides, when I opened it, I was blown away (so to speak) by the sheer beauty of the device. German-engineered by Storz & Bickel, who I think also were Hitler’s law firm, this is a high-tech appliance that would be at home between your Sub-Zero fridge and Viking range. You could leave it in the kitchen and tell everyone it was a blender. Which, in a sense, it is.

I needed someone to help take pictures, so I enlisted the help of a relative we’ll just call “Creepy Uncle Rick.” Rick is, let’s say, an arborist. He brought over some rare specimens of his work, as well as a 5-pound box of Cheez-Its.

Opening the Volcano box, we found that some assembly was required. There are over a dozen pieces that need to be put together, so this part is best done sober. It was a little like putting together a bong from Ikea.

After a few minutes, our Volcano Vaporizer was ready to go. “This thing looks like Sputnik,” Creepy Uncle Rick observed.

“Get ready to go to outer space,” I said, plugging it in.

How to use the Volcano Vaporizer:

* Plug in the device. A red light turns on, indicating the heating coil is warming up.

* Grind your plant material using the high-quality German herb grinder that is included. (The grinder alone is worth the purchase price.)

* Fill the chamber with a small scoop of material and place on base unit.

* Fit the large plastic bag onto the chamber, which clicks in place.

* The Volcano heats the material to a temperature just shy of burning. This vaporizes the active ingredients out of the material, like cooking onions on a stove.

* Now press the green button, and a small fan blows the vapors into the bag, which inflates like a balloon, or possibly a giant inflatable penis.

* When the bag is full, remove it and snap on the mouthpiece.

* Push the mouthpiece to your lips to unlock the sweet, heavenly vapors.

We found that a little material went a long way: one “scoop” was enough for several balloonfuls. Though, to be honest, we kind of lost count after the third.

What amazed me, besides the fantastically detailed ridges on the side of my Cheez-It, which I ended up writing a poem about, was the way the mouthpiece was engineered. Vapors stay in the bag until you press it to your lips. You’ve got to experience this to appreciate how amazing it is. You’d think the vapors would dissipate after a few minutes, but those crafty Germans have figured out how to store it.

he instructions say you should use the vapors within five minutes, but we found that the vapors stayed active for, well, I don’t know how long. It could have been an hour, or it could have been five years. I had a watch, but it went all Salvador Dali whenever I looked at it.

I looked over and saw he was laughing at a Robot Chicken clip on YouTube, not my brilliant wordplay. Undaunted, I continued taking notes.

SS: How would you rate the smoothness of the Volcano, on a scale of 1 to 10?
CUR: Are you kidding? It couldn’t be smoother, or it would be like inhaling milk.
SS: Right? It would be like sitting in a sauna, with someone ladling half and half on the hot coals.
CUR: Smoother.
SS: [cracking up] Smoother still?
CUR: Yes. It is not smoke, it is pure heavy cream.

Needless to say, our first 14 impressions of the Volcano Vaporizer were extremely favorable. This was an ultramodern appliance featuring cutting-edge toke-nology. If these guys made a food processor, or coffeemaker, I’d buy it. I actually suggested to ZUG they sell a combo called the “Coffee-Pot”:

Unfortunately, we were about to ruin our smoking experience by testing out the Volcano on a variety of awful substances. Stay tuned for the results.

Sir Smokealot, the ZUG student stoner intern, is a second-year English major at Harvard University.

You already know that Willie Nelson loves the green, and you’re probably not surprised to hear Jack Black is a toker. Hell, you probably even remember when sweet Mary Ann from Gilligan’s Island got popped for marijuana possession recently.

But you might not be aware of these celebrities who like to partake from time to time. Here are 10 celebrity potheads that might surprise you.

Kirsten Dunst- Just last year, Kirsten Dunst admitted she likes smoking marijuana. In fact, she said “America’s view on weed is ridiculous” and the world would be a better place if “everyone smoked weed.” No wonder she likes playing the role of Mary Jane in Spiderman. Okay, that’s a lame joke, but I couldn’t resist.

Charlize Theron- It wasn’t all that long ago that Charlize Theron was caught sucking smoke from an apple. The pictures were published in National Enquirer back in 2002. While Theron never admitted to her marijuana use, it’s doubtful that this was her first rodeo.

Brad Pitt- Whether on the set of Ocean’s Twelve or Thelma & Louise, one thing is clear: Brad Pitt likes to unwind after a long day of shooting with a little help from his green friend. Beyond the reports of on-set smoking, Pitt’s also been spotted on numerous occasions with T-shirts professing his love for weed.

Jennifer Aniston- This stunning actress has admitted her love for weed on several occasions. Back when she was still married to Brad Pitt, she confessed that she and Pitt used to smoke together on a regular basis. However, Aniston did make sure to point out that she smokes in moderation.

Harrison Ford- Harrison Ford has Bill Maher to thank for making this list. At a NORML conference, Maher told attendees it was high time Harrison Ford took a step out of the cannabis closet. I knew Indiana Jones had to be under the influence when he would pull off all those crazy stunts.

Morgan Freeman- In an interview with the UK newspaper The Guardian, this legendary actor told reporters he had given up his use of hard drugs, but that he would never quit his relationship with Mary Jane. In fact, he referred to marijuana as “God’s own weed.”

