Can You Smoke Weed Leaves and Get High?

It’s probably no surprise you can smoke weed leaves, but the real question is – will it get you high? Also, how strong is the high? Are certain types of leaves better for smoking than others? Should I dry/cure my leaves before smoking them?

There are lots of questions, and I intend on answering as many of them as I can in this post.

The Confusion About What Part of The Plant You Smoke

There are a lot of people who don’t actually realize what part of this plant is being smoked. Many people think the leaf is what is actually smoked. In reality, the bud of the plant is what’s commonly smoked.

This may seem comical to someone who is more familiar with cannabis, but I totally understand why people might think people are smoking leaves. The weed leaf has been the iconic symbol for weed for decades. It’s on hats, shirts, posters, and a million other things. How many times do you see a picture of a bud on a shirt? Much Less. Also, other smokable plants like tobacco are harvested for their leaves so there’s a logical connection there too.

So, the bud is what is commonly smoked, but that still leaves the question of whether or not you can smoke the leaves of a cannabis plant. And perhaps the more important question – will it actually get you high?

Types of Weed Leaves: Fan Leaves, Sugar Leaves, and Trimmings

Not all weed leaves are created equal. All types of leaves are necessary for the health of the plant, but sugar leaves are what you really want if you’re looking to smoke some leaves. I’m going to break down the most common types of leaves you’ll come across.

Sugar Leaves / Trimmings

This is the good stuff. Sugar leaves are going to be found near the buds. These leaves are typically the smaller ones. The name sugar leaf comes from the fact that they can be covered in trichomes (i.e. sticky icky) giving them a sugary white appearance. These trichomes contain THC.

I bundle trimmings together with sugar leaves. Trimmings can refer to anything you trim off a plant, but in this case, I’m referring to the leaves that are growing through the buds. In this case, you don’t cut off the entire leaf, but rather trim the parts of the leaf that are sticking out through the bud.

Both of these can be full of trichomes and are totally smokable. It’s not going to get you high like bud would, but some enough good sugar leaves or trimmings could certainly get the job done.

Fan Leaves

Fan leaves grow farther away from the buds and can get pretty large. These leaves are vital for soaking up light, but unfortunately, they do not contain nearly the same amount of THC-filled trichomes as sugar leaves.

Some fan leaves may have more than other so it doesn’t hurt to give them a look. Check the stems as these can sometimes be a source of trichomes. In the end, I really don’t suggest smoking fan leaves if your intention is to get high. It would just take too much to be effective. Smoking so much would probably make you light headed before it would get you high.

Making Hash or Edibles w/ Weed Leaves

The idea of having to smoke so much plant matter to get high has led a lot of people to use their trim leaves to make hash or edibles. This allows you to concentrate the THC so you don’t have to consume so much.

Edibles

Making edibles with trim is mostly the same as making edibles with buds. The main difference is you’re going to have to use more material. It can also be difficult to gauge the strength of the edibles so don’t go overboard. You can find recipes for edibles easily online. Just substitute the bud for trim.

Hash

Using trim to make hash is common practice for most commercial growers. The sugar leaves and trim just have too much THC to simply throw it away.

Be very careful if you are planning to make hash. I do not recommend using solvents to make concentrates (like BHO) unless you have training and a proper lab to make it. Instead, try making bubble hash. It creates a terrific product without using solvents or even heat.

Eating Weed Leaves

If you really want to know more about eating weed to get high then I recommend you read my article specifically on the subject. Put simply, while you could get high from just eating weed leaves, it is a really terrible way to get high. You would have to eat a lot of leaves and most of the THCa would never get converted to THC and it would just pass through your digestive system. Again, if you want to know more about this check out the link to my article above.

When is the Best Time in the Plant’s Life Cycle to Smoke the Leaves?

THC is produced at certain times during the plant’s life cycle. The plant goes through further changes as the leaf is dried and cured. Most people agree the best time to smoke a weed leaf is after it’s cured.

Cured

After a plant has reached its full maturity it is ready to be harvested. At this time, the plant is cut down and allowed to dry out. Once it’s dry, cannabis is usually stored in an airtight container to sit and cure. This mellows out the flavors and makes it less harsh on your throat.

Smoke weed leaves after they’re cured will give you the most amount of THC content while maintaining an easy and mellow smoke.

Upon Harvesting

If you don’t wait until the leaves are cured you are going to be in for a pretty harsh smoke. With that said, it will probably still get you high if you smoke enough sugar leaves, but you probably won’t enjoy it.

Before Flowering

Smoking a leaf of a cannabis plant that is still in the vegetative state will likely yield no results. Most of the trichomes containing THC are developed during the flowering stage.

Thanks for reading! If you liked this article then here are a few of my other articles you may enjoy:

Can You Eat Raw Weed & Get High?

7 Reasons Why You Aren’t Getting High From Weed

Juicing Cannabis: Everything You Need To Know