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Chillums And One-Hitters

Chillums are the most common type of one-hitter, which is a device that will allow you to smoke a small amount of medical cannabis. They are typically cylindrical, and commonly painted to resemble common tobacco products.

They can be made from beautiful hand-blown glass, alloys, wood, small potatoes, tin foil, or practically anything else that can safely combust and conduct cannabis to your mouth safely, and without adding anything to the resulting smoke.

Chillums are often paired with small wooden storage boxes, also known as a dugout, which provide storage for the pipe as well as storage for around a gram of finely-chopped cannabis.

Some chillums have an ash catcher or screen, to prevent combusted matter from entering the smoke stream and ultimately the lungs of the person using it. We do not recommend using models that do not have this feature.

Executive Summary:

Chillums are sometimes beautiful and are extremely convenient for micro-dosing, but come with elevated risk as compared to small pre-rolls and hand-pipes due to their design: excessive resin, inhaling embers and hot temperatures can make these a non-starter for many.

We don't generally recommend chillums for medical use unless you're sure the problems won't make it unsafe for you.

Using A Chillum Or One-Hitter:

Make sure the device is clean, then pack the bowl with approximately .15 grams of cannabis - no more than the size of a pea.

Ignite the pipe as directed by the manufacturer and slowly pull some smoke into your moth without inhaling on the first hit. While you hold the smoke, observe if:

  • The flavor and harshness / mildness are in tolerable levels
  • No combusted matter made it to your mouth
  • The temperature of the smoke is tolerable for your throat

If that's the case, expel half of what you drew into the air in front of you, and then inhale the rest of the smoke mixed with plenty of air. Are you sure about the observations you made above? Great! If it's too hot, draw with ice in your mouth and mix with plenty of air as you inhale. There isn't much you can do if harshness is an issue other than try other strains; these are somewhat crude and aren't for everyone.

Clean your chillum often as directed by the manufacturer; a build up of resin can make the smoke extremely harsh and exceptionally harmful.

Risks From Chillums And One-Hitters:

Chillums carry more risks than joints or cones because they build up resin quickly, and often malfunction in ways that can deliver hot embers to the back of your throat. We don't generally recommend these for anything other than something to use when nothing else is avilable or appropriate.

Buying A Chillum

Local tobacco retailers usually carry a variety of chillums. Brass, stainless and glass are great options for these little pipes. Avoid anything that looks cheap, or where you can't be sure what the combustion chamber is made from.

Make sure to purchase extre screens, cleaner, nitrile gloves (for cleaning) when purchasing.