textfiles/drugs/MARYJANE/art_makebng.drg

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# THE ART OF MAKING BONGS #
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Remember, there's more to marijuana than just smoking pot.


Disclaimer
----------
I have purposely left my name off this piece, for obvious reasons. I 
don't frequent local BBSes much anymore, so I don't use a handle. All I 
request is that you don't take credit for my writing by adding your own 
name to it--just leave it intact and pass it on.

This phile was written during June, 1993.

Preface
--------
I didn't start smoking buds till my sophomore year in college. I hadn't 
even drunk alcohol till college. Since I'm not much of a partier, I had 
a pretty neutral attitude toward drugs. It's not that I bought the War 
on Drugs misinformation that the government has been dishing out, but 
rather that I just thought drugs had no place in my life. I had no 
inclination towards them, I had a relatively satisfying life, and I 
didn't care if other people used them or not. In college some of my 
buddies smoked buds and I was often in the room when it was going on. I 
was still indifferent until one of them explained to me how he felt 
about pot. He answered all my questions honestly and I got the sense 
that it certainly wouldn't hurt to try ONCE.

I suppose the rest is history, since I took a great liking to old delta-
9 tetrahydrocannibinol, and I now consider myself a marijuana/hemp 
enthusiast, as well as a bong artisan.

I urge everyone to inform themselves about the FACTS of marijuana and 
about the LIES of the "War on Drugs". Whether you smoke or not you 
should know about the true detriments and *benefits* of marijuana. You 
should also know of the wide range of uses of the hemp plant itself, for 
medicine, paper, clothing, "wood", and food. If you don't know the 
facts, FIND OUT the facts by talking to a lot of smokers. They know. You 
can also search out marijuana-legalization groups. They know.

With your new knowledge comes responsibility. Pass on the truthful 
information to friends, co-workers, EVERYBODY. The more real information 
people know about drugs, the less the DEA will be able to bash down 
doors, confiscate equipment, and deprive people of a perfectly natural 
experience.

While I would like to get into the topic of drug advocacy, there are 
many essays already out there (print and electronic text) which do an 
excellent job of informing the public of the truth about drugs.

This essay seeks to fill a gap in the drug literature by going into 
detail about bongs, bong-making, and bong-using. I bring my own 
experiences, experimentations, and reading into the creation of this 
document. I hope it will enlighten many people. Pass it on!

The Bong Concept
----------------
The anatomy of a conventional bong is *very* simple. It consists of a 
bowl (and screen), a stem (sometimes optional), a chamber, some liquid, 
and an opening for the mouth(s). 


                    | |  <---"mouthpiece"
                    / \
                   /   \
                  /     \
     chamber--->  |     |
                  |     | \ /  <---bowl
      "carb"--->  O     | //
                  |     |//  <---stem
                  |      /
                  |     /
                  |     |
                  |     |
                  \_____/   


The crude diagram above shows a generic bong. Water fills the container 
and stem just up to the carb. The water level should really be at least 
an inch below the "carb" ("carburetor", I guess) so that when the bong 
is tilted the water won't leak. The job of the carb is to regulate where 
the air will be supplied from. If covered, the air (smoke) will come 
from the bowl; if uncovered, air will rush through the carb and force 
out the smoke remaining in the chamber.

I won't go through a boring description of every part of a bong--if you 
don't know, ask someone. The point I want to illustrate is that a bong 
merely forces the smoke to bubble up through water, thereby filtering 
it. Every bong works with this principle. I've tried many innovations on 
the generic bong for different effects. [More later.]

Not all bongs work with this method, however. Gravity bongs work on a 
different concept, but I've never seen one besides from the one I made 
with a friend [details later]. 

Why Bongs?
----------
Not everyone uses bongs. New smokers may wonder why anyone bothers with 
bongs, and I know plenty of stoners who *prefer* joints to pipes or 
bongs.

Those who favor joints will wax romantic about the joys of rolling, of 
passing around a fatty, and of super-potent roaches. While I will not 
turn down a joint making its way around a room, I have never rolled one 
myself. I disdain joints mainly because of their wastefulness. Consider: 
While the joint is being passed around or stalled, it is still burning, 
losing precious smoke. If you grow your own buds you may be able to 
afford such carelessness, but that is a luxury. Most stoners must pay 
astronomical street prices for what is, in essence, a WEED.

Bongs have a special advantage. A stoner can control the burning by 
using the flat side of a lighter to extinguish the bowl after taking a 
hit. [More on this technique later.] The practice of extinguishing the 
bowl can save a lot of pot in the long run.

