Electronic cigarettes are available all throughout the world and are a product of legal use in the United States but there are also subjected to state legislation. The Food and Drug administration lost its court battle against electronic cigarettes in 2010 as the FDA wanted this device to be classified as a drug delivery device. However, after several proceedings the court’s verdict was against the FDA and this cleared the way for the marketing process of electronic cigarettes. This product also hit the European market in 2006 under the name of Ruyan and after its introduction in this market; the product was named as electronic cigarette.

It is the health aspect of electronic cigarettes which needs to be confirmed as there is still uncertainty looming over the positive features of electronic cigarettes. The FDA is quite concerned over the use of the electronic cigarettes as in the studies conducted by it over the 19 varieties of this device, diethylene glycol was found in the cartridges of one of the brands and carcinogens known as tobacco-specific nitrosamines or TSNAs are also found in one or two of the cartridges which actually raised many serious concerns over the use of electronic cigarettes and this is the main reason why FDA filed a case against this device. But, the Electronic Cigarette Association counteracted on the FDA testing and clearly stated that FDA’s research lacked proper proof.  Most of the research work and testing revealed mixed results and the American Association of Public Health Physicians offered its full support to electronic cigarettes and they strongly recommended that this device should not be classified under drug device delivery but instead should be classified as a tobacco product. AAPHP clearly propagates that this product produces very less second hand smoke than compared to the usual cigarettes. WHO is also of the view that electronic cigarettes should be marketed as a smoking cessation device and no brand of this product should contain any suggestion that WHO has approved the device.

Every user of electronic cigarette needs to necessarily take into consideration the pros and cons of using this device before they start using it on a daily basis.

Was searching around for some new glass pipes to add to my collection and came across smokewire.com. I was impressed with their selection of high quality Pyrex glass pipes. These little glass pipes always come in handy because they are so small you can fit them right in your pocket or purse ( for the ladies.) I also noticed they were haveing a pretty sweet giveaway where they are offing a FREE BONG just for tweeting or blogging about thier site. So head over to smokewire.com and enter to win!

Outkast: Whenever we’re about to twist one up or pack the bowl, I always turn on some Outkast. The music is both exciting and chill. Each song is completely different and equally excellent. It’s the perfect music to get the smoke session started.

Top Recommendations: Spottieottiedogaliscious and Aquemini

Led Zeppelin: Now it’s time to tone it down a little bit. You’ve just gotten super high off the last two bowls and you’re now just enjoying your high. Let Robert Plant and Jimmy Page take you to world where the sun is always shining, where love is rampant, and where the guitar never stops. Definitely one of my top 5 favorite bands of all time, Zepp never lets me down and always makes me feel just…right.

Top Recommendations: Tangerine and What Is and What Should Be

Jay-Z & Eminem: Okay, so you’ve already smoked a few bowls and a joint or two, the energy level in the room has become more chill and everyone is just enjoying the high. After the Zeppelin, some pretty serious conversations have broken out about absolutely nothing, such as how much better 3-ply toilet paper is than 2-ply. This is the perfect time to throw Jay-Z’s black album on or anything by Eminem to pump you and your boys right up. I’m partial to Eminem because I feel that he’s a lyrical genius, but you gotta love Jay-Z, his badass vocals and beats. Listen to Eminem as you pack that bong and everyone will push off the back of their seat and gear up for their next hit.

Top Recommendations: Moment of Clarity and Drug Ballad

RJD2: By a stroke of luck about two years ago, I happened to stumble upon a song by RJD2 in my iTunes. I hadn’t remembered downloading it and I didn’t know who it/he was. Well, now I know that RJD2 is a musical college of “cut-and-paste” hip hop that combines different elements and beats to create a smooth, moody view of the world. His music is enchanting and exhilarating at the same time as peaceful and relaxing. Hit the bong, then play his song.

Top Recommendations: Ghostwriter and 1976

The Postal Service: I just got into them this year, but I find that listening to their music while high is the trippest thing. The Postal Service is a mix of electronic and indie-rock by a group of people who stem from all different types of bands to collaborate on Postal Service albums. Turn the music up, turn down the lights, turn on iTunes Visualizer and you’re set for a while – or at least until your next bowl.

