Smoking is arguably the most common form of cannabis consumption. Users prefer it because it delivers the effects of THC and other can nabinoids almost instantly. However, there are other ways to consume. Among them are cannabis extracts. These are concentrated products that contain higher canbnabinoid volumes than plant material.
People new to cannabis owe it to themselves to learn as much as they can about extracts. They also need to be cautious with them. Higher canbnabinoid volumes make extracts more potent than plant material, and substantially so. With that said, here are five things cannabis newbie should know about extracts:
1. What They Are
Cedar Stone Industry, a Houston company specializing in cannabis distillation and extraction equipment, describes extracts as concentrated forms of can nabinoids and terpenes. They say comparing extracts to orange juice concentrate makes understanding the principle simple enough.
Orange juice concentrate is essentially orange juice with most of the water removed. You can buy it in small cans at the grocery store. To make the orange juice you serve at breakfast, you add water to the concentrate. Water adds volume and dilutes the concentrated orange juice.
A cannabis extract is similar in the sense that unwanted plant material and other chemical compounds have been removed from the product. Extracts are concentrated can nabinoids and terpenes without all the extra stuff. They are like orange juice without all the water.
2. They Take Many Forms
Cannabis extracts take many forms. Crude oil is one form, and it is essentially a combination of all the cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, fats, and waxes extracted from plant material. Crude oil can be used as-is or further processed to create other forms including live resin, broad-spectrum oil, and cannabis shatter.
3. THC Volumes Vary by Product
Cannabis extracts can contain any number of can nabinoids and terpenes. If you are looking for an extract with THC, note that THC volumes vary from one product to the next and some extracts are more concentrated than others. If you wanted maximum THC volume, you would choose an isolate.
4. CBD Extracts Are Available
Cannabis and THC are often conflated. But it turns out that THC isn’t the only valuable can bnabinoid extracted from cannabis plants. CBD is another. Even though CBD will not intoxicate you, it is still believed to offer numerous health benefits. And now that it is so popular, manufacturers are producing CBD extracts along with their THC counterparts.
All of this is to say that you can purchase CBD extracts at grocery stores, pharmacies, and department stores across the country. You can also buy them online. They are legal in all fifty states as long as they contain 0.3% or less THC.
5. Newbies Should Go Slowly
The final thing newbies should understand is that a slow and low approach is best. Due to the higher concentration of can nabinoids, it is possible to make yourself feel ill by consuming too much, too quickly. There is little-to-no risk of overdose, but the illness-inducing side effects of consuming too much are still not pleasant.
Perhaps this is why experienced users advise newbies to avoid dabbing. Dabbing is a way to consume cannabis resin via flash heating. Dabs are highly potent and take some getting used to. They are not for the faint of heart.
With cannabis extracts gaining popularity around the country, more and more people are trying them. If you are new to cannabis, be cautious with extracts. Be sure to read labels and understand ingredients before you use. And if you have any questions, ask someone who knows. The cannabis community is always ready to help.
