Cannabis Choice Guide
Use this guide to help choose the right cannabis consumption method for you.
Indica
If you want to relax.
Sativa
If you want to get lifted
Hybrid
Best of both worlds.
How long does it take to feel the effects?
When smoking cannabis, the effects can be felt almost instantly and last from 90 minutes to 3+ hours depending on the individual, cannabinoid content, and potency of the strain. Because of the minimal onset time associated with smoking cannabis, dosage control is easy relative to other consumption methods.
Desktop Vaporizers
They are bigger and more powerful than portable vaporizers and vape pens. They are designed for home use.
Portable Vaporizers
Portable vaporizers make use of rechargeable batteries. Conventional portable vaporizers are used mainly for dry herbs, with only a handful of them having the ability to do several different materials such as dry herb and concentrates.
Vape Pens
Vape pens work best with concentrates. They are usually used for concentrates with a few numbers of them having the ability to suitably vape dry herb. Vape pens are undoubtedly the most discreet type of vaporizer you can think of. You should not ideally purchase a vape pen if you aim to vape mainly dry herbs, instead get a portable one.
How long does it take to feel the effects?
The effects of vaporizing cannabis (desktop, portable, and vape pens) are felt almost instantly which makes dosage control easy.
Edibles
Cannabis infused food and drink. The effects associated with ingested cannabis last much longer than the other consumption methods (anywhere from 4 to 8+ hours) and can be significantly more intense. The downside to edibles is the delayed onset time, which can take anywhere from 20 to 90+ minutes.
Hash / Kief
Hash is the pressed version of trichomes. Trichomes are the little tiny crystal-like hairs that cover the bud. Kief (keef) is a fine powder made from trichomes. Hash comes in many forms depending on the extraction method used to get it from the plant stage to the concentrate stage.
Butane Hash Oil (BHO)
BHO is a highly potent form of marijuana extraction. It is made by dissolving the THC in the solvent butane. The process extracts the THC but without dissolving the actual marijuana buds.
BHO has a variety of names (wax, shatter, crumble, oil, errl, honeycomb, moon rock, nectar, etc.) BHO generally tests between 60 percent and 90 percent THC, making it perhaps the strongest concentrate on the mainstream market.
Propane Hash Oil (PHO)
Cannabis processed using the same method as BHO, but with propane instead. Although others are possible, the consistency of PHO is typically budder. Budder is a type of hash oil that is similar to wax but softer and more pliable.
CO2
CO2 oil is the golden liquid used in almost every pre-filled vaporizer pen cartridge.
Shatter
Shatter has a hard, smooth, glass-like consistency. Shatter breaks so easily. Many prefer to dab shatter as it can be difficult to load into certain vaporizers, but that’s not to say you can’t vaporize it. Concentrates with the shatter consistency can be converted to budder by simply whipping the concentrate on a hot plate. Shatter shards can be mixed with flower inside joints before rolling.
Budder / Wax
Wax or budder refers to cannabis extracts with a creamy, buttery consistency. It is also called crumble or cake batter. The consistency is comparable to a soft wax and is more forgiving to work with than shatter. Budder can be vaped, dabbed, twaxed (inside the joint or blunt), smoked, or used in edibles. Great consistency for vaporizer pens.
Dabbing Concentrates
Dabbing is a way of consuming cannabis concentrates (aka dabs) and it is the most popular. Dabs are smoked using a dab rig.
A dab rig is similar to a bong, however you heat the part you would usually place the buds in and when hot enough, by using a small piece of cannabis concentrate, you then smoke and enjoy the flavour and high much quicker and stronger.
When using a dab rig, a blowtorch is used to preheat the heating surface, which is referred to as a “nail”. The nail is usually made of titanium or glass. After the nail is heated, the concentrate is “dabbed” on the surface, resulting in a vapor that can be inhaled. it’s actually a way of consuming marijuana extracts that provides a heavy dose of cannabinoids in a small package.
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If you still have questions about the different methods, don't worry because our educated and friendly budtenders will take care of you when you come to the dispensary.
