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From Easy Rider to Every Smoke Circle: Why Don’t Bogart That Joint Lives On
December 15th, 2025
Don't bogart that joint means don't keep the marijuana cigarette to yourself. Pass it on and share it.
The phrase comes from actor Humphrey Bogart's smoking style in films. He'd let cigarettes dangle from his lips without actively smoking them.
Guitarist Elliot Ingber coined the expression during a 1968 band rehearsal when Larry Wagner held a joint while talking.
That moment became the song "Don't Bogart Me" by Fraternity of Man, the track that carried cannabis sharing etiquette into mainstream American culture through the Easy Rider soundtrack.
Table of Contents
What 'Don't Bogart That Joint' Actually Means
How Humphrey Bogart's Cigarettes Became Cannabis Slang
The Easy Rider Soundtrack That Took It Mainstream
Why Do They Call It Bogarting a Joint?
Smoke Circle Etiquette and the Puff Puff Pass Rule
The Two Behaviors That Count as Bogarting
Beyond Cannabis: The Two Ways People Use Bogart Today
The Actor Behind the Phrase
From Counterculture to Your Coffee Table
What 'Don't Bogart That Joint' Actually Means
Don't bogart that joint means don't keep it to yourself. To bogart means holding a lit joint too long while it burns.
Bogarting also means taking more than your fair share of puffs before passing.
The phrase is a friendly nudge to share, not an aggressive callout. When someone says, "Don't bogart that joint," they're reminding you that cannabis culture values generosity.
They're asking you to keep things moving around the circle.
Some regions use bogarting to mean getting saliva on the mouthpiece. This definition is far less common than the sharing violation.
How Humphrey Bogart's Cigarettes Became Cannabis Slang
Humphrey Bogart was an American actor known for keeping cigarettes in his mouth. Bogart would let cigarettes dangle from his lips without actively smoking them.
In classic films like Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon, he'd hold a cigarette between his lips for entire scenes, barely taking a drag while it burned down.
This distinctive smoking style gave rise to the verb "to bogart" in the 1960s counterculture. During a Fraternity of Man rehearsal in 1968, guitarist Elliot Ingber told bandmate Larry "Stash" Wagner not to bogart the joint.
Wagner was holding it while talking, letting it burn without passing it along. This was exactly like Bogart's on-screen cigarette habit.
Wagner turned that rehearsal moment into lyrics. The band recorded "Don't Bogart Me."
The official song title is "Don't Bogart Me," not "Don't Bogart That Joint." The chorus includes the line "don't bogart that joint, my friend," which is why people often misremember the full title.
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The Easy Rider Soundtrack That Took It Mainstream
Fraternity of Man recorded "Don't Bogart Me" in 1968, but the song remained underground until director Dennis Hopper selected it for the Easy Rider soundtrack. The film premiered in 1969 and became a cultural phenomenon, earning over $60 million at the box office.
Easy Rider's commercial success pushed "don't bogart that joint" from subculture slang into everyday American vocabulary. Fraternity of Man is mostly remembered for this one track.
The song's placement in the film, during a cannabis consumption scene, cemented the phrase in popular culture. It established the etiquette that defines cannabis culture to this day.
Why Do They Call It Bogarting a Joint?
They call it bogarting a joint because of Humphrey Bogart's cigarette-dangling habit in movies. Bogart's character would keep a cigarette hanging from his mouth while talking, investigating, or brooding.
He rarely actually smoked it, but always possessed it.
This created the perfect metaphor for someone monopolizing a joint in a sharing circle. The verb "bogart" applied to cannabis because joints and cigarettes share the same form factor.
They also share the same social ritual.
Just as Bogart's characters would hold cigarettes indefinitely, someone bogarting a joint holds it beyond their turn. The comparison was so apt that it spread through cannabis culture.
Smoke Circle Etiquette and the Puff Puff Pass Rule
Bogarting is the enforcement mechanism for the informal "puff, puff, pass" social contract. The rule is simple: take two puffs, pass to your left, keep it moving.