Even those who don't habitually extinguish the bowl will still save more 
buds, considering the size of a bowl compared with a joint. A bowl holds 
a smaller amount of bud, so the most you can waste is the quantity a 
bowl will hold. Stalling a joint, though, will use up a much larger 
portion, depending on the size of the joint.

A bong burns a smaller surface area of bud than a joint does. It's easy 
to notice that a joint lets loose a steady stream of smoke into the 
atmosphere when it's being passed around, while a bowl tends to smother 
the embers underneath ash and unburnt bud. Stoners may notice that a 
stalled bong will release a very thin stream of smoke compared to a 
burning joint. Moreover, bongs pull all the smoke into the chamber while 
joints still waste smoke even while being toked.

Joints are *much* harsher on your lungs. While some joint-rollers will 
use pre-made filters, or a makeshift filter made from a rolled-up paper, 
nothing compares with the filtration effect of water. Ed Rosenthal of 
_High Times_ has noted that water not only cools the smoke, but actually 
removes harmful impurities as well. [Boiling water is a good choice in a 
bong, too. More later.] Bongs have this advantage over pipes, which, 
like joints, pass the unfiltered smoke right into your lungs.

Pipes are a little better than joints since they use a bowl the same way 
bongs do. The burning is more controlled, and the bud will last longer. 
Pipes can be made out of materials which cool the smoke a little, but 
they will never cool it as well as a bong. Some commercial brands 
feature a "resinator", a small chamber in the pipe's midsection which 
stores a quantity of bud. As bowls are smoked, the smoke must pass 
through the resinator, over the bud. A lot of THC-laden resin will be 
despoited on the cache of bud, and when it is finally taken out and 
smoked it will make for a mind-blowing hit. I have never seen a 
resinator on a bong, but it would not be difficult to make a bong with 
one.

Pipes (including hitters) and joints have the distinct advantage of 
being very concealable and very portable. Hitters are great in crowds 
because they are the easiest to pack. Some hitters are even painted to 
look like cigarettes, so no one knows that YOU are smoking buds, though 
everyone can smell it!

As far as portability goes, bongs can be made in a variety of sizes. I 
made myself a portable bong out of a 12-oz. plastic water bottle. It 
works fine, though the filtration leaves something to be desired. 
Nevertheless, I prefer it over my corn-cob pipes, which I never use 
anymore.

Considerations in Bong-Making
-----------------------------
When planning a bong, one should aim for specific goals. Should the bong 
be portable? Fancy? Colorful? Here's a partial list of characteristics 
which give a bong its individual personality:

airtightness
bowl size
choice of chamber/tube(s)
compactness/portability
decoration
draw
filtration
hit size
transparency
tube diameter
user accomodation
volume
etc.

My first time
-------------
The first bong I ever made was with a friend of mine. We were talking on 
the phone about bud and we suddenly decided to make a bong together. We 
wound up making two bongs: one fast-n-dirty gravity bong which worked 
great and a "conventional" bong which sucked. The whole process was a 
blast, as we were brainstorming and planning out every detail to come up 
with a kick-ass bong. He dropped by my place at college and we headed 
off for a nearby Ace Hardware to get supplies for the second bong. We 
picked up a 10-foot length of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) for five bucks. 
[NOTE: Do *NOT* use PVC for bongs--the heat of the smoke reacts with the 
plastic, releasing small amounts of carcinogens. Ed Rosenthal says so, 
too.] We had the helpful, but perplexed, hardware man cut it into five 
two-foot sections and drill a 1/4" hole near the base of each. We bought 
generous lengths of clear, flexible plastic tubing and some plexiglas 
squares. By the time we were done, we had a *very* weird-looking, 
primitive bong. But it worked (barely), and we were high. Good 'nuff.

Gravity Bong
------------
The gravity bong was much better. They are very easy to make, are hard 
to fuck up, and give good hits. My friend and I made it entirely out of 
a one-liter plastic pop bottle, a two-liter plastic pop bottle, 
electrical tape, and some aluminum foil. After dumping the pop we sliced 
the neck off the two-liter and sliced the bottom black part off the one-
liter (visualize this). The one-liter served as the "top" which fit 
inside the "bottom" part, the two-liter. We took the plastic bottlecaps 
and punched several holes in each, put them top-to-top and taped them up 
(voila--the bowl) (silicone would have made a better seal). We put the 
foil into one of the bottlecaps and punched a few tiny holes in it (the 
screen).

