Cannabis Without The Cough: The Best Marijuana Smoking Devices

If you talk to anyone who has smoked cannabis, invariably he or she will talk about their coughing episodes. Having difficulty breathing while ingesting cannabis is so common that it has almost become a rite of passage. All you need to do is watch a movie with scenes of people smoking, and at some point, the actors will start coughing uncontrollably. 

It may be funny on screen, but it’s no laughing matter for people who want the benefits of cannabis without having to subject themselves to physical discomfort. The good news is that with the right marijuana smoking devices, it doesn’t have to be this way.

Why Weed Pipes Make You Cough

Let’s get one thing out of the way: Coughing isn’t caused by smoke. At first glance, that may sound ridiculous — but science is based on facts, not popular misconceptions. And what causes coughing is heat, not smoke. 

Whether you’re visiting the Turkish baths or enjoying a hit from a weed pipe, it’s the same mechanism behind your coughing reaction. When we inhale smoke or even very hot air, the trachea becomes irritated and constricts. 

The same thing happens to the alveoli in the lungs. This constricting action is part of the body’s natural defenses. The lungs want to exhale the damaging hot air as soon as possible.

Modern marijuana smoking devices like e-cigarettes and cannabis vaporizers offer a smoother experience than weed pipes not because they are smoke-free but because they heat the cannabis concentrate to a lower temperature. 

Cannabis flower burns at 1200-1300 degrees Fahrenheit, although the temperature at the point of inhalation is thankfully far lower. As the smoke travels down the length of the pipe, it cools rapidly, down to approximately 250-300 degrees for a short glass pipe. That’s still the temperature of a hot oven, which is plenty warm to make most smokers cough. 

Cannabis vaporizers, by comparison, typically aim to heat rosin to a temperature of 375-425 degrees Fahrenheit. By the time it reaches the user’s mouth, the temperature is comparatively balmy 200-250 degrees.

Vapes Aren’t the Best Marijuana Smoking Devices

Vapes might make you cough less than traditional glass pipes, but as any regular cannabis consumer can tell you, they’re hardly “cough-free.” 

One reason people still cough when they vape is the moisture content in the cannabis vapor — or lack thereof. To avoid coughing, we need a balance of moisture in the air. That’s why dry vapes especially are known for bringing on the weed cough. With dry cannabis smoke or vapor, anything hotter than 120 degrees is going to irritate the lungs.

What Happens When You Use Weed Pipes or Vapes

Coughing while smoking or vaping doesn’t just make for a less pleasant cannabis experience. It can also be a sign that you’re damaging your lungs.

When you repeatedly inhale hot smoke, air, or vapor, the resulting constriction and expansion of the lungs can, over time, stress the lung linings and alveoli. That stress can bring on conditions like congestive obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, in which the alveoli in the lungs develop holes. Those holes make it difficult to exhale air. If you can’t exhale air, fluid and air can start to collect inside the lungs, requiring medical intervention.

The Best Marijuana Smoking Devices Are Cool Weed Pipes

The best thing frequent cannabis consumers can do to avoid lung damage is to reduce the temperature of the smoke. 

Cannabis vaping, which offers cooler temperatures, is a popular alternative. However, many vapes release potentially toxic substances and contaminants that the user may inhale.

A better alternative is smoke-cooling pipes, also known as “cool weed” pipes. These marijuana smoking devices make smoke safer by lowering the temperature of cannabis smoke. 

One way to lower the temperature is by forcing the smoke to travel an elongated smoke pathway before it reaches the user’s mouth. With an appropriately long smoke pathway, the smoke can be cooled to between 90 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit — the ideal temperature not just for avoiding coughing, but also for enjoying the flavor of cannabis — by the time the user inhales. 

The idea of elongating the smoke pathway has its roots in traditional pipes like chillums. Inspired by these weed pipes, some cool weed pipes use a maze-like or serpentine pathway to condense the elongated pathway into a short tube. This allows these marijuana smoking devices to remain portable.

Many cool weed pipes also incorporate weed filters. Weed filtration can rely purely on physics: As the smoke travels down the smoke pathway, impurities can settle to the bottom of the pipe. Other filtration techniques incorporate steel screens and charcoal filters. Cool weed pipes may include some or all of these filtration steps.

Coughing Ain’t Cool

Coughing may be a rite of passage for new cannabis consumers, but those who smoke consistently owe it themselves to seek out a healthier, more enjoyable experience.

Smoke-cooling pipes are the ideal cannabis pipes, offering all the benefits of smoking a long pipe in a convenient, portable package. Many also offer additional weed filters designed to reduce rosin and tar. It’s a difference that you not only feel but taste. 

But fair warning: Without the self-limiting effects of coughing between hits, it’s on you to properly regulate your intake. As always, be sure to enjoy your cannabis responsibly.

Michael Barenboym is the founder of Weedgets, which manufactures pipes and accessories to help people safely experience the medical benefits associated with the natural cannabis plant and all of its healing properties. A world-renowned medical device engineer, Michael spent more than 30 years developing life-saving technologies. He holds more than 100 medical device patents.