This rhythm ensures everyone in the circle gets their fair turn without excessive waiting. Proper pre-roll technique makes sharing easier and prevents common mistakes like canoeing or harsh hits.
Modern cannabis products honor this same sharing tradition. We offer Cereal Milk THCa pre-rolls designed for social settings, labeled "Chill & Social" for exactly these group consumption moments.
New to pre-rolls? A 5-count package starts at $16, perfect for passing around your circle.
Our Kush Mintz pre-rolls bring an "Aroused & Happy" vibe to social sessions, also available in shareable 5-count packs starting at $16. For a focused, creative experience, try our Wonder Bread pre-rolls at $16 per 5-count.
Explore our full pre-roll collection for more mood-specific options designed for sharing. Check out our guide to the best pre-rolls to find your perfect match.
If you prefer rolling your own, our THCa flower selection includes strains specifically curated for social experiences.
You can pass federally legal hemp or celebrate in a recreational state. Whether you prefer joints, bowls, or other methods, the sharing etiquette remains the same.
How To Roll a Joint | By Mood
The Two Behaviors That Count as Bogarting
First violation: holding the joint while it burns. When you're holding a lit joint and talking, telling a story, or spacing out, you're letting the cannabis burn away without anyone consuming it.
The joint keeps burning whether you're smoking it or not, which slows down the rotation and means less for everyone in the circle. Understanding different smoking methods helps you avoid this common mistake.
Second violation: taking excessive puffs. The "puff, puff, pass" rule exists for a reason.
It gives everyone roughly equal access.
Taking three, four, or five puffs before passing means others wait longer for their turn. They might not get equal amounts.
This behavior breaks the unspoken agreement that everyone in the circle gets a fair share. Whether you're smoking joints or blunts, the puff puff pass rule applies equally.
What About the Saliva Meaning?
Some regions use "bogarting" to mean getting too much saliva on the mouthpiece. This definition is far less widespread than the sharing violations.
Most cannabis consumers recognize bogarting primarily as holding too long or taking too many puffs, not as a hygiene issue.
Beyond Cannabis: The Two Ways People Use Bogart Today
What does it mean when someone says, ‘Don't bogart’ something outside of a cannabis context? The verb has expanded to mean hogging any shared resource.
People say "don't bogart the remote," "don't bogart the pizza," or "don't bogart the conversation." The cannabis meaning gave us a perfect word for monopolizing communal items, similar to how "420 friendly" evolved into mainstream language.
Dictionaries like Merriam-Webster list a separate, older meaning: to bully or force one's way. This sense emerged in 1950s slang from Bogart's tough-guy film roles in The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep.
The bullying meaning predates the cannabis meaning by about 15 years, though the cannabis sense is now more commonly used.
The two meanings rarely cause confusion because context makes the intended sense clear. If someone says, "Don't bogart that joint," they mean share it.
If someone says, "Don't try to bogart your way into the meeting," they mean don't bully your way in.
The Actor Behind the Phrase
Humphrey Bogart was born in 1899 and became one of Hollywood's most iconic leading men.
His smoking style, with cigarettes perpetually dangling from his lips, defined his on-screen persona across dozens of films.
The habit was so distinctive that it gave English a new verb. His surname "Bogart" comes from the Dutch "Bogaard," meaning orchard.
He died at age 57 in 1957, over a decade before Fraternity of Man turned his name into cannabis slang. Bogart never knew his cigarette habit would define sharing etiquette for generations of cannabis consumers.
From Counterculture to Your Coffee Table
The 1960s sharing ritual that inspired "don't bogart that joint" continues in today's social cannabis consumption. What changed is accessibility.
Modern cannabis culture maintains the same generous spirit that made bogarting a recognizable violation.
Learn how to roll the perfect joint to keep your smoke circle running smoothly. Experiences vary, and we're not providing advice about consumption.
