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Missouri Cannabis Education
Concentrates 101
What is Dabbing ?
by Leah Maurer , contributing writer
Leah
Leah Maurer , a native Missourian , is now a canna-journalist and activist living in Portland , OR . She is a co-owner of www . TheWeedBlog . com , a top national cannabis news and information publication , where she serves as the Editorial Lead . In 2014 , Leah founded Moms for YES on Measure 91 through grassroots efforts alone , it proved pivotal in the passage of the Measure , successfully legalizing recreational / adult-use cannabis in the OR . Leah is a social justice and cannabis activist at the core and hopes to see an end to the prohibition of cannabis globally .
Now that all adults have access to cannabis dispensaries in Missouri , a plethora of products are easily available that consumers may not have had access to before . While cannabis consumers may have already had quite a bit of experience with smoking ( or even vaping ) cannabis flower and have tried ( or even made their own ) edibles , they may be unfamiliar with the variety of concentrates on the market . This column will be the first of several , where I will cover various types of the most common cannabis concentrates you will see on dispensary shelves and explain what they are , what their typical effect is , and how to consume them . First up — Dabbing .
Dabbing cannabis is a method of consumption that involves dropping a tiny bit of a highly concentrated form of cannabis oil on a hot surface so it can be vaporized and inhaled , typically a heated , metal “ nail ” of some sort . The term “ dab ” was created because consumers use a little tool to take a small dab of the concentrate and place it on the heated surface . While putting hash oil on a bowl of cannabis flower or in a joint isn ’ t exactly new , dabbing allows the consumer to get nothing but the hash / cannabis oil ’ s potent effect and flavor . Dabbing has gotten some bad attention over the last several years ( it wasn ’ t really a thing in the mainstream until around 2013ish ) because it has a very strong onset and effect and can easily give the feeling of discomfort and / or over-consumption . It has been said that dabs are as much as four times stronger than a joint . Additionally , people who dab experience an intense high all at once rather than the high gradually building over time .
However , if done responsibly and with a concentrate from a strain of cannabis that fits the consumer well , it can be a nice alternative to smoking cannabis flower . In fact , many medical marijuana patients who suffer from chronic pain or other more severe symptoms and conditions find dabbing to be one of the only ways to get relief . This is because it has a much stronger effect and because the consumer may only need to take one or two dabs to get the same effect they would get from smoking 10-plus puffs off a bong or pipe ( making it arguably easier on the lungs ).
So , What are Dabs ? Dabs are a particular type of cannabis concentrate created by extracting the essential oils of the cannabis plant ( stored in the plant ’ s trichomes ), usually with a chemical solvent such as butane , CO2 , or propane , or through mechanical means such as filtration screens . This process extracts THC from the cannabis plant and dissolves it into the butane , leaving a gooey , somewhat solid product that contains high amounts of THC . This concentrate takes many forms and has many names , depending on the method used and the final texture . These names ( and the ones your budtenders should be familiar with ) include wax , shatter , live resin , bubble hash , rosin , keef , and more .
24 April 2023