Toke
A single inhalation of cannabis smoke or vapor; noun and verb in cannabis slang.
Toke is straightforward slang for inhaling cannabis once. The myths matter more than the word: holding your breath doesn't make it stronger—most THC is absorbed in seconds. Bigger tokes don't scale linearly with effect. If you want to understand what's actually happening in your lungs, the pharmacokinetics are well-studied; if you just want the term, it's simple and neutral English.
Definition
Toke (noun): a single inhalation of cannabis smoke or vapor. Toke (verb): to inhale cannabis, or more broadly, to smoke cannabis.
"Pass me the joint, I want a toke" uses the noun sense. "We were toking on the porch" uses the verb sense. The word applies regardless of the device — joints, blunts, pipes, bongs, and vaporizers all involve tokes.
Origin and usage
"Toke" entered English-language cannabis vocabulary in the mid-20th century as American slang, with recorded examples from the 1950s onward [1]. Merriam-Webster lists both the noun and verb senses as standard informal English [2].
The word rose to cultural prominence in 1970s counterculture, particularly through underground comics and music. It's neutral in register: less clinical than "inhalation," less coded than some alternatives, and widely understood in English-speaking cannabis communities.
Etymology beyond mid-20th-century American slang is uncertain. Disputed Some sources speculate a connection to older tobacco-smoking vocabulary, but no confirmed derivation exists.
What happens when you take a toke
When cannabis smoke or vapor enters your lungs, THC and other cannabinoids cross the alveolar membrane and enter your bloodstream within seconds. Peak plasma THC levels typically occur 3–10 minutes after inhalation, with subjective effects following shortly after [3][4]. Strong evidence
Bioavailability from a single inhalation varies widely — studies report 10–35% of inhaled THC reaching systemic circulation, depending on smoking technique, device, puff volume, breath-hold duration, and losses to sidestream smoke and pyrolysis [3][4]. Strong evidence Individual physiology, tolerance, and previous cannabis use also influence how much effect a toke produces.
What tokes don't do: common myths
Holding a toke in your lungs doesn't increase the high. A controlled study by Zacny and Chait found that breath-hold durations of 0, 10, and 20 seconds produced no significant difference in subjective high or heart rate effects [5]. Strong evidence Most THC absorption occurs within the first few seconds of lung contact; longer holds mainly increase exposure to tar and combustion byproducts without proportional cannabinoid uptake.
A bigger toke isn't proportionally stronger. Puff volume does matter to overall dose, but there's a ceiling effect — very large tokes often trigger coughing, reduce absorption efficiency, and exhale unabsorbed cannabinoids. Weak / limited
"Cornering" a bowl — burning only part of the packed cannabis so the next person gets green material — is real cannabis etiquette and practice, but it doesn't change the pharmacology of individual tokes.
Related terms
- Hit: near-synonym, often used interchangeably with toke.
- Bogart: to hold onto the joint or pipe too long instead of passing it promptly — the opposite of considerate toking behavior.
- Micro-dose toke: informal term for a very small inhalation, popular among low-tolerance and daytime users aiming for minimal effect.
Sources
- Book Oxford English Dictionary, entry for 'toke, n.' and 'toke, v.'. Oxford University Press.
- Reported Merriam-Webster Dictionary, entry for 'toke'.
- Peer-reviewed Huestis MA. (2007). Human cannabinoid pharmacokinetics. Chemistry & Biodiversity, 4(8), 1770–1804.
- Peer-reviewed Grotenhermen F. (2003). Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of cannabinoids. Clinical Pharmacokinetics, 42(4), 327–360.
- Peer-reviewed Zacny JP, Chait LD. (1989). Breathhold duration and response to marijuana smoke. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 33(2), 481–484.
How this page was made
Generation history
Drafting assistance and fact-check automation are used, with a human operator spot-checking on a weekly basis. See how articles are made.
Related
- Body Buzz — Colloquial term for reported physical sensations from cannabis use.
- Body High — The bodily, physical component of a cannabis experience: heaviness, relaxation, and reduce...
- Physical High — Subjective body-focused cannabis effects; no lab test distinguishes them from cognitive ef...