The Good, The Bad and The Ugly by Caroline Hayes
Dabbing: An Explosive Trend
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly by Caroline Hayes
As they say,“ A Little Dab’ ll Do Ya!” but I don’ t think a THC concentrate was what the creators of Brycreem had in mind when that jingle hit the market in 1928.
Manufacturing hash has been around for centuries and the process is only getting more involved. Specifically, the production of butane( BHO) hash. What is commonly known as“ dabbing” is becoming a phenomenon that is raising more than just a few eyebrows... but why? What are the good, the bad and the ugly sides of specific types of hash?
The Good First things first, hash is a very concentrated, potent form of THC. To give you an idea: regular ol’ buds can test anywhere from 10-30 percent active THC. Varieties of hash can test out, on average, at anywhere from 40-90 percent active THC depending on the extraction method. Concentrates guarantee instant relief and a heavy high, accompanied with euphoria and other typical cannabis-like effects.
Hash, wax, shatter, oil, errl or bubble. Call it what you will, this highly concentrated extract product is an effective tool in treating ailments. When made right, the patient is provided with a pure form of concentrated marijuana, without any water or chemical residuals, which pack a powerful punch. Hash is an effective tool in treating ailments because of how potent it is.
It’ s concentrated, therefore you don’ t need as much. When sprinkled on a bowl, it can make your bowl last up to twice as long! To say the least, a little extract goes a long way, which is true with any type of extract or concentrated substance.
“ Getting the body to absorb high levels of cannabinoids are proving to help decrease inflammation and pain while helping the patient eat and sleep: the fundamentals of life, says Tony Verzura, COO at RiverRock. If you can get patients to eat, sleep and digest properly then their bodies can start healing itself. Narcotics disrupt sleep, appetite, digestive processes, increases dependency and constipation, he believes.
These days, research is proving that concentrated cannabinoids are assisting the body in fighting off cancers and helping to control other disorders and ailments, thus the influx and methods of hash production. The potency is what people are striving for. Patients deserve the highest quality of life just like anyone else and THC products can help them to achieve that.
The Bad Wait— why is there a“ bad” section involving this wonder extract? Well, the hash craze isn’ t dwindling and due to high potency and effectiveness as a medicine, just about anybody and everybody is trying to make hash these days.
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How does one do that? Well, there are more than just a couple extraction methods but we are really only delving into the main three. There is cold-water extraction aka good ol’ fashion bubble hash; butane extraction aka BHO, honey, oil and shatter are among some of the aliases; and CO 2 extract. With all of these different processes comes a different product and different dangers.
Cold water extraction is pretty simple yet completely as effective as other, more complicated methods. Ice water and some sort of filtration method( bubble bags, silk screens) are used to strain out the desired hash product, which is then dried before smoked. This step is especially important because if the hash is not dried thoroughly, moisture becomes trapped in the product; mold grows and is then dispersed into the lungs once smoked. The problem besides the obvious is that mold damage is serious on the lungs and often times irreversible.
Note that there are dangers to every type of extraction method. Uneducated / beginner hash makers may be unaware of these, so one needs to learn all the facts about making any type of hash beforehand to avoid harm. You only want to smoke a quality product that will aid the body, not hinder its repair.
Nikka T of Pink House only uses the cold-water method to create hash for his patients. It’ s what he prefers to make and smoke because he knows exactly what ingredients are being used, which are water and ice. When asked about the mold theory he said they have the moisture control dialed in and that they spread the hash out to dry for at least a week. They make sure it is completely moisture free before it goes into a jar. They also get their batches tested from time to time to make sure the system they are using is still providing results without mold residuals.“ We believe in quality for ourselves and to us this is the best quality,” said Nikka T.
Next, there’ s BHO, which is made by blowing butane through plant matter and extracting a different type of stickier, waxier substance. This usually generates higher percentages of THC than cold-water extraction, however, Nikka T said that some of their bubble hash tests out up to 86 percent, which is plenty potent for most. The problem with BHO is that if the extraction process isn’ t handled thoroughly, butane is left in the wax and smoked by the patient. This isn’ t a desired quality in medicine, as inhalation of butane can make one feel ill. The butane isn’ t the medicine, the cannabinoids are. The patient needs the purest form of the product you can extract.
Furthermore, there are two kinds of butane: isobutane and N-butane. Isobutane is the over the counter butane and is more toxic, not as pure and less of a solvent. N-butane acts