Michael Bloomberg- The 108th Mayor of New York City was once asked if he ever smoked weed before becoming Mayor. Not only did Bloomberg admit to his marijuana use, he said “You bet I did. And I enjoyed it!”

Justin Timberlake- Boy bander Justin Timberlake once said marijuana should be legalized. He told fellow star Nelly that it would cut the crime rate in half. According to Nelly, he and Timberlake love partying together, and they share a love for the green. So, that’s how Justin Timberlake could tolerate being in N-Sync for so long.

George Clooney- When shooting Ocean’s Twelve, the cast went on location to Amsterdam. The owner of a local cannabis café told reporters George Clooney was no stranger there. Apparently, the charming actor visits the store at least a few times a year. It makes sense if you think about it. Clooney is always calm and even-tempered.

Stephen King- Stephen King is the most popular horror novelist of this generation. Unlike some celebrities who recoil when asked about cannabis, King confidently states “I think that marijuana should not only be legal, I think it should be a cottage industry. It would be wonderful for the state of Maine. There’s some pretty good homegrown dope. I’m sure it would be even better if you could grow it with fertilizers and have greenhouses. . . .”

article via The Legalization of Marijuana

“Whether you are a casual smoker or you are looking to buy marijuana seeds (remember - for souvenir purposes only!), you’ll inevitably come across some weird and wacky slang terms if you spend any time around marijuana smokers.

When marijuana became part of the 1960’s counterculture, it also developed its own slang and inside jokes. This is partly for practical reasons – after all, smoking marijuana is against the law (although I hasten to add that it isn’t illegal to buy marijuana seeds!) and so smokers and growers have always used euphemisms for marijuana to stay out of trouble and avoid the authorities.

But marijuana smoking slang has also developed for less practical reasons. Marijuana smokers are a community, and every community develops its own lingo. It is a way of identifying those who are in the know, sharing jokes and just having fun. And, over time, marijuana smokers have developed a truly remarkable collection of strange and wonderful slang words to describe marijuana, the act of smoking, the effects of the drug, and much more.

There are some very comprehensive marijuana slang dictionaries out there on the web, but this is a selection of some of my personal favourite euphemisms and expressions…

Assassin of Youth, n. There are (literally) hundreds of nicknames for marijuana, but this one is perhaps the most melodramatic! It is named after a 1930’s film that was intended to warn people of the dangers of marijuana, but (predictably enough) it has become a stoner movie classic (much like “Reefer Madness.”)

“You up for some fun tonight? You, me and the Assassin of Youth?”

Bogart, v. This characterful piece of slang refers to Humphrey Bogart, who seemed to go through a number of 1950’s film noirs with a cigarette permanently attached to his lower lip. To “Bogart” a joint is to hold on to it too long before passing it on.

“Hey, pass it along. Don’t Bogart that joint!”

Boxed, n. When you’ve smoked so much marijuana that you’ve lost control of your legs (like a boxer who tries to stand after being knocked out.)

“Sorry I didn’t come and see you last night. I couldn’t move, I was boxed!”

Dutch Oven, n. What happens when you smoke marijuana for a long time in a small, poorly ventilated room, a phenomenon more commonly known as hotboxing.

“We were smoking for hours in that tiny room…it was a real Dutch Oven by the end of the night.”

Four-Twenty, n, adj, v, etc. In America, Four-Twenty is more than just a piece of slang – it is a description of a way of life! No one quite knows how it started, though it is believed to have been the time of day when a group of friends would gather and smoke after school. It has now come to mean the act of smoking marijuana, an invitation to smoke, and generally stands as an exclamation that identifies you as a marijuana smoker. A person, place or even a country can be described as “420 friendly”, indicating that marijuana smoking is encouraged or at least tolerated.

Henry, n. An eighth of marijuana, named after the famous King Henry VIII.

“Did you buy much?”

“Nah, just a Henry.”

Secret Agent, n. A Secret Agent is a joint that is cunningly rolled to look like a normal cigarette or a rollup. If you spark it up, of course, it won’t pass the smell test, but it will pass a quick visual examination.

“I walked out of my house with a joint in my hand and a cop was right there! Luckily, it was a secret agent, so he didn’t notice…”

Wizard of Oz, n. An ounce of marijuana: oz is the standard abbreviation of ounce, while the “wizard” refers to the ‘magical’ properties of the substance in question.

‘No need to pick up for a while, I just brought home the Wizard of Oz.’” - Robert Kane

There are also many other name’s that this guy was just to lazy to list.

Joint, Blunt, Bong, Dank, Chronic, Buddha, Nugs, Nuggets, and I’m sure there’s many many more so feel free to help out and list the others! =D

As far as I know there are no authoritative studies on this, but conventional wisdom points towards the bowl as the more efficient way to smoke pot.

I don’t have any scientific evidence to back this up, but it is my experience that a given measure of marijuana will be more effective when smoked using a pipe than when smoked in a joint.

Keep in mind though, joints and pipes are both relatively inefficient ways of using your weed. You might want to take a look at some of the other ways to use marijuana.

According to Manswers smoking a joint only lets you take in 20% of the thc from your marijuana.? For truely the best smoke you can only go with the vaporizer and get up to 95% of your thc every time!

Have a good one everybody!