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{{Short description|Device used for smoking tobacco, cannabis, or other herbs}}
{{Original research|article|date=September 2007}}
{{About|a pipe that is used for smoking cannabis and other substances|the preparation of cannabis leaves and flowers|Bhang|other uses|Bong (disambiguation)}}
{{seealso|Bong (disambiguation)}}
{{pp|reason=Persistent ]|small=yes}}
]

A '''bong''', also commonly known as a '''water pipe''', is a smoking device, generally used to smoke ], ], or other substances.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/marijuana/index.html|title=Office of National Drug Control Policy}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://wwwebbb.gsu.edu/lawand/papers/fa05/albright_shawkat_susor/|title=Contraband: The Sale of Regulated Goods on the Internet}}</ref> The construction of a bong and its principle of action is similar to that of the ], which is also called "water ]." Smoking a bong contrasts with smoking a ] or ] in two major ways: bongs cool the smoke before it enters the user’s ] (making it easier to smoke), and a large amount of smoke is inhaled quickly as opposed to the smaller, more frequent, inhalations of pipe and cigarette smoking.
]
A '''bong''' (also known as a '''water pipe''') is a filtration device generally used for smoking ], ], or other herbal substances.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ul451.gsu.edu/lawand/papers/fa05/albright_shawkat_susor/|title=Contraband: The Sale of Regulated Goods on the Internet|access-date=2010-03-24|archive-date=2016-04-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412074521/http://ul451.gsu.edu/lawand/papers/fa05/albright_shawkat_susor/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the bong shown in the photo, the smoke flows from the lower port on the left to the upper port on the right.

In construction and function, a bong is similar to a ], except smaller and especially more portable. A bong may be constructed from any air- and water-tight vessel by adding a bowl and stem apparatus (or slide)<ref>{{Cite news|last=Delaney|first=Arthur|date=2008-05-09|title=How To Make a Skull Bong|language=en-US|work=Slate|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2008/05/can-a-human-skull-be-used-as-a-bong.html|access-date=2023-02-14|issn=1091-2339|archive-date=2023-02-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214093818/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2008/05/can-a-human-skull-be-used-as-a-bong.html|url-status=live}}</ref> which guides air downward to below water level whence it bubbles upward ("bubbler") during use. To get fresh air into the bong and harvest the last remaining smoke, a hole known as the "carburetor", "carb", "choke", "bink", "rush", "shotty", "kick hole", or simply "hole", somewhere on the lower part of the bong above water level, is first kept covered during the smoking process, then opened to allow the smoke to be drawn into the respiratory system. On bongs without such a hole, the bowl and/or the stem are removed to allow air from the hole that holds the stem.

Bongs have been in use by the ] in ] and ], as well all over Africa, for centuries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.420magazine.com/community/threads/the-real-history-of-the-bong.73197/|title=The real history of the bong|website=420 Magazine|date=5 February 2008 |access-date=2023-02-16|archive-date=2023-02-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216051309/https://www.420magazine.com/community/threads/the-real-history-of-the-bong.73197/|url-status=live}}</ref> One of the earliest recorded uses of the word in the West is in the McFarland Thai-English Dictionary, published in 1944, which describes one of the meanings of ''bong'' in the Thai language as, "a bamboo waterpipe for smoking kancha, tree, hashish, or the hemp-plant". A January 1971 issue of the ''Marijuana Review'' also used the term.


==Etymology== ==Etymology==
The word ''bong'' is an adaptation of the ] word ''baung'' ({{lang-th|บ้อง}} {{IPA|/bɔːŋ/}}),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thai-language.com/id/139827|title=Thai dictionary entry for ''baawng''}}</ref> a cylindrical ]en ], ], or ] cut from ], and which also refers to the bong used for smoking. Bongs have been in use, primarily by the ], in ] and ], for centuries. One of the earliest recorded uses of the word in Western literature dates to a piece in the January ] issue of the '']''.<ref>The text read: ''Many thanks to Scott Bennett for the beautiful special bong he made for my pipe collection.'' Text cited in '''bong, n.3''' ''The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed.'' 1989. ''OED'' Online. Oxford University Press. 20 April 2006 http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50024920</ref> An even earlier reference, the McFarland Thai-English Dictionary, published in 1944 describes one of the meanings of ''bong'' in the Thai language as, "a bamboo waterpipe for smoking kancha, tree, hashish, or the hemp-plant." The word ''bong'' is an adaptation of the ] word ''bong'' or ''baung'' ({{langx|th|บ้อง}}, {{IPA|th|bɔ̂ŋ|}}), which refers to a cylindrical ]en tube, ], or ] cut from ], and which also refers to the bong used for smoking.


