Consumption

anxious. The quick shot of CBD successfully calms a doom spiral or persistently anxious day. Dabbing also requires specific glass rigs, e-nails or torches, and other accouterments that can sometimes be expensive. Someone without an extensive budget may not be able to get everything together in just one day.

This method isn’t often ideal for beginners, but with the right gear and understanding of the process, dabbing could be accessible for all.

VAPE PENS, CARTRIDGES, AND PODS

There are a few types of vape pens, like 510-thread cartridges, disposable vapes, and Pax Pods. Each product contains oil. A battery activates the cartridge or pod heating elements which creates a vapor.

Despite controversy in 2019, vaporizer pens continue to grow in popularity because they are discreet and don’t leave a lingering smell on people. Despite the benefits, consumers should consider what kind of oil a brand uses and the cartridge quality before purchasing a vape pen.

Brands use various extracts that contain different ratios of cannabinoids in cannabis cartridges. Distillates are often THC-only with little to no terpenes, while live resin cartridges are high in terpenes and have a full spectrum of cannabinoids. The type of oil used will impact your experience, so form an idea of what you are looking for before visiting the shop.

The materials used to manufacture the cartridge elements can pose a consumer risk. I learned from Corey Mangold, CEO of vape cart company PurTec, that though 510-thread cartridges are tested for heavy metals and ceramic dust after production, they are not emissions-tested or tested after multiple cycles of heating and cooling.

In addition, Mangold informed me that ceramic elements, often used to heat cannabis oil inside the cart, must be made with grade A ceramic, or the possibility of the ceramic releasing dust into the oil increases. Inhaling ceramic dust in the air can develop Silicosis, but there are still no studies on the effects of inhaling ceramic dust in heated cannabis oil.

When buying vape carts, be a conscious consumer, ask questions, and learn about the brand before purchasing. Though you’re unlikely to get answers on the manufacturing and materials on the cart itself, trusting the cannabis brand you are buying from is a good step in the right direction.

TOPICAL BALMS, SALVES, LOTIONS, AND MORE

Though they come in many consistencies, packages, and doses, these products are straightforward. Brands design salves, lotions, balms, and creams to relieve pain, moisturize skin healing from a new tattoo, relieve itchy bug bites, and promote sexual stimulation.

A few topical products, like some transdermal patches, can breach the blood-brain barrier, but most will have minimal to no psychoactive effect. Though it is the intended effect, many might consider topicals not getting you high a negative–but they come in handy. I recommend having CBD balm in the medicine cabinet.

SUPPOSITORIES

Cannabis suppositories are technically topical products but with a specialty intake method. People use suppositories anally or vaginally for myriad reasons like relieving menstrual cramps, sciatica, and cancer symptoms–all of which I have either facilitated as a budtender or tried myself.

When I worked in a medical shop in Arizona, a patient came in for her first visit after taking her cancer treatment into her own hands. After selling her molds and high-quality shake, we taught her a coconut oil infusion method and guided her through making her suppositories. That was my first experience with this cannabis product until working in an adult-use shop a few years later in Washington.

The store in Washington carried infused suppositories. One day I was having a sciatica flare-up, so I tried one. The suppository alleviated my nerve pain faster and more effectively than many other home remedies I have tried, like over-the-counter pain medications, using a foam roller, and topical cannabis products. A coworker reported that suppositories did the same for her menstrual cramps when taken vaginally.

While some can feel uncomfortable talking about suppositories, I have learned that it is worth it to speak openly about this cannabis consumption method as it has personally provided me with relief from a persistent condition. >>

DRY HERB VAPES

As a lover of smoking flower that also values my lung health, I am always looking for a dry herb vape that rips. There is a bevy of dry herb vapes available, from desktop tech like the beloved Storz & Bickel Volcano to portable pieces like the PAX 3.

These devices often use convection chambers that heat flower atmospherically. Some use a rechargeable battery, while others plug into the wall during use. Pieces often allow you to personalize the experience and maximize the terpene content in your hit with preset temperature settings.

Dry herb vapes are ideal for someone who wants to enjoy cannabis flower but finds smoking weed harsh or too smelly–though flower vape hits will still leave a lingering cannabis aroma. The most common complaint with this consumption method is that hits are too light and don’t have enough visible smoke on the exhale, making people feel like they don’t “get anything.” But this is normal.

Unless you are baking your herb into high heaven, vapor will appear lighter than smoke because it combusts flower at a much lower temperature. Terpenes have a boiling point between 200-350°F, and cannabinoids boil at a range of 300-450°F. A lighter burns at 4,074°F.

The last con of dry herb vapes is that the best ones are pricey. The Volcano Classic starts at $479, and the PAX 3 retails for $250. While there are cheaper options, I mention these products because they function well and last much longer than their less expensive counterparts. Someone who loves smoking cannabis would be well-served to invest in a dry herb vape, but understandably, not everyone can pay to play.

There are many ways to consume cannabis, and few are wrong. Instead, each cannabis consumption method has a time and a place based on desired experience, health considerations, budgetary concerns, and personal preference. These are the most common methods for smoking, eating, applying, and vaping the plant.

SO, AFTER ALL THE PROS & CONS OF CANNABIS CONSUMPTION METHODS, WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE?