We've all heard urban legends or know that one guy who swears black and blue that drinking bong water gets you high. This is the article for you if you've ever wanted to see the truth about what happens when you drink bong water.
What Is Bong Water?
Bong water is contaminated by using a bong or a water pipe. These devices use water to filter out potentially harmful chemicals, preventing them from being inhaled when you take a drag. Because of its filtering function, bong water becomes filthy quickly and can be dangerous to consume.
What Is In Bong Water?
Every dedicated cannabis user has a beautiful quality bong in their home. It filters and cools the smoke nicely, allowing you to enjoy a smooth drag and a perfect high. While filtration cleans the smoke, the residue can have very adverse side effects if consumed, which happens when you drink bong water.
Bong water contains harmful and toxic particles in addition to desirable substances such as cannabinoids. Like water in a puddle, stagnant bong water is teeming with harmful bacteria, microbes, yeast, fungi, and residual herbs. The shocking reality is that these can literally pile up in hours. Dangerous tiny creatures come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they can have negative side effects on your body, so if you want to avoid complications, don't drink the bong water.
Can Drinking Bong Water Get You High?
Is THC present in bong water, and, more importantly, can you get high off bong water?
Why would we drink such dirty bong water? Drinking bong water is, to be honest, a bad idea. One might assume that because smoke passes through the water when you smoke, water contains some THC that can get you stoned. However, that theory has been scientifically proven to be nothing more than an urban legend. You will not only not get stoned if you drink the bong water, but you may also seriously injure yourself. Bong water is essentially a filtration medium that acts as a filter to protect you from harmful additives or chemicals in your weed. As you take a drag, a lot of nasty stuff filters out of the smoke. Trust me, you don't want all of those impurities in your system.
"Contrary to urban legend, bong water does not get you high," said Dr. Melanie Bone, a board-certified OB-GYN and cannabis specialist. THC and CBD are not water-soluble cannabinoids." While there is no chance of active THC remaining in bong water, other less desirable substances are likely to present. According to Bone, ash, tar, and bacteria from anyone who shares the bong remain in the water.
The idea that you can get stoned by drinking dirty bong water is ridiculous, as is the process of doing so. The most important thing to remember is that THC is almost entirely insoluble in water. It is soluble in water at a rate of no more than two micrograms per milliliter.
Assume that 5mg of THC is required to produce a psychoactive effect for the sake of argument. There are 1,000 micrograms in one milligram. As a result, 5,000 micrograms of THC would be required to get high. Using the two micrograms per ml calculation, you'd need to consume 2,500ml (or 2.5 liters) of bong water to achieve the desired effect. Can you imagine what would happen if you tried to drink 2.5 liters of bong water? You'd be extremely ill and vomit to the point where you wished you'd taken a beating instead of drinking that damned water!
Furthermore, the weed that falls into the water will be unburned. As you may be aware, marijuana must be decarboxylated before it can provide you with the cannabinoids needed to get high. The process of combustion is sufficient to activate the THC cannabinoid in marijuana. However, the weed in the bong water is not decarboxylated and will not provide you with the desired psychoactive effect.
Some people suggest putting peppermint in the bong and leaving it there for a while to flavor the water. This action will make the water taste less disgusting, but it will most likely not prevent you from vomiting. You will also experience severe stomach pain. Those who claim it gave them a high were most likely experiencing a placebo effect.
What Happens If You Drink Bong Water?
Damage Your Lungs
So, while drinking bong water will not get you high, the other side effects could make you very sick. And it's no surprise, given that bong water typically contains impurities like ash, resin, and loose-leaf/crumbs. Furthermore, that yucky water may include mold, fungi, yeast, and other harmful microorganisms you do not want to introduce into your system.
Simply put, there are numerous potentially harmful substances in that bong water that could irritate your immune system and make you very sick. Drinking bong water is just as bad as reusing it, especially if your device is developing a cloudy top layer. This murky biofilm could harbor dangerous pathogens like E. Coli, Strep, and black mildew.