==Operation== ==History==
Excavations of a ] in Russia in 2013 revealed that ] tribal chiefs used gold vessels 2400 years ago to smoke cannabis and opium. The kurgan was discovered when construction workers were clearing land for the construction of a power line.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/150522-scythians-marijuana-bastard-wars-kurgan-archaeology|title=Gold Artifacts Tell Tale of Drug-Fueled Rituals and "Bastard Wars"|last=National Geographic|website=]|date=22 May 2015|access-date=2022-05-10|language=en-US|archive-date=2022-05-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510210649/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/150522-scythians-marijuana-bastard-wars-kurgan-archaeology|url-status=dead}}</ref>
]
]
During the reign of ], physician Hakim Abul Fath invented the waterpipe in ], and discovered tobacco. Abul suggested that tobacco "smoke should be first passed through a small receptacle of water so that it would be rendered harmless".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Waterpipe Overview – WHO FCTC Secretariat's Knowledge Hub on waterpipes|url=https://untobaccocontrol.org/kh/waterpipes/waterpipe-overview/|access-date=2022-01-15|language=en-US|archive-date=2022-01-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115112743/https://untobaccocontrol.org/kh/waterpipes/waterpipe-overview/|url-status=usurped}}</ref> Other sources also show evidence of the invention of the waterpipe in ] during the late ] (16th century), along with tobacco, through Persia and the ].{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} By the ], it became the most popular method to smoke tobacco, but became less popular since the Republic era. While typically employed by commoners, the water pipe is known to have been preferred by ] over snuff bottles or other methods of intake. According to the ], she was buried with at least three water pipes; some of her collections can be seen in the ].
To use a bong, the base of the bong pipe is filled with ]. The substance to be smoked is packed into the cone piece (also known as the "bowl" or "bowl-piece") and ignited. The user places his/her lips inside the mouthpiece, forming a seal, and inhales, causing the flame to be drawn toward the substance. An inhalation is known as a "hit", "pull", "rip" or "toke." As the user ], the flame is drawn towards the substance, igniting it, and the smoke which is produced travels through a hollow pipe that is attached to the bottom of the bowl. The pipe enters via an airtight stem into a vessel containing water (or whatever other liquid is used). The smoke rises through the water, which cools the smoke, and then the smoke is trapped in the air chamber above the water. At the side or back of the bong, above the water level, there is usually a small air hole called a "carburetor", "carb", "choke", "shotgun", "shottie" or "rush hole". The user of the bong covers the carb with a finger until the material in the bowl has burnt away, then uncovers and pulls all the smoke from the bong into their lungs (called "clearing" the bong). Not all bongs use a carb, however. Many higher end models have a removable bowl piece which works the same as a carb. These are usually known as "pull-stem" or "slide" bongs, and usually glass bongs that have glass-on-glass connections have this arrangement.
]


