If you’re one of the thousands of people in the United States who enjoy recreational marijuana use, watch your back – there are only five states or districts in the country where the use of non-medicinal marijuana has been legalized: Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, D.C., and Washington. All other states have laws outlawing recreational marijuana use completely or limiting it to medicinal purposes under doctor’s orders. That being said, no other words of caution are needed.

A BRIEF LOOK BACK

The history of smoking tobacco originated around 5000 BC, part of shamanistic rituals in the Americas. For many centuries, marijuana was only inhaled after being vaporized or burned as incense. Evidence that cannabis was smoked in pipe form has been discovered in Southeastern Africa, likely happening around the 10th century.

Top questions about hand pipes:

• What is a hand pipe? Their long history makes hand pipes the traditional smoking gadget. Made from wood, metal, borosilicate glass, or silicone, they are perfect for smokers. Unlike a bubbler or water pipe, hand pipes don’t circulate smoke through water, instead offering a dry smoke right from the source.
• Why smoke with a hand pipe? Today’s cannabis aficionados choose bongs, dab rigs, or even uber-popular vapes. But hand pipes like Sherlocks, tasters, one-hitters, and spoons offer the advantages of convenience, portability, compact size, and ease of transport, which is why pipes are the most common way to enjoy marijuana.
• How do you smoke using a hand pipe? To utilize a hand pipe to smoke herbs, cannabis, dry tobacco, or other lawful substances, grind up the plant till it’s fine. Then push it into the bowl cavity. Light the newly packed bowl while you inhale via the pipe’s mouthpiece.
• What kind of hand pipes are available? There are numerous kinds, but the time-honored hand pipe, sometimes referred to as a “bowl” after the part which holds the herb, is often compact enough to store in a pocket, but is available in nearly any style, theme, size, shape, and color.

WHAT ARE THE MOST POPULAR HAND PIPE STYLES?

1. Classic Spoon. These timeless spoons look just like the name implies, and normally have carb holes on one side, where the dry herb is packed in place before being lit. This is a very popular kind of hand pipe.
2. Steamroller. In comparison to spoons, these pipe types have enlarged, carb holes in the front. The benefit? Steamroller pipes produce heavier hits with less herb, but they might feel tough to beginners. Ritual helps smokers adjust the carb more efficiently.
3. Sherlock. We’re not sure if the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes smoked weed, but he definitely used a hand pipe. This kind projects an image of intelligence while you may actually be an idiot. Some are designed to stand upright.
4. Chillum is another kind of one-hitter, the tiniest and easiest pipe design. A straight tube pipe without a carb hole, they’re lit from the front and relished from the rear. Many chillums work with small stands or storage units.
5. Glass blunt pipes give a contemporary update to the timeless design of the glass chillum, adding a sliding, expandable weed slot that gives you control over how much herb you push into that tiny glass bowl. More is better.
6. Gandalf, from The Lord of The Rings, never seemed to go anywhere without his walking stick and pipe. Inspired by that famous wizard, this is a classic, long-stemmed pipe, usually made from wood, with a deep and tiny bowl.
7. Cobb refers to two kinds of pipes, one literally made from an ear of corn: the other, modern and built from other materials (wood, metal, glass). The modern kind are water pipes, usually small and portable, and easy to use.
8. Bubbler. These fusion pipes are portable and offer minimal levels of water filtration. They provide water pipe filtration and function in the accessibility and manageability of a standard hand pipe. Versatile, it can also function as a dry pipe.
9. Hammer pipes are like bubblers, a type of tiny, transportable water pipe with a cone system and built-in stem. Interestingly, they are shaped to resemble an actual hammer – just don’t get stoned and try and hit someone with it!
10. The Sidecar is a simple pipe design with a second chamber at the end that holds water for separation. It’s a unique layout, as it actually resembles a motorcycle sidecar. The can attaches to the side of the stem.

WHAT ARE THE PARTS OF A HAND PIPE?

• The bowl holds the grounds and may vary in its depth.
• The carb is the hole on the pipe’s side. This helps to clean up the chamber of old residue, mostly smoke.
• The chamber holds the smoke in the pipe. It is located between the mouthpiece and bowl.
• You put your mouth on the mouthpiece to inhale smoke. The mouthpiece includes a tiny hole at the pinnacle through which you inhale smoke from the chamber.

WHAT ARE SOME BENEFITS OF USING A HAND PIPE?

If you smoke regularly, then you should know some of the benefits of using a pipe compared to another type of smoking device. These include:

• They’re very tiny, compared to a water pipe, which is harder to hold and transport.
• Hand pipes, especially those made from wood, are surprisingly durable.
• A hand pipe won’t add additional taste to the grounds because it withstands heat, therefore it won’t release extra taste.
• A hand pipe is simple to use, so much so that even casual smokers should be able to figure it out quickly.