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—a very strong mixed drink that tastes like a delicious fruit smoothie—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. The ones I did know called for a LOT of smoking, and most of the people we were with would have had a lot of trouble keeping up. And those that could keep up had already made it clear they didn’t want to get too high.
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 I go to a party (or host my own), I’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 low-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. 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.
- 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 favorite marijuana game in the comments.
The following games will work whether you have dozens of participants or it’s just you and a friend.
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
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. 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.
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 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.” But, because my movie pick ends in “R,” the next player must choose a movie that starts with “R.”
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.
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.
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.
When your high and don’t know what to play so you go on Twitch or Youtube to watch other people play games lmao