What are "water cigarettes"?

April 2, 2004 1:25 PM

When someone noted we were approaching the 10th anniversary of Cobain's suicide, I remembered an interview I did with a fellow high-school student who made the pilgrimage to Seattle in the weeks after his death. One of the things I remember him saying is that on his marathon drive from Wisconsin to the west coast, he smoked "water cigarettes." Not wanting to present myself as a complete doofus when it came to illicit substances, I nodded and recorded what he said. But now I've got to wonder: What in the world was he talking about? Did I mishear the phrase "water cigarettes"? Google has no results.
posted by blueshammer to society & culture (13 comments total)

It's my understanding that he was referring to the then popular activity of smoking tobacco soaked in embalming fluid.
posted by jazzkat11 at 1:29 PM on April 2, 2004

Could he have been smoking "a lot of" cigarettes? I could see how a Midwestern accent could elide that phrase and make it sound like "water".
posted by turaho at 1:31 PM on April 2, 2004

I've heard them called "heavy water cigarettes" - cigarettes soaked in embalming fluid.
The syndrome of intoxication looks nearly identical to that seen following phencyclidine (PCP) use
Why anyone would want to try and replicate a PCP high is beyond me. Accidentally happened to me one time. NOT a fun experience, kids.
posted by sixdifferentways at 1:43 PM on April 2, 2004

Embalming fluid! Further evidence that there is no substance on Earth that someone, somewhere hasn't tried to get high with.
posted by jjg at 1:52 PM on April 2, 2004

Yes, it is tobacco dipped in formaldehyde and then smoked. Also called 'wet'. I've actually done this. God is it awful. You are also right that it is marketed (if you can call it that) as an angel dust substitute; that's exactly what I was told.

The high is basically like getting hit in the head with a board. I felt slow, stoned, light-headed and real stupid for about 2 hours. Its kinda like marijuana, except more so and without the fun. I was pretty giggly, but mostly I was giggling about how stupid I was for smoking that garbage. When I sobered up I swore I would never do it again, and I never have. On the list of utterly stupid things I have put in my body, wet is right near the top.

Drugs are bad, but this one is just horrendous.
posted by ChasFile at 2:12 PM on April 2, 2004

I could see how a Midwestern accent could elide that phrase and make it sound like "water".

Where in the Midwest have you heard they substitute /w/ for /l/? Have you actually been to the Midwest? </midwestern-defensiveness>

A little more on-topic: If ChasFile's description is accurate (and I would imagine it is) I wonder how this would be a useful way to pass time driving cross-country. I'd worry about veering off the road.
posted by me3dia at 2:27 PM on April 2, 2004

obRollins:
"I can't breathe... I can't breathe... BUT I CAN FLY AND KILL!"
posted by keswick at 2:40 PM on April 2, 2004

Hear about the dude on PCP who jumped on the cop car and got shot 18 times in the chest before tearing the sirens off and collapsing from blood loss? Yes, wet cigarettes are tobacco cigarettes dipped in formaldehyde.
posted by Keyser Soze at 4:20 PM on April 2, 2004

Hear about the dude on PCP who jumped on the cop car and got shot 18 times in the chest before tearing the sirens off and collapsing from blood loss?

Yeah, he was the ex-roommate of that guy who was tripping on acid and burnt up his retinas by staring at the sun for like hours!
posted by Danelope at 4:33 PM on April 2, 2004

Just as a little side note, you might want to be a little circumspect in the way that you relate your drug history on a very public, very popular weblog.

Just sayin'.
posted by bshort at 7:37 PM on April 2, 2004

I'm wondering if my sponsor is well-suited for the role.
posted by mwhybark at 11:57 PM on April 2, 2004

its funny.
John Shirley just did a post on his blog about this too
posted by Iax at 4:48 PM on April 3, 2004

I heard that formaldahyde was one of the drugs Bela Lugosi was addicted to.

Can't seem to find any proof of this, though.
posted by nyxxxx at 11:16 PM on April 3, 2004