Marijuana Concentrates 101

Marijuana concentrates are products that contain the active ingredients of cannabis, such as cannabinoids and terpenes, without the plant matter. They contain much more of these ingredients than raw marijuana flower. Concentrates enable you to experience the desired effects of cannabis in a wider range of forms without smoking plant matter, or added to joints and edibles to increase their potency.

Cannabis concentrates are often incorporated into:

• Vape liquids
• Drinks
• Meals
• Edibles
• Topical creams

Solvent-Based Concentrates

Solvent-based concentrates, also known as extracts, are created by using a solvent such as alcohol to extract the active ingredients from the plant. This process is often used to make cannabis extract oils such as butane hash oils or wax extracts.

Solventless Cannabis Concentrates

Solventless cannabis concentrates are made by using mechanical means to extract trichomes from marijuana flowers. Trichomes are the crystal structures found in marijuana that carry the majority of cannabinoids.

Examples of solventless cannabis concentrates include:

• Rosin
• Dry sift
• Kief

What is a Dab?

Dabbing is a common method of consuming cannabis concentrates like butane hash oil. These kinds of sticky cannabis oil can be scraped onto a metal surface and heated to create a potent vapor, usually using a dab rig. As a result, the oils themselves are often also referred to as dabs.

What is Shatter?

Shatter is a hard, brittle type of cannabis oil that is often used for dabbing. It easily snaps or shatters like glass, hence the name. Shatter contains some plant matter in addition to the cannabinoid-infused extract. Oils with high THCA content are typically more hard and easy to break, while oils with high THC content are softer with a more viscous consistency.

What is THC Wax?

THC wax is made by heating marijuana plant material in a solvent such as butane to create a gooey, waxy end product. Wax concentrates vary a lot in strength, consistency, and appearance, however. Some contain around 30% THC, while others can be as high as 90% THC.

This is extremely potent, and a single dosage can be the equivalent THC content of smoking up to 20 joints. As a result, it is important to pay attention to the THC content of what you are buying and using with care, as it can cause unpleasant negative side effects, which may include extreme paranoia, unconsciousness, and hallucinations. For these reasons, THC wax and other high THC concentrates are not recommended for light or beginner cannabis users with less experience and tolerance.

As previously mentioned, cannabis concentrates are often consumed through inhaling vapor via dabbing rigs.

Cannabis concentrates can also be added to a meal. This can be an inefficient means of getting the desired effects however, as food needs to contain a lot of soluble fats for your body to absorb the extracted ingredients. This can also give your food an unpleasant aftertaste, which is why it is more commonly used to make edibles such as candy or brownies that have a strong flavor and can be eaten quickly.

Cannabis concentrates are usually described by:

• The strain of cannabis plant used
• The type of plant material used for extraction. Common terminology here includes:
  • Nug run
    The extract was made using dried and cured flower
  • Trim run
    The concentrate was extracted from the leaves that were removed from a harvested plant
  • Whole plant
    The entire plant, including flower, leaves and stems, were used during extraction
• The extraction method
• The texture of the end product. Besides shatter, common textures include:
  • Budder
    As the name implies, these concentrates have an oily, butter-like consistency that makes them easy to spread for smoking and vaping.
  • Crumble
    Crumble is similar to budder but harder and more brittle.
  • Sugar
    Any concentrate with a wet, gritty texture can be described as sugar.
  • Sauce
    Sauce is sticky and viscous, with a treacle-like consistency.
  • Crystalline
    Crystalline concentrates are made of cannabinoid crystals of THCA or CBD.

Most concentrates are dry concentrates, which means they are extracted from dried plant matter. However, live resin is made from living plants which are flash-frozen immediately after cultivation. This retains the oils, THC and terpenes that are usually lost during the drying and curing process. Live resins have a much stronger smell and flavor than other types of concentrate, although they are not any more potent. Live resins are usually much more expensive as they require a sterile lab with trained technicians for production.

Cannabis concentrates retain more of the chemical components of cannabis than other forms, resulting in higher potency and greater efficacy for medical users. They also offer a lot of options for consuming cannabis without the harmful effects of smoking. Unlike other methods of making edibles, especially homemade edibles, concentrates are easier to achieve a consistent dosage throughout a batch of edibles.

In terms of both health and potency, cannabis concentrates are arguably the best way to consume cannabis depending on the method you use, with food and drink being the healthiest methods, although inhaling or smoking concentrates can have a more immediate effect.