Last weekend I went to a Jersey Shore party. I went to the gym, got a tan, and did laundry. Then it was t-shirt time. With several pitchers of Ron Ron Juice ready, my roommate suggested we play some drinking games. This idea fit the general “be drunk” theme of the party. But for my money I’d have rather played a weed smoking game. The problem was I didn’t know any good smoking games. So in the interest of helping weed earn a recurring seat at the party table, I compiled a list of some of the most popular and easy-to-play marijuana smoking games. The next time you go to a party (or host your own cannabis event), you’ll be prepared.
Tips to Avoid Getting Too High During Your Next Weed Smoking Game
One of the reasons smoking games haven’t caught on is that most people are high enough after just one or two hits. And it’s hard to play a game that lasts less than one round. To keep everyone playing longer, the first step is to reduce the average hit you need to take in the game.
- Stick to flower
Instead of a dab of high-potency cannabis concentrate, take a light draw from a one-hitter. The goal is to control the size and potency of every pull. It’s the equivalent of sipping from your beer instead of taking a shot: you’ll feel more in control, which means you can play longer.
- Use lower-THC weed
I tend to buy strong weed for personal consumption. If I’m playing a smoking game, though, I want a strain with lower THC levels – ideally 23% or lower. It’s the same reason I use a light lager for beer pong. Sure I’d prefer a strong IPA, but I couldn’t play as long if I did.
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- Don’t take extra hits between rounds
Depending on the pace of the game you’re playing, you might be tempted to take an extra hit between turns. Don’t do it. Well, do it if you want. But remember that every hit you take outside of the game will bring you closer to that “too high” point in the party when you say, “No more for me, thanks. I’m good.” If you want to stay in the game longer, control your bowl.
- Pick a game that works for everyone
Consider who will be participating in the smoking game. If you have a few beginners joining you, stick to simple games with less smoking. One hit of lower THC weed every 5-10 minutes is much more sustainable than several hits of your best bud in that same stretch of time.
- Try not to drink too much while smoking
Alcohol has a way of strengthening the effects of cannabis. For many consumers, that can spell the end of their night. Or the end of their participation in smoking games, anyway. Now that you have a few pointers for how to keep everyone in the game longer, let’s dive into the actual games. And be sure to share your marijuana game and smoking tips in the comments.
The 14 Best Cannabis Smoking Games (for Your Next Party)
The following games will work whether you have dozens of participants or it’s just you and a friend.
1) Cannabis Cinema
Turning movies and TV shows into drinking games is about as American as baseball. The same strategy can be applied to cannabis. Start by picking a movie or series with cannabis as a key element or plot point (we have a list of the most popular in our Best of 420 post). Now, take a hit every time:
- someone in the movie or show mentions marijuana (or weed, pot, cannabis, ganja, etc)
- someone smokes marijuana (or eats edibles)
- you see marijuana on screen
2) Musical Marijuana
Lots of songs are about weed. But that isn’t a requirement for this game. Instead, choose a song with semi-repetitive lyrics. Now get all the participants a joint (find out how much weed you’ll need). Finally, take a hit every time that lyric is repeated. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Jammin’, Bob Marley & The Wailers (every time you hear “jammin’”)
- Thunderstruck, AC/DC (every time you hear “thunder”)
- Roxanne, The Police (every time you hear “Roxanne” or “red light”)
- Hey Ya, Andre 3000 (every time you hear “Hey Ya”)
- Single Ladies, Beyonce (every time you hear “Uh oh”)
- You Spin Me Round, Dead or Alive (every time you hear “round”)
- I Wanna Be Sedated, The Ramones (every time you hear “I wanna be sedated”)
The selection is almost limitless. Just find a song you like, pick a lyric, and enjoy! You can also make the game less weed-intensive by passing the weed each time the keyword or phrase is used.
3) Cannabis Categories
Categories is one of those games that anyone can play. It just happens to work well with weed.
- Get everyone to sit in a circle (or a vague, circle-like amoeba).
- Pick a category and a letter. For example, “Movies that start with ‘w’.”
- The first person to miss takes a hit.
- The second person to miss takes two hits.
- After two misses, the next person in the circle picks a new category and letter.
For longer-lasting rounds, just pick the category (don’t choose a letter). You can make the game more difficult (and fun) by requiring subsequent picks start with the letter the previous pick ended on. For example, if the starting letter is “A” I could say “Avengers: Infinity War” (because superheroes love weed). But because my movie pick ends in “R”, the next player must choose a movie that starts with “R”.
