The student inhales sharply. For the first time, they feel the tickle of smoke in the alveoli.

Nina Marta nods. “You didn’t smoke. You performed a controlled respiratory event.” When Nina Marta teaching a beginner how to inhale smoking , she keeps a checklist of three universal errors:

Most friends handing a joint or a cigarette to a newbie say, "Just inhale, dude." That is useless advice. As Nina Marta explains in her workshops, telling a beginner to "just inhale" is like telling someone to "just solve calculus." You need scaffolding.

“Do you feel the air in your cheeks?” Nina asks. “Yes,” the student mumbles. “Good. Now open your mouth and let it out. You did not inhale that air. Your lungs are clean.”