What is hotboxing?
From Hollywood blockbusters to internet stoner memes, filling a room up with smoke and getting high from it has cemented itself in cannabis culture as one of the most iconic rituals of the sesh.
Whether you’ve seen Cheech and Chong light up their car for a sesh or Seth Rogan hazing up his apartment, hotboxing is so popular that people who don’t even smoke weed are familiar with it.
Maybe it’s because it’s so outrageous, or perhaps it’s because it embodies the laid back attitude of cannabis culture. Whatever the reason, hotboxing is here to stay. Though it might seem like a simple act, there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye. Today, we’ll be teaching you all about the infamous hot box.
Without further ado, let’s jump right in!
What is Hotboxing?
Hotboxing is a slang term that refers to smoking cannabis in a tight, enclosed area that is usually unventilated, causing the area to be filled with cannabis smoke.
A quick trip to Urban Dictionary will also tell you that hotboxing is “The practice of smoking marijuana in an enclosed space(e.g. a car or a small room) to maximize the narcotic effect.”
Many people enjoy hotboxing small spaces such as their cars or bedrooms due to their ease of accessibility. Alternatively, extravagant versions of the hotbox exist as well, such as hotboxing an apartment, a hotel room and sometimes even an entire house! Keep in mind, the bigger the room, the more weed you’ll need!
Why Hotbox In The First Place?
To tell you the truth, it depends. There are so many reasons why someone would choose to hotbox. It could range from the novelty of participating in such an iconic act to simply trying to contain the smoke itself so it doesn’t seep out and disturb other nearby people or areas.
Some people even go out on a limb to say that hotboxing gets you even higher than smoking joints or a blunt because you’ll be sitting in a cloud of weed smoke. We’re not so sure that this is the case here, so let’s see what the science has to say.
What Science Has to Say
Hotboxing is a form of contact high.
In 2015, researchers at John Hopkins University experimented with the effects of second-hand cannabis smoke in a ventilated and unventilated room. The experiment involved two groups of six people: one group consisted of regular cannabis consumers and another group of non-smokers.
In the first run of the experiment, the researchers placed 12 participants in a specially designed unventilated chamber. The non-smoking group were exposed to secondhand cannabis smoke from the smoking group, who were each given 10 high THC concentration cannabis joints to smoke. Over the hour, each of the six participants consumed their 10 joints, effectively hotboxing the chamber to the point where it was smokey and difficult to see through.
In the second run, the researchers followed the same blueprint as the first run, only with the exception that there was proper ventilation in the room. With adequate airflow in the room, there was notably less smoke-filled in the air as it was able to easily disperse throughout the area.
When comparing the results, the researchers found that under the extreme conditions of the first experiment, the non-smoking group experienced some sort of contact high as the THC levels in their blood were elevated. That said, contact highs do seem to exist but only in extreme conditions when you haven’t smoked prior to entering the room.
But what about if you have already smoked before entering the room?
The researchers had also compared their findings of the two groups of smokers who participated in each experiment run. They mentioned that the “Data from active smokers who participated in multiple sessions were analyzed and presented together because their levels of cannabinoid exposure did not significantly differ as a function of room ventilation”.
This means that hotboxing while already high will likely produce negligible results, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try hotboxing!
Is It Safe?
So now that you know that a hotbox works, you might be wondering if it’s safe to do it.
In order to hotbox correctly, there are a few factors to consider before diving in. The amount of space in the room is something you’ll have to consider when attempting to hotbox anything.
Not only that, but access to fresh, untainted air is important as well. As you’ve probably already guessed, a hotbox isn’t necessarily the greatest thing on your lungs, so if you feel that you can’t breathe in a hotbox, you had better make sure that you have easy access to an area with fresh air.
Another thing to consider is that there is somewhat of a delay before you feel the full onset of effects from smoking cannabis, and it can take as long as 15 minutes after the toke to experience the high. That said, it can be hard to gauge when you’ve had enough, especially when trapped in a hotbox. You might end up inhaling too much over a short period of time and green out.
If you want something easier on your lungs and a device that won’t get your friends high, consider using a vape. Instead of smoke, vaporizers vaporize cannabis concentrates until the contents are ready to be inhaled through healthier vapor instead of smoke.
THC distillate is also much stronger than smoking weed. A study from Johns Hopkins Medicine found that compared with smoking cannabis, vaping produced stronger effects where doses were the same.
Next time you plan to hotbox a room with your friends, use a vaporizer! You will be surprised how much vapor it produces, how high it can get you, and just how affordable it is compared to burning down a joint each time you’re looking to get high.
Hotbox – Worth an Experience?
All in all, the hotbox is a fun and creative way to get high.
It’s an iconic smoking method worldwide that has been popularized by mainstream media time and time again. When practiced with responsibility and consideration for the right factors, a hotbox can provide a unique and exciting experience worth remembering.
However, when taken too far or done recklessly, a hotbox session can easily go south, leading to a green out. It is up to you whether you want to give the old hotbox a try, but if you do end up trying it, proper planning is required.
Ultimately, if you want to avoid getting your friends high via a contact high, consider using vaporizers instead of joints and blunts. And if you are the one who doesn’t smoke, make sure you have enough access to fresh air if you ever find yourself trapped in a hotbox!
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