An eco-conscious smoke

Simple switches during smoke sessions not only uplift the mind, they can save the environment

When it comes to wellness, it’s difficult to totally align our holistic needs. Toxins are everywhere, pesticides are abundant and pollutants aren’t disappearing anytime soon. Still, changing the overall direction of how we see the environment and our health can happen with incremental steps. Here are some additional positive ways for cannabis smokers to consider to reduce their carbon imprint on the world.

Hemp wick

When using a lighter, every puff of a joint or pull from a bowl leaves the taste of lighter fluid. It’s impossible to dodge.Butane is a chemical found in all commonly used lighters, and the taste of noxious butane gas doesn’t dissolve before you inhale. In fact, it coats hits and lingers. What’s more, butane exposure, even acutely, is damaging to one’s health. A hemp wick works as the middleman between weed and fire, creating a natural buffer for cleaner, less potent puff. Often coated in beeswax, a hemp wick burns at a lower temperature than butane, meaning you’re burning less cannabinoids. It’s also biodegradable and eliminates all butane taste and flint dust. Light the hemp wick, then use it to burn a joint or bowl to enjoy a tastier, cleaner hit.

Unbleached papers

Unbleached rolling papers provide a smoother, tastier inhale. Bleached paper coats the flavoring of cannabis much like butane does, making hits slightly rougher in flavor. Added chlorine typically aids in slowing down the burn of a paper. Switching to unbleached papers, which are sometimes brown and made from natural hemp or rice, help ward away harsh bleach and chemical flavorings in joints. RAW papers are undoubtedly the most popular brand of unbleached natural rolling papers, but other options are available for those wanting a new favorite, such as Elements, Bob Marley, Pure Hemp and Hempire.

Eco-friendly packaging

According to Plastic Oceans International, there are more than 300 tons of plastic produced each year. Half of that is from single-use plastics, which end up in landfills or the oceans. To help relieve our carbon footprint on Earth, dispensaries should store weed in glass, but due to laws, single-use plastics are the most common and affordable packaging. Companies such as Sun Grown Packaging and Nitrogen Cannabis Packaging use tamper-free packages to better serve dispensary clientele, and our planet. Nitrogen Cannabis, for example, uses aluminum metal tins and packs flowers inside of pull-top containers. Be mindful of the cannabis you purchase from a dispensary and pay attention to how it’s packaged.

USB lighter

Lighters aren’t just harmful because of butane. They’re also harmful to our planet because they’re disposable and the plastic shells stay for years. A switch to a USB-rechargeable lighter will help limit the use of disposable lighters, and save you money in the long run. Lower-end USB lighters cost about $10 to $25. Not only do these compact lighters charge fairly quickly, they also carry the power to withstand wind. Some varieties have a nickel coil that heats up to create a flame while others create a free-form plasma torch. And, they’re 100 percent butane-free.