The concept of a gravity bong is as simple as a conventional bong. The 
two-liter bottom is filled with water and the one-liter top is inserted 
inside (both top-up). The cap is filled with bud (of course) and screwed 
onto the one-liter. The bud is lit and the one-liter is steadily pulled 
upwards. A vacuum is thus created in the one-liter, drawing in the 
smoke. The chopped-off bottom of the one-liter must not rise above the 
water line, or else the vacuum is destroyed and your smoke is lost. Once 
the one-liter is pulled up as far as possible and is filled with smoke, 
the bottlecap (bowl) is unscrewed and removed. While still holding the 
one-liter up (you'll feel a steady pull due to the high pressure of the 
smoke wanting to escape), wrap your lips around the neck of the one-
liter and LET GO! The one-liter will drop into the water, forcing the 
smoke out and into your lungs. Cool, huh? Try another bowl!

Back to Basics
--------------
You can always make a simple, effective bong in a couple of minutes with 
a plastic container, a stem and bowl, and some silicone. Finding a good 
stem and bowl may not always be easy, depending on where you live. There 
is a head shop in Chicago near where I live which sells all sorts of 
paraphernalia under-the-counter. Thus, I have been spoiled and don't 
know much about alternatives. Before I found the head shop, though, I 
did make a crude stem and bowl from Ace Hardware parts--namely, a length 
of copper tubing and a brass fitting glued together. When in doubt of 
supplies to use, browse a hardware store. You'll be inspired.

[See bong diagram from above....] Anyway, cut a hole about midway up the 
container (allow for the stem's angle), and shove in the stem. Seal it 
up with generous amounts of silicone and let dry. Poke a small hole on 
the side opposite the stem (about 1/4", below the level of the bowl) for 
the carb. There. You're done. The silicone makes an airtight seal--very 
important--so you don't waste lung power.

Aesthetics
----------
While the quick-n-dirty approach will yield practical results, you may 
opt for a bong that looks nice as well. I have been celebrating my 
greatest achievement of bong-making since a few months ago, when I made 
a hooka (multi-user bong with tubes) out of a brass teapot. I found the 
teapot at a garage sale for $4. The hinge for the lid was damaged, but I 
didn't need the lid anyway, so I threw it out. I stuck a stem and two 
thin (3/16") flexible plastic tubes down the top opening and sealed it 
up with silicone. Voila. The spout serves as the carb, and water can be 
flowed into or poured out of it. 

I have gotten many compliments on it, and for good reason. It's 
perfectly airtight and gives the *best* hits with a clean screen. It 
looks cool--a brass beauty with two tenacles streaming out and a stem 
and bowl emerging from the top. It is the best one I have ever used, 
save for The Monster [more on that later].

The point of my bragging is to emphasize the aesthetics of bong-making. 
If you take the time to find a container you like, you'll be able to 
make a bong which is not only functional but also looks great and 
receives compliments for hits and appearance. Check out garage sales, 
thrift stores, hardware stores, flea markets, etc.

A couple buddies of mine had a plastic pig's head which was supposed to 
be a toy bank. Guess what they did with it.... They stuck a stem into 
the pig's mouth and widened the coin slot to make an excellent bong 
which has a large chamber for smoke. 

Basically, you should have fun planning and making your bong. If you 
have fun making it and are proud of the finished product you'll 
certainly enjoy using it. And so will other stoners.

Materials
---------
While there's a wide variety of containers and materials you can use in 
making a bong, make sure they will be safe. PVC is out (as mentioned 
above). When deciding whether to use a certain kind of plastic or not, 
the rule of thumb is to make sure it's safe for food. If it's meant to 
store food, it's okay. Otherwise, don't risk it. Plastic tubing is fine. 
Glass is optimal because it's inert, but many stoner acquaintances of 
mine have seen their $50 Graphix bongs accidentally shattered. The best 
materials to use are chemistry supplies. After all, they are designed to 
be airtight, to withstand high temperatures, etc. Therefore, they're 
safe to use and they give the best hits. The tradeoff is that they don't 
look pretty. My friend's bong, "The Monster", is made from a 1-liter, 
heavy-duty Ehrlenmeyer flask with a two-hole stopper (+ stem & bowl) and 
a length of rubber tubing. It's simple, it's airtight, and you can watch 
the smoke fill the chamber while your friend is taking a hit.