Top Recommendations: The District Sleeps Alone Tonight and Such Great Heights

The Garden State Soundtrack: This the last of the music that I’ll recommend, otherwise I could go on for pages about what I think you’d all really enjoy. For those that have seen the movie, you’ll understand how soothing and creative the music on the soundtrack is. If you haven’t seen the movie – go see it – then download the soundtrack. Zack Braff, the director-writer-lead-actor of the movie, was working with a super tight budget to create this movie and soundtrack to enter into a ton of Film Festivals. He asked each artist personally for each song to be put on the album and he got all the rights to use their music – FREE. It’s music that’s just beginning to become bigger, slowly. It’s best to listen to this music towards the end of your smoking session. It’s the chillest mix of music to listen to before you hit the final bowl or hit the sack.

Top Recommendations. In The Waiting and Let Go

First, find yourself a thai stick, (cured buds tied around a bamboo sliver) Remove any thread and carefully coat it with liquid cannabis resin oil.

Wrap the coated stick with small, uncured, ‘top’ leaves, taking care to remove any stems.

Secure the leaves with thread and coat with more liquid resin. Leave the cigar to dry in a dark, dry and warm place for a day or so.

Remove the thread and repeat the entire process. Use progressively larger cannabis leaves until the cigar is suitably fat.

Use large ‘sun’ leaves to seal the cigar, add a final coat of cannabis resin and secure with more thread.

Leave the finished cigars to dry. In two to three weeks it should be ready to smoke.

When drying is complete, remove the thread and carefully pull the bamboo sliver from inside the cigar to create a smoking tube. Store your cigars in a dry air-tight container – the longer you leave them, the better (and stronger) the y will get.

Roll a straight, fat joint with a sturdy roach and carefully cut it in two using a pair of scissors or a knife.

Roll two identical joints, without roaches and slightly thinner than the first. Put slightly less mix in their centres so that you can bend them later on. Consistency is important here, the joints must burn at the same rate.

Carefully trim away any excess paper from all four joints, leaving the mix flush with the paper.

Cut the gummed strips from ten spare papers (the wide strips from king skins are best) and put to one side.

Now for the tricky bit… Join the two identical joints to the segment of the first joint containing the roach. Use some of the gummed strips to bandage the join as shown. It is best to do this on a flat surface. Keep bandaging until you are confident everything is airtight and secure.

Very gently, bend the two joints at their centers until they meet to form a diamond shape.

Finally, bandage the joint to the remaining to the end of the diamond, using the gummed strips as before.

Stick two papers together to form a square with a gummed strip along one side.

Take a third paper and stick it, face down, to the end of the first two.

There is plenty of space for mix so you can trim away any excess paper.

Roll the joint as normal then twist the end to secure the third paper. Grip that pile and prepare for take-off!

Take a bill from your wallet (if you have any money left) and make a good crease down the middle of it.

Open the bill and put the weed together in the crease

Now close the bill and roll the bill up and down between your fingers do pack the weed into the crease, tightly.

Now open the bill and you’ll see your weed beautifully packed into the crease, waiting to be rolled….Oh please roll me….Please….Next Step.

Now close the bill again and roll again. Don’t be clumsy here. This takes practice so you might not get it the first time.

Roll the paper inside the bill to get the paper around the weed completely. You need to hold the bill with both hands and move the top half of the dollar upwards to make the weed roll over and onto the paper. (You might need to read that sentence again). This will happen as the paper moves with the bill. Makes sense right? Good, because it didn’t make sense to us.

Now you’re done. Go show your mom — Kidding, DO NOT show your mom.
Kids these days…

Stick two papers together with the gummed strips forming a straight line.

Take a third paper and fold it in two, leaving the gummed strip on the outside.

Wet the glue and and sandwich the folded paper firmly between the other two as shown.