The water pipe employed since the Qing dynasty can be divided into two types: the homemade bamboo bong commonly made and used by country people, and a more elegant metal version employed by Chinese merchants, urbanites, and nobility. Metal utensils are typically made out of bronze or brass, the nobility version of silver and decorated with jewels. Typically, the metal version is made out of the following components:
===Comparison with other smoking methods===
*The water pipe itself, a single-piece construct consisting of the bowl-stem, the water container, and a drawtube at least 3&nbsp;inches, but some can be up to 12&nbsp;inches in length. Some are straight with a "Joint" (Sandblasted top part of stem, usually about 1&nbsp;inch long, and all the way around, tapered or cone shaped, so the tapered, or "cone shaped" bowl will fit in)some are bent to resemble a ]. The size of the bowl is similar to that of a ], typically the width of a thumbnail or smaller.
{{Cleanup-section|date=September 2008}}
*The tobacco container with a lid.
]
*A pipe rack small enough to be held by one hand, and consisting of two large holes for the tobacco container and the water pipe. It may have smaller holes to hold various pipe tools.
The rationale behind the use of a bong is the claim that the cooling effect of the water helps to reduce the chance of burning the mouth, airways, and lungs. The water can trap some heavier particles and water-soluble molecules, preventing them from entering the smoker's airways.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/mj013.htm|title=Marijuana Consumption: Smoking, Eating, And Drinking Marijuana}}</ref> This "filtration" can lead to the belief that bongs are less damaging than other smoking methods. However, a ] ]-] study found that "water pipes filter out more psychoactive THC than they do other tars, thereby requiring users to smoke more to reach their desired effect".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maps.org/mmj/vaporizer.html|title=MAPS/CaNORML vaporizer and waterpipe studies}}</ref> In the study, smoke from cannabis supplied by the ] was drawn through a number of smoking devices and analyzed. An inhalation machine, adjusted to mimic the puff length of cannabis smokers, drew smoke through a standard bong, a small portable bong with a folding stem, a bong with a motorized paddle that thoroughly mixes the smoke with the water, and two different types of ]s. Comparisons to traditional non-filtered smoking methods were not included in these experiment.
During a smoking session, the user may keep all equipment inside the rack and just hold the entire assembly (rack, pipe, and container) in one hand, lighting the bowl with a slow-burning paper wick (纸煤) lit over a coal stove.
Unlike in North America and the Southern Hemisphere, the water pipe is typically employed by older generations.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}


==Use==
MAPS<ref>Nicholas V. Cozzi, Ph.D. </ref> also reviewed a study that examined the effects and composition of water-filtered and non-filtered ] and ]. It found that when ] ]s were exposed to unfiltered smoke, their ability to fight bacteria was reduced, unlike exposure to water-filtered smoke. It also found substantial epidemiological evidence of a lower incidence of ] among tobacco smokers who used water-pipes, as opposed to ], ], and regular ]. "It appears that water filtration can be effective in removing components from cannabis smoke that are known toxicants... The effectiveness of toxicant removal is related to the smoke's water contact area. Specially designed water pipes, incorporating particulate filters and gas-dispersion ], would likely be most effective in this regard; the gas-dispersion frit serves to break up the smoke into very fine bubbles, thereby increasing its water-contact area."<ref>Nicholas V. Cozzi, Ph.D. </ref> This study suggests that a bong's smoke is less harmful than unfiltered smoke.
]
{{Listen|filename=Hitting the bong.ogg|title=Sound of a bong in operation}}
The water can trap some heavier particles and water-soluble molecules, preventing them from entering the smoker's airways.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150323104554/http://premiumbongs.com/bong-information.html |archive-date=March 23, 2015|url=http://www.premiumbongs.com/bong-information.html|title=Marijuana Consumption: Smoking, Eating, And Drinking Marijuana|access-date=March 10, 2016}}</ref> The mechanics of a bong are compared to those of a laboratory ] bottle. The user puts their mouth at the top and places the cannabis in the tube, as shown in the picture.


Bongs are often either ] or ] that use a bowl, stem, and water to produce smoke. Most glass bongs are made from heat resistant ], allowing the bong to withstand repeated use and heat exposure without breaking. After the bowl has been packed and water has been inserted into the bong, the substance is lit and the smoke is drawn through water to produce a smoother smoke than other methods of smoking do.<ref>{{cite book|last=Keliher|first=Evan| title=Grandpa's Marijuana Handbook|year=2003|publisher=Aventine Press|location=]|isbn=978-1-59330-135-4|edition=2nd|page=37}}</ref> To smoke a bong, the smoker must inhale in the bong so bubbles containing smoke begin to come from the stem. Once the bong has a fair amount of smoke built up, either the carb is uncovered or the stem is separated from the bong, allowing the remaining smoke to be inhaled.
a bong i also different to a pipe or cigarette because with a bong
the user fills up the chamber of the bong with smoke and then quickly
takes it in via (A) a bullet hole or carb wich is a dime sized hole wich the user covers with there finger till the chamber is full and then removes there finger to let in a burst of air witch rushes the smoke in to the users lungs. (B) a slide witch is were the bowl of the bong is removable wich creates a air flow just like a bullet hole/carb.


