Paper, bongs, pipes, and dag rigs. There are a plethora of devices that you can use for consuming marijuana, concentrates, and hash, and maybe you‘ve tried some of them already. These are hands-down the most popular devices and most of them have been around for decades. But there are a bunch of accessories and extras you probably didn’t know you needed when starting your medical/recreational marijuana journey.

The most important accessory is unquestionably cleaning supplies. We’ve already written about cleaning pipes, bongs, and vaporizers, and we can say it enough: keeping your gear clean will make your sessions much more enjoyable and help your marijuana taste great. So, number one: have cleaning supplies on hand.

Marijuana Paraphernalia You Didn’t Know You Needed

Hemp wicks – these are thin pieces of twine made from hemp fibers that are coated in beeswax. They are an alternative to traditional lighters or matches for lighting cannabis, particularly when using pipes, bongs, or joints. The primary material, hemp, is sustainable and eco-friendly, making hemp wicks environmentally conscious.

Hemp wicks produce a cleaner burn without the potentially harmful chemicals or gasses that some lighters or matches can put off. Many MJ partakers have reported that using hemp wicks to fire up cannabis can enhance the flavor of the herb because there is no added taste from butane or sulfur in lighters and matches.

Grinders – Grinding marijuana will give you consistent flower, ensuring that cannabis is the same and will burn evenly during smoking or vaping. They are must-have marijuana paraphernalia. This not only enhances consumption efficiency but also helps the overall experience. Grinders are also time-consuming and cleaner than breaking down cannabis by hand. Your hands won’t get sticky and cannabis won’t get stuck under your fingernails.

Additionally, grinders have kief catchers, a distinct compartment gathering potent trichomes that come loose during grinding. This “kief” can be reserved and sprinkled atop cannabis for added potency and flavor. Grinders minimize waste, making the most of every part of the cannabis flower, even the tricky-to-handle smaller pieces. And don’t skimp on a grinder – spend some money on a good metal grinder. It will last close to a lifetime and be worth the extra few bucks.

Screens – If you are smoking out of a pipe or bong, get a lot of screens on hand. They are very inexpensive and small, so it’s easy to have a lot on hand. Screens help prevent ash, small plant particles, and hot embers from being drawn into the pipe or bong, ensuring a smoother and cleaner smoking experience. This will also help keep you from inhaling the ash or cannabis – some of which can still be burning!

Screens get very dirty very quickly, so it’s important to have a bunch on hand. If you’ve ever smoked out of a pipe or bong with a dirty screen, you know how it can affect the taste of your smoke. Very dirty screens can also obstruct the airflow making you draw harder and longer on the pipe or bong, which puts more strain on your lungs – not to mention the amount of resinated and burned cannabis you are inhaling. They are cheap. Buy a couple dozen. You’ll thank us later. 🙂

Filters and tips – These are indispensable when rolling joints. Filters are not really “filtering” anything out, but they make it easier to roll a joint (as they act like a guide for the rolling process) and they allow you to smoke the entire jay without burning your hands. Yes, long gone are roach clips! You can get pre-made tips or a pack of filters that you roll into a coil and place at the end of the joint.

If you don’t have either of these, any thin card stock will work – – like business cards (linen cards are the best) or 90-pound card stock. It’s a lot easier using the pre-rolled or the pack of filters since they are made for the purpose. I actually like to have a little bit of the filter sticking out of the end of the joint. This makes it a bit easier to roll, instead of trying to line up the end of the paper with the end of the filter.

Rolling machines/devices – These easy-to-use devices help you roll the perfect joint. For beginners, they are pretty handy since rolling joints isn’t the easiest thing to do. They produce rolled joints that are consistent. They also provide a user-friendly approach to crafting joints (which is truly an art unto itself), reducing the learning curve and facilitating quicker and less frustrating sessions. Rolling joints is really not easy. I learned to roll by taking a pack of cigarette tobacco and practicing on the whole pack until I got it right – and I didn’t even smoke cigarettes!

With rolling machines each joint is perfectly rolled, ensuring an even, consistent burn that minimizes the risk of canoeing or uneven combustion. You can even drop in a filter or tip before rolling it up! Check out YouTube for videos on how to use these awesome devices.

Measuring scale – For medical patients or those who want to get granular with the micro-dosing, a measuring scale is a good thing to have. It’s not really necessary unless you need to – or want to – know precisely how much cannabis you are consuming, but for those with specific medical conditions or those who may want to make their own edibles, this is a must-have piece of marijuana paraphernalia.

Be sure to choose a scale that has precise measuring to at least two decimal places for grams. Most measurements are in both grams and ounces (as are scales) but microdosing is easier using the metric system. Everything is, actually but that’s for an entirely different blog and discussion!

There’s a lot more stuff out there

There are a ton more things you can get to enhance your MJ sessions, beyond the pipes, bongs, vaporizers, and dab rigs – – like storage containers, odor-controlling products, and cleaning supplies for your gear. So have fun shopping around for your accessories and for those who are serious, be willing to spend a couple extra bucks to get nice things and take care of them. Anytime you are smoking or vaping, marijuana will leave a sticky residue so it’s important to keep everything clean.

And of course, keep paper clips and pipe cleaners handy – just for old school’s sake! (Those of us remember cleaning out the last of the resin in our pipes with paperclips. Ahhh, the good old days of cannabis smoking!)