The cannabis in flower form refers to the smokable part of the female cannabis plant, and is probably what most people imagine when they think of getting high.
The flower/bud/nug is commonly smoked through either a joint, spliff, or a blunt. A joint is cannabis rolled up with rolling paper and typically features a paper filter. A spliff is a blend of tobacco and cannabis, creating a hybrid canna-cigarette. A blunt is larger in size and is rolled with thick cigar papers, which are a dark brown.
Cannabis flowers can also be consumed through a pipe, bong, or chillum. A pipe or chillum are small, portable paraphernalia typically made of glass but can also be made from metal, wood, or ceramics.
The cleanest way to smoke cannabis is with a vaporizer – a volcano is a popular vaping device – which provides a purer and healthier experience. Vaporizers heat up cannabis to a point where the cannabinoids will evaporate but the plant matter does not burn. Vaporizes can be pricey, but the pham finds it to be an investment that is worth the cost.
An edible is a term used to describe any food item that contains THC and other cannabinoids. This could be a good option for those who want to avoid inhaling anything. Each serving has a precise dose so that you know how much you’re getting; the standard dose is 10mg per serving. The effects of edibles are longer lasting and produce a slightly different high compared to smoking cannabis. The onset is typically 30-90 minutes, with effects peaking around 2-3 hours, and a full 6-8 hour experience from start to finish.
The effects can be different from person to person. Tolerance, weight, when you last ate, and gender are just some of the factors that explain why the effects can vary between people. Some people’s bodies metabolize THC too quickly and will find edibles either don’t work at all for them or they need a fast-acting nano emulsion edible, that will bypass the digestive system and be delivered quickly into the bloodstream.
Edibles come in several different products– gummies, chocolate, cookies, brownies, hard candy, drinks, honey, cooking oils, edible oils (tinctures), and the list goes on! Most edibles on the market only contain THC distillate; however, there are full-spectrum edibles out there. Full-spectrum edibles will have other cannabinoids and terpenes that are sourced from the cannabis plant and are unique to the strain. Other times additional cannabinoids and terpenes will be added to the edible along the THC distillate. The 1:1 THC:CBD ratio edibles have grown in popularity, providing a more balanced and calming effect.
Concentrates are products which contain isolated cannabinoids and terpenes that are found in the cannabis plants trichomes. Cannabis concentrates also contain high levels of the THC cannabinoid, typically ranging from 40% to over 90%. Concentrates come in a variety of textures and consistencies, such as budder, hash, kief, live resin, hash rosin, shatter, crumble, and the list goes on.
The main distinction between cannabis concentrates are solvent extracts and solventless concentrates. Solvent extracts use a solvent to separate the trichomes from the cannabis plant. Butane and alcohol are common solvents used during this process. Some common solvent extracts are butane hash oil (BHO), shatter, sauce, and more. Solventless concentrates that do not use solvents during processing and instead use heat, pressure, dry-sifting fresh frozen, ice water extraction, and a few others. Solventless concentrates don’t use any chemicals for their processing and are thought to be superior and cleaner than solvent extracts. Some solventless concentrates include kief, rosin, and ice water hash rosin.
Concentrate paraphernalia commonly used are rigs, pens, and electronic dab straws.
The distinguishing feature of vape pens is that they heat up cannabis oils to a temperature that turns active terpenes and cannabinoids into vapor. Vaporizing doesn’t burn off many of the terpenes and minor cannabinoids that smoking cannabis does so those compounds can be activated. Vape pens heat up the cannabis oil just under the point of combustion, which is about 180 to 190 degrees Celsius. Some vape pens have customizable heat settings so that you can control which terpenes and cannabinoids you wish to activate. Vapor highs, like smoking, kick-in within 15 minutes and the high will last between 40 minutes to two hours.
A lot of cartridges on the market are THC distillate cartridges, which means the only cannabinoid present is THC. Some distillate cartridges will add terpenes to the cartridge or cannabinoids such as CBD. Single-source live resin cartridges are a more medicinal way to vape, with all cannabinoids and terpenes being from a single plant without adding anything to it.
There are disposable cartridges that come with a battery that are for single-use. If you care about our planet, you’ll go for cartridges that are compatible with whatever rechargeable battery you have. The most standard battery is a 510 thread cell battery.
At Pharmhouse Wellness, we also see the value in
recreational cannabis use. Whether you are camping, going
to a concert, stand-up comedy show, the movies, creating art, or whatever
other activity, cannabis can enhance your senses and offer a different
perspective during your activity of choice.
Our staff is very passionate about cannabis and are eager to share our suggestions with you, so please don’t hesitate to ask any questions. It’s always a good idea to tell your budtender what kind of experience you are looking for, which will help guide us in our recommendations.