]
==Variations==


However, a 2000 ]-] cannabis study found that "water pipes filter out more psychoactive ] than they do other tars, thereby requiring users to smoke more to reach their desired effect".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://maps.org/news-letters/v06n3/06359mj1.html|title=MAPS - Volume 6 Number 3 Summer 1996 -|website=maps.org|access-date=2023-01-27|archive-date=2023-01-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127022847/https://maps.org/news-letters/v06n3/06359mj1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In the study, smoke from cannabis supplied by the ] was drawn through a number of smoking devices and analyzed. This study looked at the tar to cannabinoid ratio in the gas in output by various bongs, as well as unfiltered and filtered joints, and vaporizers. The results showed that only vaporizers produced a better tar to cannabinoid ratio than unfiltered joints, but that within the cannabinoids produced, even vaporizers warped the ratio of THC (the psychoactive component of the smoke) to ] (capable of producing medical benefits but is not psychoactive) in favor of CBN. This showed an unfiltered joint had the best tar to THC ratio of all, and bongs were actually seriously detrimental in this respect.
A bong may be constructed from any air- and water-tight vessel by adding a bowl and stem apparatus (a slide)<ref>, retrieved ] ]</ref>; there are reports of such things as videogame controllers or coffee tables<ref>, retrieved ] 2008</ref> being used as bongs.

MAPS<ref name="ukcia.org">{{cite web |last1=Cozzi |first1=Nicholas V. |title=Effects of water filtration on marijuana smoke: a literature review |url=https://www.ukcia.org/research/EffectsOfWaterFiltrationOnMarijuanaSmoke.php |website=UKCIA |access-date=2020-08-16 |archive-date=2020-11-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109030714/http://www.ukcia.org/research/EffectsOfWaterFiltrationOnMarijuanaSmoke.php |url-status=live }}</ref> also reviewed a study that examined the effects and composition of water-filtered and non-filtered ] and ]. It found that when ] ]s were exposed to unfiltered smoke, their ability to fight bacteria was reduced, unlike exposure to water-filtered smoke. It also found substantial epidemiological evidence of a lower incidence of ] among tobacco smokers who used water-pipes, as opposed to ]s, ]s, and regular ]. "It appears that water filtration can be effective in removing components from cannabis smoke that are known toxicants... The effectiveness of toxicant removal is related to the smoke's water contact area."

Specially designed water pipes, incorporating particulate filters and gas-dispersion ], would likely be most effective in this regard; the gas-dispersion frit serves to break up the smoke into very fine bubbles, thereby increasing its water-contact area.<ref name="ukcia.org"/> These frits are commonly referred to as ] for the way that they diffuse (or disperse) the smoke as it exits the downstem, and usually consist of small holes or slats at the end of the downstem. This study suggests that a bong's smoke is less harmful than unfiltered smoke.

===Adverse health effects===
{{see also|Vaping-associated pulmonary injury#Possible causes}}

Bongs that are cleaned regularly eliminates yeast, fungi, bacteria and pathogens that can cause several symptoms that vary from allergy to lung infection.<ref>{{Citation |date=16 July 2018 |title=The Dangers of a Dirty Bong |url=https://www.leafscience.com/2018/07/16/dangers-dirty-bong/ |website=leafscience.com |access-date=21 December 2022 |archive-date=21 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521084225/https://www.leafscience.com/2018/07/16/dangers-dirty-bong/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Plastic bongs====
It has been reported that it is possible to taste the chemicals in the water from a plastic water bottle left sitting in a hot car because "...chemicals have leached into the contents of the bottle."<ref name="plastic April 2022 High Times" >{{Cite news|url=https://hightimes.com/health/dangers-smoking-plastic/|title=The Dangers of Smoking Out of Plastic|date=2014|last=Powell|first=Burgess|work=High Times|access-date=15 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029215323/https://hightimes.com/health/dangers-smoking-plastic/|archive-date=29 October 2021}}</ref> It was also reported that it is possible to imagine that this process of chemicals leaching into water occurring with "...a homemade water bottle bong where the bottle is routinely heated up."<ref name="plastic April 2022 High Times" />

