Tag Archives: marijuana

Tradition – Hellertown, Pennsylvania

Jillian Yorston – The Wassergass Road

I was told this story of a road in the back country of the small rural town in Hellertown, Pennsylvania. There were not many attractions or places that the high school kids could go to that were nearby. So, on most occasions, “fun times” resorted to their own imaginations and wild antics to keep the inhabitants of Hellertown busy.

Although living in a small town, the kids of Hellertown were no different in the ways they amused themselves than kids of other places. They wanted to do adult things. It is in kids’ nature to want to be able to do adult or illegal things, and not have to take responsibility for their actions. This is basic human nature. Doing something you are not supposed to manufactures an immediate adrenaline rush. This rush makes anyone feel like they can do anything and not get caught. Luckily for Jillian, sometimes this is the case.

Jill told me stories of her adventures that she had with her friends in Hellertown. Hellertown’s high school population was notorious for smoking pot. Smoking pot was the normal thing to do on weekends, and sometimes even during the week. The kids would never get caught because the adults did not know of their smoking. And even if they had inklings to what was going on. They never realized how much smoking was actually being done. The kids would be very cautious on where they smoked and made sure to hide any remnants of the weed. Jill also told me a special name they gave to smoking in a car. Everyone I know has always called this act of smoking in a car, “Hotboxing.” Jill said that where she was from, it was called “Clambaking.” Closing all the windows, turning off the A/C, and lighting up made the experience much better than smoking in an open and ventilated room. “Clambaking,” was the preferred method to smoke weed for two reasons. The obvious “better high” they would experience and the fact that they would not get caught by their parents. “Clambaking,” allowed Jill and her friends to be free of their parents and just “chill.” Jill’s adventures did not only stop at “Clambaking,” but in reality only began there.

Since smoking weed in a parked car might get boring sometimes, Jill and her friends were known to drive around while smoking and make the experience much more exhilarating. While driving around seamlessly was fun at times, the best way was to go to “The Gass.” “The Gass,” short for the Wassergass Road was located in the back roads of Hellertown where there were not many drivers on the road. This was convenient so that there would be no accidents and also so there would be a less chance of someone getting hurt. Jill was adamant in telling me that “The Gass,” was the place to be while you were stoned and wanted to drive around. “The Gass,” consisted of several windy and long roads that all led back to Hellertown. So no matter how high the driver or passengers were, they could always find their way back home. “Being able to turn the music all the way up, dance in the car, and not have a care in the world for a few hours has been one of the most exhilarating things I have ever gotten the chance to do.” (Yorston) “The Gass,” is the most cherished road to the high school kids from Hellertown, and one where they have had many fun memories that will last forever.

Custom

Pot Smoking Custom

When smoking marijuana, the participants form a loose circle and the piece is always passed to the left with each person getting one hit.

The informant, DRH, reports that the smoking of marijuana is in a sense highly structured. He reports the participants, when ready to smoke form a loose circle and begin passing the smoking utensil to the left. He says each person takes one hit and passes it to their left until all the marijuana in the utensil has been smoked. DRH says that once the marijuana in the utensil has been smoked, the group generally decides by consensus whether another bowl is needed. If the group chooses to smoke more, the person who finished the previous bowl packs the next bowl and takes the first hit.

DRH doesn’t know exactly where he learned all of these customs. He says he has picked them up from various friends over the years. David believes the customs are necessary for a efficient smoking session. He says the circle ensures the participants smoke in an order and the one hit rule ensures that everyone gets a fair share. He says that a person must show knowledge of these customs to be accepted as a true smoker by the group.

In my opinion this is a custom that has arisen out of necessity. When under the influence it is hard to keep track of an order. The circle is a way to ensure the smoking order is maintained. The circle likely prevents a lot of bickering that would waste time. Similarly the one hit rule ensures that each smoker receives roughly the same share of the drug. It is not surprising that a hobby has a specific way it is performed, especially one that is illegal. The informant notes that one must be proficient in these customs to be considered a veteran smoker. The customs that pot smokers follow therefore serve as a way to differentiate experienced smokers from non-experienced smokers. Due to the illegal nature of the activity this proficiency test could serve as a sort of protection mechanism. The customs described in this article can be found in many popular movies that center on pot smokers and their adventures. Movies that contain these customs include “Half Baked” and “How High”. Although these movies contain the customs, the movies did not create the customs. According to the informant, the customs have been around longer than the movies.

Folk Speech

Folk Speech – Pot Smoking

There are many words that carry special meaning to pot smokers. Examples Include: bowl, pack, greens, and deathstar.

The informant DRH, reports that pot smokers have their own terminology as a social subgroup. He say that pot smokers use many terms, some of which are stoner created and some of which are borrowed from popular culture. According to DRH the term bowl is used to refer to the part of a smoking utensil where the marijuana is placed to be lit. When one put marijuana in the bowl that is referred to as packing the bowl. The first hit off of a freshly packed bowl is called greens. DRH says that the term greens is given because the bowl is still green when the person hits it. Greens is considered the best hit because it tastes the best. If a person gets greens and lights the bowl too much, that is to say more than is required to get a hit, they have deathstared the bowl. Deathstaring the bowl is looked down upon because it wastes weed and is considered a novice mistake.

DRH reports that he enjoys using pot smoker lingo. He says it makes him feel connected to a group identity. He says a person’s level of smoking experience is often judged on their knowledge and proper use of the lingo. He would use terms like these exclusively when smoking marijuana or talking to someone about smoking pot. He doesn’t know exactly where he learned the terms. He claims he just sort of picked them up through smoking with friends.

Much like any hobby group, pot smokers have their own terminology. They make use of their terminology while practicing or talking about their hobby. The lingo helps them to identify themselves as a group. The terms used by pot smokers is also a way for smokers to identify another person’s level of smoking experience. Since smoking pot is generally illegal, the terminology could also serve as a way to safeguard smokers from outsiders. The use of a lingo could also allow smoker to talk about smoking in front of non-smokers in a sly manner. The terminology collected hear can be found in man popular movies about smoking marijuana like “How High”, “Harold and Kumar go to White Castle”, “Half Baked”, and in marijuana smoker publications like “High Times”.

Proverb – United States

Why drink and drive when you can smoke and fly?

A modern proverb takes on a whole new meaning once you learn the origin of it.  A good friend of mine named Vincent Mejia shared this bit of folkore with me over dinner.  He is a sophomore student here at the University of Southern California, and is in the NAVY program.

Vince shared with me that the modern proverb that we today typically associate with smoking marijuana, rather than getting inebriated from alcohol, actually began in the Navy.  Most fighter pilots are from the Navy, and they all tend to be chain smokers.  The ironic part about this piece of folklore is that smoking obviously hinders the intake of oxygen.  When a pilot is flying, the one thing he needs the most is oxygen itself.  So, in essence, smoking is more dangerous than drinking and driving.

This piece of American folklore exhibits to me the humorous nature that even those in one of our nation’s most revered and most valuable professions can possess.  The fact that pilots in the Navy can joke around about such a thing reflects upon our culture, in that it is one that does not always take itself too seriously and is not afraid to make light of certain matters.