A "session" occurs when three or more people meet in a designated place to smoke blunts. It is a planned indoor event in which participants share the purchase and use of a blunt. Sessions usually last for an extended period and are accompanied by other activities, such as matching a game, dancing, or playing cards. The primary purpose of a "cypher" is to smoke blunts, acquire a "high," and then disperse. A cypher can start with one individual who has an unplanned meeting with a friend who is invited to share a blunt. A cypher may also occur when a small group breaks off from a larger group to smoke. In a cypher, usually one or more participants already have marijuana and/or a rolled blunt; participants are not required to collect money and/or collectively purchase the marijuana, and they share the blunt equally as it is passed around the group; after achieving a moderate high, participants disperse. A "party" is a planned gathering in which many people congregate to socialize; usually alcoholic beverages are served and people stand around talking in large and small groups or participate in dancing. At a party, blunt smokers separate themselves from nonsmokers in the course of smoking blunts, but will otherwise interact with nonsmokers and participate in general party activities. The informal social controls exerted in these three settings tend to limit consumption of marijuana by blunt users. Consequently, blunt users report few contacts with police or other formal social control agents. 63 references