Updated 9 January 2018 v1.0

MEDICAL BENEFITS OF SMOKING MARIJUANA WAX, OIL, SHATTER OR CONCENTRATE

It is alarming how popular cannabis products have grown all around the world for the past 7 years. Sometimes when people hear the word “Medical Cannabis” all they want to think about are marijuana flowers or buds that are sold and smoked but this product varies, including extracts that are concentrated.

These concentrated extracts such as oil, shatter, and wax varies due to their consistency and texture and these extracts contains cannabinoids such as Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol(THC), Cannabinold(CBD), Cannabichromene(CBC) and so on; that are medically germane to treat patients with medical conditions such as;

• Cancer
• PTSD
• Multiple sclerosis
• Neuropathic pain
• Crohn’s disease
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Epilepsy
• Depression
• Chronic pain
• Psychotic disorder
• Weight loss
• Appetite stimulator
• Anti Nausea etc.

The extracts are similar in ingredient but has different ways of extracting THC and their effects on patient’s body and they can they can yield more than 80% THC content on a small amount of marijuana plants.

Concentrates is an all-embracing term used for marijuana plant extracts. Like I mentioned earlier, they come in different forms and compound consistency and are given several names from wax, shatters, errl, oil, dabs etc with one exception that they are extracts from the marijuana plants that concentrates chemical compounds (Cannabinoids) like THC and CBD.

Marijuana plant contains hundreds of chemical compound that are responsible for the flower psychotropic and medicinal qualities. More than 85 chemical compound—cannabinoids – were detected in cannabis plant but the most commonly studied ones are THC and CBD.

The cannabis extracts can also vary in price ranging from $25 to $100 per gram depending on the quality, location, potency and consistency unlike regular marijuana which sells for about $5 to $15

The THC is associated with medical conditions like appetite enhancements, pain control, inflammation reduction and mood stabilization and because of its properties; it has been approved in some countries as a treatment for multiple sclerosis and asthma. The CBD on the other hand has been shown to suppress seizures in patients, reduce body pains, enhance moods, and also reduce vomiting and nausea.

The chemical compound percentage, also known as potency can also vary from cannabis plants to plants and it’s depends on variables such as soil conditions, climates, temperature and humidity for growing the plant. Plants that are grown outdoors usually have less potency to those grown indoors under controlled process. The potency of the extracts is important as patients would have to use fewer products to get the required result needed.

CANNABIS OIL

Cannabis oil extracts looks like a thick, sticky resinous liquid. They are sometimes called honey oil due to its gold color or butane oil due to the solvent used. The extracted cannabis oil from the plant comprises of a number of cannabinoids such as CBD and THC. This concentration is very potent as such it is used to treat a number of medical conditions like epilepsy, anxiety, inflammatory disease. Medically, it has been tested to impact cancer growth; many have come to agree that cannabis oil will continue to have an impact in the medical community.

It can also be mixed with other ingredients while cooking because it has more viscosity than shatters and wax

Cannabis oil potency level is about 80% more than the cannabis plant itself and its potency depends solely on the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol extracted from the initial plant during the extraction process.

Cannabis oil can also be taken orally through a capsule, an oral syringe or as a drop under the tongue. It can also be mixed with other ingredients while cooking because it has more viscosity than shatters and wax, although it should only be prepared with edible solvents such as butter and olive oil for it to be edible.

CANNABIS WAX

Cannabis wax, also known as crumble, budder and flake extracts are opaque, thick and flaky though moist in nature due to its similarity with beeswax and earwax which results from condensation caused by rapid heating or stirring-- it also vary in texture from thick liquid to candle wax. It has a similar extraction process as cannabis oil; the cannabis plant is immersed in a long pipe or tube with butane to extract the THC and making wax through a BHO (Butane hash oil) extraction process.

Unlike cannabis oil, cannabis wax has less potency due to the large amount of wax contained in it making it less potency percentage of about 70% and with a sweet flavor

Cannabis was can be consumed through a glass called GRAV labs glass or O.penVAPE, this can be done by placing the extracted wax on a heated pen and this process allows you to heat your cannabis wax over 399 degrees with a 4.2 volts battery.

CANNABIS SHATTER

Shatters appears to be more brittle and clear and almost glass-like in appearance. It looks like a very thick honey with some degree of transparency and color. However, when warm it has a consistency similar to a thick honey but when it is cold, it consistence changes to that of a glass and as such, it got the name “shatter” because it breaks likes a glass when it drops or tapped.

Among all cannabis concentrate, Shatter and cannabis oil are most similar, they are both made by butane though shatter is more refined and this makes it to be more potent than cannabis oils with about 90% THC extracted from the
plant. Another advantage shatter has over other concentrates is that it last longer and it’s more stable.

More so, the extraction process is more like that of wax but unlike wax, shatters are not whipped. It extracts hardens into a tiny cake which is then broken into smaller fragments than can easily shatter. It can also be consumed by using a glass with an e-nail attachment where it is broken into a much smaller piece and placed on a heated pen like wax.

HOW THEY ARE PRODUCED

Although these extracts vary in consistency, they usually undergo the same process to be extracted. First, the marijuana buds are immersed into a solvent (usually propane, butane or carbon dioxide) to extract the entire chemical compound from the plant. After extraction, the solvent is later evaporated from the extracts and you are left with the cannabis resin.

Other solvents that can be used for extraction are Isopropyl alcohol, ethanol, water/steam, hydro carbon.
It is also calculated that six (6) grams of marijuana oil is extracted from one (1) ounce of marijuana plant and just as it takes about five (5) pounds of marijuana plant to obtain about 120 to 140 grams of marijuana oil.

Extracting these concentrates can be done at home as there are a couple of websites on the internet explaining the process but the problem is there are risks involved. One of the major concerns is caused by inappropriate ventilation system while heating flammable solvents like butane. Another risk is that producing cannabinoids yourself does not have the potency quality control to the product.

More so, there is no control of contaminants such as pesticides from the plants growing process. As such some solvents might still remain in the resin even after the heating process. Therefore, it is advisable to get these extracts from a licensed manufacturer to prevent this risk.

RIGS AND DABBING KITS

RIGS

A RIG is a glass water pipe which is very similar to a bong with a titanium or glass “nail” where the bowl would be. An electric heating element or blow torch is used to heat the nail to the required temperature usually between 575 – 625° F. When the concentrate is torched to the nail, it instantly vaporises and the user inhales through the rig mouth piece.

DABBING KITS

Dabs are all-encompassing terms used for marijuana extracts/concentrates, that is, process through which wax, oil and shatters are consumed or amount of extracts heated and consumed through a dab kit. Dabs or dabbing are effective for easing chronic body pains and extreme nausea for immediate and very effective relief.

A LITTLE DAB WILL DO YOU

Dabbing is the act of smoking concentrates but definitely not for the faint-hearted. The potency of getting high on dab could be like getting high for the very first time even for smokers who are experienced. Therefore it is advisable for first time dabbers to start small and then after getting used to the amount of high for their limits, they can start exploring the way they feel best for them. Moreover there is a saying that says: “A LITTLE DAB WILL DO YOU”

Patient who have been prescribed cannabinoids otherwise known as cannabis extracts for medical treatment usually employ dabbing for its effectiveness. Using dab kits the patient heats the cannabis to a temperature lower than that of smoking, creating a moist of vaporized solution that can be inhaled. This makes it ideal for patients who are experiencing nausea and who cannot or do not wish to inhale smoke.

Please note that whether you decide to consume shatters, wax or oils, it is important to know the potency level and addictive effect on the body.