You may quickly become nauseous, vomit, and dizzy. As a result, cleaning your bong is essential because all of the bacteria present in the bong water could enter your lungs and cause an infection. Furthermore, harmful pathogens that thrive in your bong water may cause serious health problems such as strep throat, pneumonia, and emphysema.
Another pathogen that thrives in stagnant water is Flavobacterium, which can cause severe respiratory infections. That is not something you want to introduce into your lungs, so change the water, clean your precious bong, and avoid ingesting any amount of bong water. Additionally, there is pseudomonas aeruginosa, a type of bacteria that thrives in bong water and puts you at risk of developing instant pneumonia.
Cause Vomiting
Stagnant water is an ideal breeding ground for harmful bacteria and other nefarious organisms that can harm your lungs and throat. So, if you decide to drink your dirty bong water, you run the risk of causing damage to your stomach lining and digestive system. This could result in severe vomiting. And you don't even need to drink a lot of it; even a small amount is enough to trigger an excruciating urge to vomit.
The effect of drinking contaminated bong water is similar to that of food poisoning. Mold appears in your bong in just 24 hours, if you didn't know. Even if you manage to avoid it, the taste and smell of that disgusting water may cause you to projectile puke. Furthermore, vomiting from bong water may cause your lungs and throat to hurt twice as much.
Lead To Stomach Complications and Serious Headaches
As previously stated, an unclean bong water pipe serves as an ideal breeding ground for a wide range of dangerous pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, and mold. In addition to serious respiratory infections, drinking dirty bong water may cause you to feel light-headed and dizzy after experiencing severe headaches that could turn into a head-splitting migraine.
Mold spores can even cause general malaise, blurred vision, dizziness, and allergic reactions. In addition, Giardia lamblia, a parasite, may be present in your contaminated bong water. This one is quite serious because it can cause intestinal problems such as nausea, diarrhea, cramps, and gas. But, unfortunately, there is more. Did you know that hepatitis A can be found in stagnant, contaminated water? This virus can cause a severe infection that causes jaundice, dark urine, stomach pain, fever, chills, and nausea. So, please, don't drink bong water!
The Importance Of Cleaning Your Bong
Every bong session should include clean water. Drinking bong water is not a good idea, and neither is reusing it, especially if a cloudy top layer is forming. This murky layer, known as biofilm, could be hiding pathogens such as Strep, E. coli, and black mildew.
You should also clean your bong on a regular basis, ideally after each use. Patience is required when cleaning a bong because sticky resin buildup can make the task difficult. Cleaning a bong on a regular basis can save you time and effort because the residue is less likely to be a problem.
Cleaning bongs is simple with household items like rubbing alcohol, coarse sea salt, and towels. Using fresh water and keeping your bong clean will not only provide a healthier smoking experience but will also help the apparatus last longer. A high-quality, well-cared-for bong can last for years.
What's The Difference Between Bong Water And Edibles?
Aside from the quality of the extracted concentrates, the main difference between bong water, edibles, and infused oils is that edibles and oils infuse the THC with fats. Even if you make your own Cannabutter or Cannabis Coconut Oil, you are infusing the fats with THC.
THC is more difficult to absorb when ingested without fats. Unless you eat the Decarbed Weed, not even boiling it into tea will give your body enough time to absorb enough THC concentrate to have the same effect as ingesting an edible.
Final Thoughts - Can You Drink Bong Water
So can you get high from bong water? The answer is indisputable. You can drink bong water, but it is a bad idea! It does not get you high, and you will almost certainly feel sick afterwards. My recommendation is to clean your bong regularly, with care and patience. Regular kitchen items such as rubbing alcohol, sea salt, and plain towels can be used. When you're smoking, make sure you're using fresh, clean water. That way, your experience will be smoother and healthier, and your valuable equipment will last much longer. Otherwise, the dirty water and bong bacteria could gradually but steadily damage your lungs. A dirty bong also reduces weed potency and has a negative impact on taste. It also reduces your enjoyment of a bong session.