It was also reported that "According to ], plastic bottles heated up to 60°C contain unhealthy levels of toxic chemicals."<ref name="plastic April 2022 High Times" />

==Legal issues==
]

In the ], under the Federal Drug Paraphernalia Statute, which is part of the ], it is illegal to sell, transport through the mail, transport across state lines, import, or export drug paraphernalia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://headshops.us/dea-definition-of-Paraphemalia.html|title=DEA Definition of Paraphernalia - gas mask bong, Squeeze bottle filled with GHB...|website=headshops.us|access-date=2015-11-30|archive-date=2015-12-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208143746/http://headshops.us/dea-definition-of-Paraphemalia.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In countries where marijuana and hashish are illegal, some retailers specify that bongs are intended for use with tobacco in an attempt to circumvent laws against selling drug paraphernalia. While technically "bong" does not mean a device used for smoking mainly cannabis, drug-related connotations have been formed with the word itself (partly due to punning with Sanskrit ''bhangah'' "hemp"). Thus for fear of the law many ]s will not serve customers who use the word "bong" or "bongs", or any other word typically associated with illegal drug use.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2006-02-16/news/head-games/|title=Phoenix New Times: Head Games|access-date=2010-12-09|archive-date=2011-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110617080727/http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2006-02-16/news/head-games/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Some ] bong manufacturers (notably RooR) have sought to curb the ] market for their products by suing stores accused of selling fake merchandise.<ref>{{cite web |last=Spencer |first=Terry |url=http://www.thecannabist.co/2017/01/23/bongs-bogus-lawsuit-counterfeits/71915/ |title=Pipe maker sues: Fake bongs hit world of high-end glass pipes |date=23 January 2017 |publisher=Thecannabist.co |access-date=2017-01-28 |archive-date=2017-01-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128012449/http://www.thecannabist.co/2017/01/23/bongs-bogus-lawsuit-counterfeits/71915/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
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==References== ==References==
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{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
*Erika Dugas, Michèle Tremblay, Nancy C.P. Low, Daniel Cournoyer, Jennifer O'Loughlin: ''Water-Pipe Smoking Among North American Youths'', Pediatrics, Published online May 10, 2010, {{doi|10.1542/peds.2009-2335}} (Full Text free)


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons category|Bongs}}
{{Commonscat|Bong}}
{{wiktionary|bong}}
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{{Cannabis resources}} {{Authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 19:46, 24 October 2024

Device used for smoking tobacco, cannabis, or other herbs This article is about a pipe that is used for smoking cannabis and other substances. For the preparation of cannabis leaves and flowers, see Bhang. For other uses, see Bong (disambiguation).

A bong with a circular carburetion port in the front of the bowl

A bong (also known as a water pipe) is a filtration device generally used for smoking cannabis, tobacco, or other herbal substances. In the bong shown in the photo, the smoke flows from the lower port on the left to the upper port on the right.

In construction and function, a bong is similar to a hookah, except smaller and especially more portable. A bong may be constructed from any air- and water-tight vessel by adding a bowl and stem apparatus (or slide) which guides air downward to below water level whence it bubbles upward ("bubbler") during use. To get fresh air into the bong and harvest the last remaining smoke, a hole known as the "carburetor", "carb", "choke", "bink", "rush", "shotty", "kick hole", or simply "hole", somewhere on the lower part of the bong above water level, is first kept covered during the smoking process, then opened to allow the smoke to be drawn into the respiratory system. On bongs without such a hole, the bowl and/or the stem are removed to allow air from the hole that holds the stem.

Bongs have been in use by the Hmong in Laos and Thailand, as well all over Africa, for centuries. One of the earliest recorded uses of the word in the West is in the McFarland Thai-English Dictionary, published in 1944, which describes one of the meanings of bong in the Thai language as, "a bamboo waterpipe for smoking kancha, tree, hashish, or the hemp-plant". A January 1971 issue of the Marijuana Review also used the term.

Etymology

The word bong is an adaptation of the Thai word bong or baung (Thai: บ้อง, [bɔ̂ŋ]), which refers to a cylindrical wooden tube, pipe, or container cut from bamboo, and which also refers to the bong used for smoking.