4) Ghostride the Hit
This last-person-standing style game gets more difficult the more people you have, and is best for smaller groups of 3-5 people.
- Take a hit and hold it in.
- Pass the bowl or joint to the next person in the circle.
- Try to hold your hit until the weed gets back to you.
- If you exhale before the pot gets back, you’re out.
5) BlackJack Herer
The game is blackjack. The goal is to get your cards to add up to 21 without going over. The wager is the number of hits you’ll take. Ready? Go.
6) Ash Bomber
This game takes a little more prep work, but it’s a guaranteed good time whether you’ve got a full house or you’re one of the last ones at the party.
- Cover the opening of an empty wide-mouth cup or jar with tissue paper, toilet paper, or rolling paper and secure with a rubber band.
- Place a penny on top of the paper.
- After someone takes a hit, they must burn a hole in the paper before passing the joint.
- The person who makes the coin fall into the cup loses.
As a penalty, you can either assign more tokes or have the “loser” roll the next joint from their stash.
7) Bong Pong
In case you were worried pong wouldn’t make the list.
- Set up a game of beer pong (or fill the cups with water).
- If you make a shot, the opposing team has to take a bong rip.
- If you prefer to be rewarded for a good shot—instead of penalizing your opponents—set the rules so the scoring player gets to take the bong rip.
8) Medusa
What better name for a stoner game than the famous mythical creature that turns people to stone.
- Arrange the group in a circle and make sure everyone has their own joint (or bowl or bong).
- Everyone starts by staring down at their feet.
- On the count of 3, everyone looks up and stares at another player.
- If two players look at each other, both take a hit.
9) Marijuana Obstacle Course
Worried about couch lock? Have some fun on your feet with one of my favorite games on the list.
- Arrange your furniture into an obstacle course. Careful not to make things too difficult, or you could end up with injured house guests.
- Place marijuana at various points in the course. If someone makes it to the weed, they get to take a hit before moving on to the next stage of the course.
- Fastest time wins.
- Spectators take a hit whenever someone falls.
10) Don’t Smile!
This one is easy to play and tough to win. After everyone is nice and toasted, the game begins. If you smile you lose and have to take a hit.
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11) Master MacGyver
This game is great if you want a more active, creative option or if you want a souvenir to remember the party. It’s also a great bong smoking game you can play even if you don’t own a bong.
- Everyone who is playing builds a bong using only what is available.
- Participants test the DIY bongs.
- Everyone votes on the winner.
12) Ganja Jenga
Turn your game of Jenga into a cannabis party-starter.
- Write rules on all (or just some) of the Jenga pieces.
- A majority of the rules should tell the player to take a hit (or three).
- The remaining rules should be game rules: “Close your eyes when it’s your turn,” or, “You can’t say ‘smoke’ or ‘toke’ anymore.”
- If someone knocks over the tower or can’t take the hits their piece assigns, they lose.
13) Weed Power Hour
Power hours are a party and pregaming staple. And they aren’t just for drinking.
- Put together a 1-2 hour playlist of your favorite music or Rick and Morty clips. Each clip should be between 15 seconds and 2 minutes long.
- Take a hit every time the music or clip changes.
- Last longer by passing a joint every clip change, or ratchet up the intensity by giving everyone their own joint.
14) Strip Toker
Strip Toker (also known as Strip Choker) is best saved for people you’re comfortable with. Like its namesake (strip poker), losing players are tasked with removing a piece of clothing. Except instead of playing cards, you’re all taking a hit of weed and seeing who exhales first. First person to exhale (or start coughing) loses that round. Any drinking game—any game, really—can be turned into a marijuana smoking game with a little effort. Just replace the booze with bud and reduce the number of hits the loser has to take so your event doesn’t turn into napfest.
Game On! Flame On!
Parties don’t have to be all about drinking. Many party-goers will actually appreciate the shift away from booze. And by playing marijuana smoking games instead of drinking games, you don’t have to worry about babysitting your friends. If someone has too much weed, just grab them a pillow (and check out our tips for coming down if you feel too high). Stop by Karing Kind in North Boulder to stock up on top-tier bud for your next party. And be sure to share your favorite smoking games in the comments below.
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Karing Kind is located just off of US-36, one mile north of Broadway, open MON-SUN from 9am to 10pm. While we carry a variety of strains, concentrates, edibles, salves and tinctures, inventory and stock levels fluctuate from week to week and month to month. Check our menu and follow us on Twitter for an up-to-date list of edibles, concentrates and buds available.