NCJ Number
214390
Journal
Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse Volume: 4 Issue: 3/4 Dated: 2005 Pages: 81-97
Date Published
2005
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Based on participant observation and indepth interviews over 18 months, this study describes the use of a bong in marijuana consumption in a suburban New York City home, followed by a description of the same youth rolling and smoking a "blunt" (marijuana use through the medium of a cigar) in a public setting.
Abstract
The use of a bong for marijuana consumption occurred in a house in a middle-class suburban neighborhood where a group of adolescent friends had gathered to watch television. This occurred in the basement bedroom of one of the boys. The bong was the single source of marijuana consumption for the group. Each youth sucked one inhalation's worth of smoke into the bong chamber prior to inhalation. Taking extra smoke into the chamber was a violation of bong etiquette that drew condemnation from the group. The bong was passed around the group under this restrictive standard of consumption. Given their size, bongs are reserved for indoor use, usually at the place where the bong is kept. Bongs are an attractive means for marijuana use because they are easy to use and provide an efficient means of marijuana intake. The smoking of the blunt occurred in a parking lot outside a bar and involved two friends present at the bong session. The sharing of the blunt was less formal than the use of the bong, as one of the boys took several puffs from the blunt before passing it back to his friend. The use of blunts in this youth network reflects their connection to Hip Hop culture among youth in New York City suburbs, although they denied this in an effort to avoid being viewed as imitators. Their clothing styles, music, and language, however, reflected their Hip Hop orientation. 12 references