History

Excavations of a kurgan in Russia in 2013 revealed that Scythian tribal chiefs used gold vessels 2400 years ago to smoke cannabis and opium. The kurgan was discovered when construction workers were clearing land for the construction of a power line.

During the reign of Emperor Akbar, physician Hakim Abul Fath invented the waterpipe in India, and discovered tobacco. Abul suggested that tobacco "smoke should be first passed through a small receptacle of water so that it would be rendered harmless". Other sources also show evidence of the invention of the waterpipe in China during the late Ming dynasty (16th century), along with tobacco, through Persia and the Silk Road. By the Qing dynasty, it became the most popular method to smoke tobacco, but became less popular since the Republic era. While typically employed by commoners, the water pipe is known to have been preferred by Empress Dowager Cixi over snuff bottles or other methods of intake. According to the Imperial Household Department, she was buried with at least three water pipes; some of her collections can be seen in the Palace Museum.

The water pipe employed since the Qing dynasty can be divided into two types: the homemade bamboo bong commonly made and used by country people, and a more elegant metal version employed by Chinese merchants, urbanites, and nobility. Metal utensils are typically made out of bronze or brass, the nobility version of silver and decorated with jewels. Typically, the metal version is made out of the following components:

  • The water pipe itself, a single-piece construct consisting of the bowl-stem, the water container, and a drawtube at least 3 inches, but some can be up to 12 inches in length. Some are straight with a "Joint" (Sandblasted top part of stem, usually about 1 inch long, and all the way around, tapered or cone shaped, so the tapered, or "cone shaped" bowl will fit in)some are bent to resemble a crane. The size of the bowl is similar to that of a one-hitter, typically the width of a thumbnail or smaller.
  • The tobacco container with a lid.
  • A pipe rack small enough to be held by one hand, and consisting of two large holes for the tobacco container and the water pipe. It may have smaller holes to hold various pipe tools.

During a smoking session, the user may keep all equipment inside the rack and just hold the entire assembly (rack, pipe, and container) in one hand, lighting the bowl with a slow-burning paper wick (纸煤) lit over a coal stove. Unlike in North America and the Southern Hemisphere, the water pipe is typically employed by older generations.

Use

Diagram of a bong in operation
Sound of a bong in operation
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The water can trap some heavier particles and water-soluble molecules, preventing them from entering the smoker's airways. The mechanics of a bong are compared to those of a laboratory gas washing bottle. The user puts their mouth at the top and places the cannabis in the tube, as shown in the picture.

Bongs are often either glass or plastic that use a bowl, stem, and water to produce smoke. Most glass bongs are made from heat resistant borosilicate glass, allowing the bong to withstand repeated use and heat exposure without breaking. After the bowl has been packed and water has been inserted into the bong, the substance is lit and the smoke is drawn through water to produce a smoother smoke than other methods of smoking do. To smoke a bong, the smoker must inhale in the bong so bubbles containing smoke begin to come from the stem. Once the bong has a fair amount of smoke built up, either the carb is uncovered or the stem is separated from the bong, allowing the remaining smoke to be inhaled.

A bong made from a plastic sports drink bottle

However, a 2000 NORML-MAPS cannabis study found that "water pipes filter out more psychoactive THC than they do other tars, thereby requiring users to smoke more to reach their desired effect". In the study, smoke from cannabis supplied by the NIDA was drawn through a number of smoking devices and analyzed. This study looked at the tar to cannabinoid ratio in the gas in output by various bongs, as well as unfiltered and filtered joints, and vaporizers. The results showed that only vaporizers produced a better tar to cannabinoid ratio than unfiltered joints, but that within the cannabinoids produced, even vaporizers warped the ratio of THC (the psychoactive component of the smoke) to CBN (capable of producing medical benefits but is not psychoactive) in favor of CBN. This showed an unfiltered joint had the best tar to THC ratio of all, and bongs were actually seriously detrimental in this respect.

MAPS also reviewed a study that examined the effects and composition of water-filtered and non-filtered cannabis and tobacco smoke. It found that when alveolar macrophages were exposed to unfiltered smoke, their ability to fight bacteria was reduced, unlike exposure to water-filtered smoke. It also found substantial epidemiological evidence of a lower incidence of carcinoma among tobacco smokers who used water-pipes, as opposed to cigarettes, cigars, and regular pipes. "It appears that water filtration can be effective in removing components from cannabis smoke that are known toxicants... The effectiveness of toxicant removal is related to the smoke's water contact area."

