How to Avoid the “Cannabis Cough”
There is no doubt that there are lots of benefits to smoking cannabis, starting with mental relaxation and real therapeutic health benefits. Cannabis use is associated with a state of euphoria, reduced stress and relaxes the body and mind. Apart from relaxation, there is one more tempting reason to use cannabis: it heightens senses so that when somebody is high, food might taste better, music may sound much more magical and all the colors seem richer.
For many consumers, cannabis is medicinal. Cannabis relieves pain, reduces inflammation, fights fatigue, and helps alleviate a multitude of symptoms. You can find more information about all the pros and cons of using cannabis products on AskGrowers.
The most common way of consuming cannabis is by smoking. It’s like a gold classic, in this case, it’s quick and convenient, but there is one problem that most consumers face with smoking - it causes coughing.
Almost every cannabis consumer knows what we’re saying and likely is looking for ways to cough less when smoking. Before we get into how to stop coughing, let’s look at what causes the coughing.
A tickle in the throat can be caused by smoke itself. According to Medwell Health and Wellness Centers cannabis smoke includes microscopic liquid flecks that irritate the lungs, forcing a user to cough to expectorate the irritant. It’s just your body naturally attempting to clean itself and get rid of irritants.
Another trigger is heat. In your throat and lungs you have tissue that is highly sensitive and can be easily irritated by heat, which of course, we need for smoking. Whether you are vaping cannabis or smoking it, heat is always there.
One more reason for coughing fits - hits that are too big. Overwhelming your lungs will lead to coughing.
And finally, we hate to say it but poor quality cannabis can make you hack up a lung. To check the quality of the product your smoking, see this guide.
Without a doubt, a coughing fit after a session is not very pleasant, it just takes away the opportunity to relax and enjoy your elevated state. To prevent the dreaded smoker’s cough we’ve pulled together 5 tips to help you cough less when smoking cannabis.
Use Water Filtration
Check out the study by Ph.D. in pharmacology Nicholas V. Cozzi entitled Effects of Water Filtration on Marijuana Smoke. Here, researchers suggest that “water filtration can be effective in removing components from marijuana smoke that are known toxicants while allowing the THC to pass through relatively intact”.
Because of this, we highly recommend you consider smoking devices that feature water filtration, like bongs or bubblers. Water will solve the problem of smoke as an irritant and it cools down the smoke which reduces the problem of heat.
There are two more bong accessories that will help you to overcome your coughing problem: a percolator and a diffuser. A percolator is a supplementary water chamber attached to the bong’s main shaft in order to enlarge smoke to water proportion. It cools down the smoke, which makes it easier to inhale. A diffuser is another accessory, it is an additional stem for the bong. If you use a diffuser, the smoke has contact with a bigger area of water, which makes the cannabis consumption experience much more smooth.
Know Your Measure
Smoking cannabis can be a calming, meditative process, so don’t be in a hurry. Don’t try to take the biggest hits because you’ll end up a mess. We all have different lung capacities, so there isnt a “correct” amount of smoke for us to recommend. However, in general if you start coughing - take it as a sign you need to take smaller hits.
Hydrate Yourself
Have a glass of water (or other non-alcoholic beverage) before, during, and after inhalation. If your throat or lungs get irritated by smoke or heat while smoking cannabis, drinking some water will cool and calm it down.
Also on the table; sucking a mint, a candy, or chewing a gum to make it easier to stifle coughing by producing saliva.
Bonus: Generally staying hydrated helps to decrease the symptoms if you accidentally consumed too much.
Change the Method of Consumption
Maybe smoking isn’t for you, if smoking is more likely to cause coughing, consider something more easy on your lungs like edibles.
You also can try vaping, the risk of coughing still exists, but it is much less, plus the non-combustionelement of vaping means your lungs wull thank you in general.
Tinctures are awesome too, they can be taken under the tongue or added via. a dropper to teas and other beverages.
Quality Matters
If you are using cannabis of poor quality - your chances of coughing are pretty good. The quality of your ganja is very important and it is a good idea to try to find out whether any pesticides or herbicides were used in cultivation. Even the drying process has a big effect on the quality of smoke, it can be smooth or harsh in the end. Take the time to learn about the grower, if possible so that you understand why one product may be different for you than another.