Bong

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A bong with a circular carburetion port in the front of the bowl Bong glas.jpg
A bong with a circular carburetion port in the front of the bowl

A bong (also known as a water pipe) is a filtration device generally used for smoking cannabis, tobacco, or other herbal substances. [1] In the bong shown in the photo, the smoke flows from the lower port on the left to the upper port on the right.

Contents

In construction and function, a bong is similar to a hookah, except smaller and especially more portable. A bong may be constructed from any air- and water-tight vessel by adding a bowl and stem apparatus (or slide) [2] which guides air downward to below water level whence it bubbles upward ("bubbler") during use. To get fresh air into the bong and harvest the last remaining smoke, a hole known as the "carburetor", "carb", "choke", "bink", "rush", "shotty", "kick hole", or simply "hole", somewhere on the lower part of the bong above water level, is first kept covered during the smoking process, then opened to allow the smoke to be inhaled. On bongs without such a hole, the bowl and/or the stem are removed to allow air from the hole that holds the stem.

Bongs have been in use by the Hmong in Laos and Thailand, as well all over Africa, for centuries. [3] One of the earliest recorded uses of the word in the West is in the McFarland Thai-English Dictionary, published in 1944, which describes one of the meanings of bong in the Thai language as, "a bamboo waterpipe for smoking kancha, tree, hashish, or the hemp-plant". A January 1971 issue of the Marijuana Review also used the term.

Etymology

The word bong is an adaptation of the Thai word bong or baung (Thai : บ้อง, [bɔ̂ŋ] ), which refers to a cylindrical wooden tube, pipe, or container cut from bamboo, and which also refers to the bong used for smoking.

History

Excavations of a kurgan in Russia in 2013 revealed that Scythian tribal chiefs used gold vessels 2400 years ago to smoke cannabis and opium. The kurgan was discovered when construction workers were clearing land for the construction of a power line. [4]

During the reign of Emperor Akbar, physician Hakim Abul Fath invented the waterpipe in India, and discovered tobacco. Abul suggested that tobacco "smoke should be first passed through a small receptacle of water so that it would be rendered harmless". [5] Other sources also show evidence of the invention of the waterpipe in China during the late Ming dynasty (16th century), along with tobacco, through Persia and the Silk Road.[ citation needed ] By the Qing dynasty, it became the most popular method to smoke tobacco, but became less popular since the Republic era. While typically employed by commoners, the water pipe is known to have been preferred by Empress Dowager Cixi over snuff bottles or other methods of intake. According to the Imperial Household Department, she was buried with at least three water pipes; some of her collections can be seen in the Palace Museum.

The water pipe employed since the Qing dynasty can be divided into two types: the homemade bamboo bong commonly made and used by country people, and a more elegant metal version employed by Chinese merchants, urbanites, and nobility. Metal utensils are typically made out of bronze or brass, the nobility version of silver and decorated with jewels. Typically, the metal version is made out of the following components:

During a smoking session, the user may keep all equipment inside the rack and just hold the entire assembly (rack, pipe, and container) in one hand, lighting the bowl with a slow-burning paper wick (纸煤) lit over a coal stove. Unlike in North America and the Southern Hemisphere, the water pipe is typically employed by older generations.[ citation needed ]

Use

Diagram of a bong in operation Bong diagram 3.svg
Diagram of a bong in operation
A variety of bongs for sale, among other merchandise in Manhattan. For legal reasons, the products are labeled as "Tobacco Use Only". Pipe Dreams by David Shankbone.jpg
A variety of bongs for sale, among other merchandise in Manhattan. For legal reasons, the products are labeled as "Tobacco Use Only".

In the United States, under the Federal Drug Paraphernalia Statute, which is part of the Controlled Substances Act, it is illegal to sell, transport through the mail, transport across state lines, import, or export drug paraphernalia. [12]

In countries where marijuana and hashish are illegal, some retailers specify that bongs are intended for use with tobacco in an attempt to circumvent laws against selling drug paraphernalia. While technically "bong" does not mean a device used for smoking mainly cannabis, drug-related connotations have been formed with the word itself (partly due to punning with Sanskrit bhangah "hemp"). Thus for fear of the law many head shops will not serve customers who use the word "bong" or "bongs", or any other word typically associated with illegal drug use. [13]

Some brand name bong manufacturers (notably RooR) have sought to curb the counterfeit market for their products by suing stores accused of selling fake merchandise. [14]

See also

References

  1. "Contraband: The Sale of Regulated Goods on the Internet". Archived from the original on 2016-04-12. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  2. Delaney, Arthur (2008-05-09). "How To Make a Skull Bong". Slate. ISSN   1091-2339. Archived from the original on 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  3. "The real history of the bong". 420 Magazine. 5 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  4. National Geographic (22 May 2015). "Gold Artifacts Tell Tale of Drug-Fueled Rituals and "Bastard Wars"". National Geographic Society . Archived from the original on 2022-05-10. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
  5. "Waterpipe Overview – WHO FCTC Secretariat's Knowledge Hub on waterpipes". Archived from the original on 2022-01-15. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
  6. "Marijuana Consumption: Smoking, Eating, And Drinking Marijuana". Archived from the original on March 23, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  7. Keliher, Evan (2003). Grandpa's Marijuana Handbook (2nd ed.). Chula Vista, California: Aventine Press. p. 37. ISBN   978-1-59330-135-4.
  8. "MAPS - Volume 6 Number 3 Summer 1996 -". maps.org. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  9. 1 2 Cozzi, Nicholas V. "Effects of water filtration on marijuana smoke: a literature review". UKCIA. Archived from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2020-08-16.
  10. "The Dangers of a Dirty Bong", leafscience.com, 16 July 2018, archived from the original on 21 May 2022, retrieved 21 December 2022
  11. 1 2 3 Powell, Burgess (2014). "The Dangers of Smoking Out of Plastic". High Times. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  12. "DEA Definition of Paraphernalia - gas mask bong, Squeeze bottle filled with GHB..." headshops.us. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-11-30.
  13. "Phoenix New Times: Head Games". Archived from the original on 2011-06-17. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
  14. Spencer, Terry (23 January 2017). "Pipe maker sues: Fake bongs hit world of high-end glass pipes". Thecannabist.co. Archived from the original on 2017-01-28. Retrieved 2017-01-28.

Further reading