Specially designed water pipes, incorporating particulate filters and gas-dispersion frits, would likely be most effective in this regard; the gas-dispersion frit serves to break up the smoke into very fine bubbles, thereby increasing its water-contact area. These frits are commonly referred to as diffuser for the way that they diffuse (or disperse) the smoke as it exits the downstem, and usually consist of small holes or slats at the end of the downstem. This study suggests that a bong's smoke is less harmful than unfiltered smoke.

Adverse health effects

See also: Vaping-associated pulmonary injury § Possible causes

Bongs that are cleaned regularly eliminates yeast, fungi, bacteria and pathogens that can cause several symptoms that vary from allergy to lung infection.

Plastic bongs

It has been reported that it is possible to taste the chemicals in the water from a plastic water bottle left sitting in a hot car because "...chemicals have leached into the contents of the bottle." It was also reported that it is possible to imagine that this process of chemicals leaching into water occurring with "...a homemade water bottle bong where the bottle is routinely heated up."

It was also reported that "According to Cancer Research UK, plastic bottles heated up to 60°C contain unhealthy levels of toxic chemicals."

Legal issues

A variety of bongs for sale, among other merchandise in Manhattan. For legal reasons, the products are labeled as "Tobacco Use Only".

In the United States, under the Federal Drug Paraphernalia Statute, which is part of the Controlled Substances Act, it is illegal to sell, transport through the mail, transport across state lines, import, or export drug paraphernalia.

In countries where marijuana and hashish are illegal, some retailers specify that bongs are intended for use with tobacco in an attempt to circumvent laws against selling drug paraphernalia. While technically "bong" does not mean a device used for smoking mainly cannabis, drug-related connotations have been formed with the word itself (partly due to punning with Sanskrit bhangah "hemp"). Thus for fear of the law many head shops will not serve customers who use the word "bong" or "bongs", or any other word typically associated with illegal drug use.

Some brand name bong manufacturers (notably RooR) have sought to curb the counterfeit market for their products by suing stores accused of selling fake merchandise.

See also

References

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  2. Delaney, Arthur (2008-05-09). "How To Make a Skull Bong". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Archived from the original on 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  3. "The real history of the bong". 420 Magazine. 5 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  4. National Geographic (22 May 2015). "Gold Artifacts Tell Tale of Drug-Fueled Rituals and "Bastard Wars"". National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2022-05-10. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
  5. "Waterpipe Overview – WHO FCTC Secretariat's Knowledge Hub on waterpipes". Archived from the original on 2022-01-15. Retrieved 2022-01-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. "Marijuana Consumption: Smoking, Eating, And Drinking Marijuana". Archived from the original on March 23, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  7. Keliher, Evan (2003). Grandpa's Marijuana Handbook (2nd ed.). Chula Vista, California: Aventine Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-59330-135-4.
  8. "MAPS - Volume 6 Number 3 Summer 1996 -". maps.org. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  9. ^ Cozzi, Nicholas V. "Effects of water filtration on marijuana smoke: a literature review". UKCIA. Archived from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  10. "The Dangers of a Dirty Bong", leafscience.com, 16 July 2018, archived from the original on 21 May 2022, retrieved 21 December 2022
  11. ^ Powell, Burgess (2014). "The Dangers of Smoking Out of Plastic". High Times. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  12. "DEA Definition of Paraphernalia - gas mask bong, Squeeze bottle filled with GHB..." headshops.us. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-11-30.
  13. "Phoenix New Times: Head Games". Archived from the original on 2011-06-17. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  14. Spencer, Terry (23 January 2017). "Pipe maker sues: Fake bongs hit world of high-end glass pipes". Thecannabist.co. Archived from the original on 2017-01-28. Retrieved 2017-01-28.

Further reading

  • Erika Dugas, Michèle Tremblay, Nancy C.P. Low, Daniel Cournoyer, Jennifer O'Loughlin: Water-Pipe Smoking Among North American Youths, Pediatrics, Published online May 10, 2010, doi:10.1542/peds.2009-2335 (Full Text free)

External links

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