Metals are fine to use, too. I've seen stems and bowls made from 
aluminum, copper, and brass. Stay away from any metal which could leach 
into the water, and especially stay away from lead (duh).

Clay is great for bongs. The same friend who owns The Monster had a 
buddy of his make him a small clay bong. It's only about 6" high, with a 
round chamber, a stout neck and a fixed bowl. It wasn't glazed or fired, 
but it's airtight and very portable, not to mention cute as shit. 

Volume = Filtration
-----------------
After making a few junky bongs out of the PVC sections [remember, DON'T 
use PVC!], I decided that filtraton is an important characteristic for 
my bongs to have. I swiped a one-gallon institutional-size plastic 
mayonnaise jar with screw-on lid and washed it out. I stuck some PVC 
pipe through the lid [remember--PVC: *bad*] and poked a hole in the side 
of the container for a length of plastic tubing. One end of the tubing 
rested on the bottom of the jar. The tubing came out the side, wraped 
around the neck, and ended in a corn-cob pipe. A bent coat hanger 
encircled the neck and stuck out a few inches to support the tubing and 
pipe. It looked huge--it looked weird--but it worked great.

I always filled up the entire gallon with ICE WATER before packing 
bowls. While it took a little bit of lung power to initially pull the 
smoke through the water, it was worth it. The smoke, after passing 
through the ONE GALLON of ICE WATER as small bubbles, became so cooled 
that it felt like oxygen when you brought it into your lungs. Stoners 
passing through my room took enormous hits without realizing it and got 
baked beyond compare. 

While that bong wasn't sophisticated by any account, it definitely gave 
the coolest hits ever. I miss it for that reason, and I am still trying 
to find a way to make a bong with optimal filtration AND easy draws.

The rule of thumb to keep in mind when considering how much filtration a 
bong will have is simple. The three characteristics which matter most 
are the coldness of the liquid, the size/number of the bubbles, and the 
time the smoke is in contact with the water. The one-gallon bong I made 
turned out to have the best filtration because 1] I loaded it with ice, 
then filled it to the top with water; 2] The smoke broke into hundreds 
of tiny bubbles inside the chamber (maximum surface area!); 3] The 
bubbles travelled through about nine inches of water to get to the top.

Scraping Your Bong
------------------
I think one of the coolest things about smoking buds is that even after 
your stash is all gone, you can still get high. Scraping bongs not only 
salvages resin for a strong-and-fast buzz, but also is a necessary part 
of bong maintenance. Smoking joints is the easiest thing to do--at most 
you'll probably want to save the roach. Bongs, however, do get clogged 
with resin and need to be cleaned. The parts which get most clogged are 
those with the smallest openings.

The screen, of course, gets caked very easily and should be blown clean 
after every bowl. I always tap the ash out, then blow a fast lungful 
through pursed lips into the bottom of the bowl. When you can see 
through the holes in the screen, you're set. If you let the screen get 
too caked up, it will be *very* hard to get good bong hits because it 
will feel like you're trying to draw smoke through canvas. 

When scraping your bowl and stem, you should use a thin, narrow metal 
object. The awl attachment on a pocket knife works well. I've heard of 
stoners using an unbent coat hanger, although I am partial towards a 
jeweler's screwdriver.

The best thing to do is to save some leftover ash, then scrape your 
bowl. The flakes of resin which come off are very sticky and are hard to 
roll without smearing them all over your fingers. Resin smells very 
strongly, too, and won't come off your fingers for a few days. If you 
roll the resin with the ash, the ash acts as a binder and keeps the 
resin from sticking to your fingers excessively. After scraping the 
resin onto a smooth, flat surface, roll it with the ash into a ball. 
When done, stick it back into the bowl and smoke it. Bon apetit!

Length of water = hard pull
---------------------------
The easiest bongs to pull smoke through are those with clean screens and 
a short distance of water. When I was experimenting with the physics of 
bongs, I made a Graphix-type bong (cylindrical chamber, open-mouthed 
hits) with one innovation: Instead of just sticking a stem into the 
chamber, I used a length of flexible plastic tubing which came out of 
the bottom of the chamber and coiled around the tube a few times before 
ending in a corncob pipe. The idea was to create some length of water 
for the bubbles to travel through, thus cleaning the smoke more.

The guy who introduced me to smoking argued this point with me. He said 
that it was the *volume* of water which made a difference in cleaning 
the smoke, not the *distance* that the smoke travelled. I think he was 
right, because the one-gallon bong [see above] had much better 
filtration than the coiled-tubing bong.

