How to Accept Friends Who Smoke Weed Even If You Don’t

Whether or not you use weed yourself is irrelevant to its place in the world, so why not become an active friend and incorporate cannabis into your hosting repertoire early on when planning a meeting?

Many of us have grown up learning proper ways to provide food, drink, and amenities to people visiting our homes, regardless of our preferences. Do you serve coffee because you prefer tea? Not if you are a good host! While some people enjoy cannabis as a Friday night treat or as a way to unwind, like an addiction to low-rate wine, others consume it as part of a daily ritual, like a cup of coffee. You can place both.

If you do, you’ll end up there with men who keep tampons in their bachelor pads and people who keep meat BBQ veggie burgers on hand. Think of it as another way to show your guests that you care about them and appreciate the free time they spend with you.

Already on the THC team? This guide also applies to you: anyone who treats their guests to cannabis needs to make sure that the user is well versed in the basics of having a good (and safe) time with it. So develop your cannabis hospitality game plan before you’re caught off guard (or empty-handed) with these tips from two industry professionals who advocate safe and delicious cannabis entertainment.

Why you should have fun with weed

Christina Wong is the CEO of Fruit + Flower, a cannabis media company that bundles all the delicious stuff into beautiful content, and she has a piece of advice for newbies, seasoned cannabis fans, and anyone who wants to give guests a good time: it’s more than just way to get drunk.

“Cannabis consumption has never been as accessible and public as it is today,” Wong said via email. “There are many reasons why people use cannabis on social media: to manage their stress and social anxiety, to relieve pain and discomfort, to have fun and laugh, and to relax and unwind to get better sleep, just to name a few.”

As the stigma around the drug wanes, it continues to normalize and begins to reappear in many places. As Wong noted, “A cannabis mocktail or canned soda can easily replace alcohol at parties and events. It appears at weddings and festive tables along with wine and cocktails as an alternative.”

But don’t forget newbies: Giving inexperienced people affordable ways to do cannabis in the safe space of your home is also surprisingly welcome, whether it’s their first time or their first time in a long time, she added.

Set up for success

Until cannabis dosing becomes second nature and people measure their personal limits on a daily basis, take the guesswork out of it by using clear serving methods or serving individually dosed and packaged items. Small signs or even menus are a great way to answer questions before people even have a chance to ask them.

Pre-portion and label foods and keep them safe from children and pets. As with alcohol, do not leave weed food where children can taste it, even by accident. Don’t distribute marijuana sausages without letting people know exactly what’s in it, especially the amount of THC or CBD in each serving and how big each serving is.

This advice is vital for new consumers, Wong noted, but anyone can take it too far, especially if the treats are delicious. “Tell guests about the products and cannabis they are about to consume and provide recommendations and dosage recommendations,” she said. “Someone with a low tolerance might enjoy a 5mg THC drink so much that they forget and stretch for a second, not realizing that it might be too much for them.”

Don’t put infused cake in the middle of uninfused pasta, or you risk making people eat it unknowingly and panic when they start to feel the effects. Instead, consider a covered container and pre-cut or weigh treats to prevent over-portioning.

Treat it like any other adult substance

Just like serving alcohol, you provide access and context, but you also have to trust people to be adults and exercise self-control. While you can’t get physically hurt from being exposed to too much cannabis, drunk driving is a huge no-no, and you can certainly be harmed by your own actions while under the influence of too much cannabis.

Overdoing it is usually not very pleasant or positive, and certainly not at a social event. This can be inconvenient for beginners and pros alike, so be sure to take care not to go green.

For Wong, it starts with getting to know her audience: “Partying with Snoop Dogg, Seth Rogen and Dave Chapel is a completely different experience than having a wedding party with family members,” she said. “Unless you’re hosting a group of experienced cannabis users, it’s best to keep anything infused at low doses and let guests dose themselves according to their own tolerance level.”

Serving cannabis at a wedding or any other family gathering doesn’t have to be mysterious. Choosing foods that fit in with the social environment is a great way to provide an alternative to alcohol. One drink making waves is MXXN, a non-alcoholic cannabis elixir that echoes some of the most popular spirits like gin, mezcal and whiskey. MXXN creator Darnell Smith designed his product with social consumption in mind.

“The key to being a good host is to provide opportunities for the changing needs of your guests,” Smith told us in an email. “In terms of drinks, having alcoholic, non-alcoholic and infused drinks on hand guarantees something for everyone.”

The entertainment is accompanied by a flood of drinks: mood cocktails, afternoon coffee or espresso, flavor cleansers like amari and digestifs, sweet party punches, sodas and, of course, beer and wine. Many of these social drinks contain our favorite “classic” addictive substances like sugar, caffeine, and alcohol, and cannabis has a nice corner in that category, but there’s a key difference to keep in mind.

“With most other substances, your guests have a point of reference and a story,” Smith said. “Some guests won’t be as familiar with cannabis, [so] it’s important to know your audience and have low-dose options on hand … the best advice we can give is to start small and go slow.”

Other Ways to Treat Party Guests to Cannabis

You don’t have to provide expendable marijuana if you’re worried about blurry lines or misguided meals—smoking (or vaping) marijuana is one of the oldest and most beloved ways to indulge. For a fun DIY vibe, “set up stations and areas with enough rolling trays, paper rolls, flowers or pre-rolls, ashtrays and lighters,” Wong suggested. It is also helpful to know how to manage people who are high and know the side effects of using. “Provide plenty of water and non-infused drinks because people can get sleepy and thirsty when they’re high,” Wong advised.

To help your guests calm down, Wong also suggested serving nightly drinks infused with CBD rather than THC. “Because dessert is often served at the end of an event, people are quite drunk at that point, and a dessert with a lot of THC can be too much,” she warned. Create an impression similar to a typical dinner party, with build-ups and moments to roll up.

normalize already

Even after reading this, the thought of giving your guests weed, Mike, makes you feel a little shabby. But whether you’re offering smoking, edible, or drinking marijuana at your next meeting, you’re helping bring one of people’s favorite plants back into the mix and doing a favor for those who still face stigma for participating in what’s now recreational legal . activity in almost half of the US states . Use this tip to make your guests feel welcome and safe when weed is on the menu.