Before the glue dries pull the paper out. It should have left enough glue to stick the others together.

Stick a fourth paper to the lower, right-hand edge of the joint as shown.

Add a fifth paper to the end of the joint as shown.

Create a more triangular shape by tearing the fourth paper diagonally in half. Refolding the papers along the centre of this triangle will also ease rolling.

To support the extra length use the whole of the forefingers when rolling. Prepare for top-notch entertainment!

The females flower tops are by far the most potent part of the cannabis plant. Thanks to growers all around the world there are thousands of strains and varieties – the quality, strength and nature of which can differ enormously. This has lead to the rise of the weed ‘connoisseur’ who will say things like: “Oh my, what a subtle sativa!” or “Talk about ‘bouquet’ and ‘body’. Avoid these people if you possible can.

Imported bud is often forced-dried and compressed for storage/transit purposes, this can simply be broken-up and crumbled into the mix. Better quality bud which has been properly cured and stored is more delicat e. The flower heads should be handled with care to protect the delicate THC glands. Use sharp scissors to break-up the bud and store the remainder in a cool, dark place. Discard any seeds or stems as they contain little THC and are harsh to smoke. Fr esh bud may develop mould if stored incorrectly and (painful as it maybe) this should be thrown away as it can damage the lungs and cause infection.

Bud really needs to be combined with tobacco, leaf or an other herbal smoking mixture to allow it to ‘breath’ in the joint. The Hybrid varieties which are genetically bread for extreme potency should used sparingly until the user is familiar with, and can predict, their effects.

Cannabis leaf is a common ingredient in commercial weed. If you can stand the slightly acrid taste, some leaf, – especially that from the top of a flowering female plant – can by surprisingly potent. On ly use well-cured leaves and remove any stems before crumbling them into the mix. The larger ‘sun’ leaves from around the lower part of the plant are too harsh for use in joint-rolling and are best left for the water pipe.

Hashish comes in many different forms from hard and rocky Lebanese to soft and oily Nepalese. As with all Cannabis there is a huge variation in quality. There very best Hashish is made by rubbing the sticky resin from flowering-tops. Most however, contains processed plant material and binding agents and the worst is adulterated with chemicals. Hash is normally heated with a flame, crumbled into a powder and then mixed with tobacco or herbal smoking mixtures. Good Hashish should catch light and crumble with ease. Alternatively, very soft Hash can be rolled into thin ‘sausages’ and placed along the length of the joint.

Never over-fill joints with Hash, or uses large chunks – it will burn badly and much will be wasted. A brief spell in the microwave will give you a perfect Hash and tobacco blend.

Genuine resin oil is very hard to come by but, if you can get it, the real McCoy is incredibly potent. It comes in the form of a black, brown or transparent oily fluid which is smeared across the rolling papers or blended into the mix.

Tobacco is the main ingredient in virtually all joints rolled in Europe. When used with Hashish or strong bud it allows the cannabis to burn properly and improves the taste of the smoke. The down side of addiction and respiratory disease have lead increasing numbers to reject tobacco entirely.

WARNING: THIS SUBSTANCE IS HIGHLY ADDICTIVE!

Legal highs have come a long way in the last few years. Although claims of effects comparable to the ‘real thing’ are usually false there are many genuinely psycho-active and therapeutic herbs which can b e used as ingredients in a smoking mix. Legal smoking mixtures can make a good alternative to tobacco and are the only option for smokers seeking a buzz under cannabis prohibition. There is some evidence that certain herbs can amplify the effects of more psycho-active substances

Take a cigarette and remove the filter by squeezing at its base and rotating between finger and thumb. Eventually enough of the filter will show for you to pull it out.

Replace the filter with a roach of the same size and shape.

Cut the cigarette in two, as cleanly as possible about 1cm from the roach.

Make up a mix to replace the tobacco that was in cut away and add this to a paper. Form it into shape of the cigarette.

Roll the joint with the ‘filter’ protruding from the end.

You may need to secure the bogus filter with a gummed strip torn from another paper.

Remember the walls have ears!