The down-side to the coiled-tubing bong was that it took some initial 
lung power to pull the water from the coils into the chamber, creating 
the necessary vacuum for the smoke to bubble. Veteran stoners and 
cigarette smokers (especially) didn't like that part of it because of 
the lung power it required. I didn't mind so much, because I was used to 
it, and once the bubbling started it had an easy draw. The one-gallon 
bong was the same way, but it could have had easier pull if I used a 
simple stem instead of a long length of plastic tubing.

Liquids
-------
Tap water is not the only liquid that can be used in a bong. I prefer 
ice water, since it really cools the smoke, depending on how much water 
you have in the bong. Lately, though, I've tried hot/boiling water in 
The Monster [see above], and I like that effect a lot. The steam 
moisturizes the smoke and removes the dryness and harshness. If your 
bong can withstand hot or boiling water, I'd recommend it.

Trying various kinds of liquids in a bong is a lot of fun. Using beer 
and/or liquor in a bong gives the smoke a tasty flavor, covering over 
the smoky taste. I'd suggest Lineinkugel's beer, or Jim Beam/Jack 
Daniels whiskey. I tried some cherry-flavored bug juice once (cheap Kool 
Aid), and it was horrible.

Chamber
-------
The chamber is the part of the bong which fills up with smoke when the 
pot is being burned. The larger the chamber, the more smoke is "stored 
up" before inhaling it. In my portable bong (12 oz.), the chamber is 
very small and a stoner will feel the smoke entering his/her lungs 
seconds after lighting up.

I am personally indifferent to large/small chambers. Since I am fairly 
athletic, I have a healthy lung capacity and can take *very* big hits 
off a bong--the biggest make me gag and cough, though, so I'm not as 
gung-ho as I used to be. Big chambers are nice, though, because you can 
use multiple breaths to burn a lot of bud, filling the large chamber. 
Once the chamber is filled, you carb it and suck in a mind-numbing 
amount of smoke. Three-foot bongs are cool because you can watch the 
"packet" of smoke travel up the bong after it's carbed.

In deciding where to drill the carb, it's necessary to understand that 
the volume of the container must be split between water and chamber 
space. I usually drill halfway up or higher for maximum water volume. 
Remember, though, that the water level cannot be higher that the "bud-
line", or else your bowl of bud will get soaked by the water travelling 
up the stem.

I would also caution against leaving too little a chamber space, because 
the smoke seems to be harsher when inhaled straight from the water. It's 
easier to stomach the smoke when inhaled all at once rather than 
gradually. 

Smoking and extinguishing a bowl
--------------------------------
Having hung out with many bong-smokers in my meager 1.3 years of 
smoking, I've seen many ways of smoking a bong. The simplest way, or 
course, is to cover the carb, light up, wait till your lungs are 90% 
full, then carb it and inhale the chamber.

There are variations on this basic technique. As mentioned above, one 
good thing about smoking from a bowl is that you can extinguish the bowl 
in order to prevent wasting bud. The best technique I've seen is to 
partialy cover the bowl with the lighter, *a few seconds before you carb 
it*. This method will taper down the air flow toward the end, then will 
completely stop the burning when the bowl is completely covered and the 
bong is carbed.

For longer bongs, you might want to use several breaths on a covered 
carb to fill the long chamber with smoke. Carbing it will then pull in 
the full chamber's worth of smoke.

A stoner friend of mine tends to take a few smaller hits on a single 
breath. He doesn't violate stoner etiquette [see below], but I don't 
know if his way is more effective than one long draw. My reasoning tells 
me that carbing it multiple times on a single breath would cause a waste 
of lung power/space. This figures because breath goes faster with an 
open carb (less air resistance), so the less lung time used with an 
uncovered carb, the better. However, I haven't tried his way so I can't 
accurately critique this method. 

Etiquette
---------
***Disclaimer: This section on etiquette is meant to be a *personal* 
observation of stoner manners. I do not mean to imply that this is how 
stoners, as a whole, do or should conduct their smoking.

Bong etiquette seems to allow each person one lungful (inhalation) per 
turn. It is rude to start a breath over, even if due to bad lighting 
technique (wasted lung space). The exception is when delays are caused 
by a faulty lighter. The turn-taker is also allowed to finish the 
chamber of smoke (carbed) on a second breath. If a person doesn't get a 
good amount of smoke in a hit, they're allowed to smoke first (if going 
in order) from the new bowl. 

The bong *and* lighter should be smoothly passed onto the next stoner. 
The veteran of stoners will have already extinguished the bowl so that 
no bud is wasted for the next person.

Etiquette for the host suggests that s/he provide his/her guests with a 
spittoon (garbage can), water, and munchies (optional, but very 
generous!). Needless to say, the ambience should be comfortable and 
inviting. Bud is best enjoyed in company and with entertainment, so bud 
should be shared with friends.

Bowl packers are subject to a much looser constraints. Since the person 
packing bowls is in essence doing everyone else a favor, few arguments 
can be made by the recipients. Bowl packers can be dictators and direct 
the route of the bong. They can also smoke as much of their own bud as 
they want, even if they're out of turn or whatever. The kindest bowl 
packers pack so much bud into a large bowl that the air can barely be 
sucked through it. They pass the bong around in order and re-pack the 
bowl liberally. Not everyone has the money to afford this philosophy, 
but stoners are usually generous people.

Usually the person packing bowls will take the first hit off a new bowl, 
but not always. When a fresh bowl is passed to someone else, it is a 
generous gesture towards that stoner.

While stoners can be obnoxious, they are all too often labeled as "bad 
stoners". This unfarly derisive term means that a stoner acts goofy 
while stoned. It's very uncool to blame some stoner's goofy behavior on 
the fact that s/he's stoned because it's too easy to make a stoner self-
conscious (and that sucks). It is more polite to allow everyone to enjoy 
the bud in their own way and not be judgmental of others. 

The best attitude to have is to relax and enjoy the company and the 
surroundings. Bud is finicky that way--every experienced stoner knows 
that you should be in a good mood when stoning. 

Lighters
--------
Lighters come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Ordinary cigarette 
lighters are adequate for smoking bud, but they're not the best. If 
ordinary lighters are used, it's best to make sure the flame is at least 
1.5" tall. When lighting, the lighter is best held vertically, with the 
flame being sucked over the edge of the bowl onto the bud. This method 
avoids singed fingers.

If possible, a pipe lighter should be purchased. Pipe lighters emit a 
tall flame at a ninety-degree angle, making it easier to light a bowl. 
The same effect can be achieved with conventional lighters by using a 
lighter "holster". The only one I've seen was made out of leather and 
had a "belt strap" on the back. The lighter was put into the holster, 
and the index and middle fingers fit snugly into the belt strap (with 
the holster resting on *top* of the fingers). The thumb could then flick 
the lighter with all fingers safely away from the flame even if the 
lighter were held sideways to light the bowl.  

Above all else, though, the most important characteristic to look for in 
a lighter is reliability. It's depressing to be holding a packed bong, 
ready for a hit, and flicking the lighter over and over without getting 
a flame.

Carb vs. slide
--------------
Most bongs use a carb to clear the chamber of smoke, but they're not the 
only way. Some stems are removable, and they're called "slides". The 
slide fits into a slightly larger-diameter fixed stem. A little gasket 
at the base of the stem creates an airtight seal whenever the slide is 
in the stem. When "carbed", the slide is pulled out of the stem by a 
little handle, allowing plain air to be sucked through the water, 
clearing the chamber.

Both slides and carbs are fine, and the choice of one or the other is 
totally a matter of personal preference.

Wetting the herb
----------------
Some time ago a stoner wrote in to _High Times_ that he gets more smoke 
(up to three times as much) from his bud when he wets the herb. I've 
tried smoking dry and wet buds in my bongs and have found no difference 
one way or the other. I may be doing it wrong, but I really doubt that 
wetting the herb makes any difference.

Conclusion
----------
I hope this article will be informative and useful to some stoners. I 
apologize if some of the information is obvious, but I like to err on 
the verbose side.

In closing I urge all stoners to realize that there is no reason for 
marijuana/hemp to be illegal. Mainstream drugs like alcohol and nicotine 
are much more dangerous.

If marijuana is ever to be legal, it will require that stoners come out 
of the closet and talk openly about the benefits of pot smoking with 
*everyone*. Tell non-stoning friends, relatives, colleagues, co-workers, 
teachers, parents, etc., as much as possible. Be informed and answer 
questions honestly. Although it can be difficult to tell people you've 
known all your life that you smoke pot and think it should be legalized, 
it is easier than you think. If you follow up your admission with good 
arguments, your friends (etc.) will be forced to seriously wonder why 
marijuana is illegal at all. Happy stoning!