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Just when you thought it was over, another stoner holiday rears its head. That’s right, friends: It’s almost 7/10, the holiday dedicated to cannabis oil. Dabbers will soon be loading up their rigs and reaching new highs. The art of dabbing for years was only open to those willing to spend untold amounts of cash on expensive rigs and accessories, but the technology has finally caught up with consumer needs and now just about anyone can get into the hobby with only a small amount of effort.
7/10
The history behind this relatively new holiday is shrouded in mystery. The reason behind the date will become clear to readers who turn this paper upside down. That’s right: When inverted, the number “710” looks a lot like the word “OIL.” It’s corny and silly, but dabbers just eat it up.
The use of the number to denote hash oil enthusiasm goes back at least a decade online. Many have pointed to rapper Task Rok as the originator of the term. His 2011 album The Movement featured the number as a track title, although it was formatted as a time (“7:10”). Some have challenged the rapper’s claim to fame, but no one has been able to show any receipts contradicting his story.
What is Hash Oil?
Simply put, oil is cannabis extract. It goes by many names, including “wax,” “shatter,” “butter” and a few others, but all the varieties are essentially the same thing: Concentrated THC (or other cannabinoids) extracted from raw cannabis flower. Oil is more potent than flower and is somewhat more discreet. It has a much weaker aroma, because much of the plant matter is discarded during the extraction process.
Oil is made in a variety of ways, but the most common are the use of solvents like CO2 and butane to separate the cannabinoids from the raw plant matter. The solvent is used to strip the cannabinoids out, resulting in a viscous compound that is vaporized by the consumer.
And just to make things more complicated, there are other forms of concentrates too. One of the more popular types is called “live rosin.” This solventless concentration method uses heat and pressure to create the product.
Andrew Brown, co-owner and chief cultivation officer at Carver Family Farm, explains his process:
“We take a plant that’s fresh from growing and cut it really quickly and put it in the freezer,” Brown says. “Then from that, we make bubble hash and then the bubble hash gets put in freeze dryer, dried and we press that with heat and pressure to make rosin.”
Bubble hash is made when the freezing process breaks the flower’s resin glands off. The flower is sifted until only the cannabinoids are left.
Benefits
There are some benefits to using cannabis oil over flower. Vaporizing oil tends to produce much less of an odor compared to smoking flower, so it’s a good option for anyone who wants to consume discreetly or doesn’t want their home smelling like a rocketship.
It’s also much more potent than flower. This might not be considered a benefit for moderate consumers, but for daily users the threat of increased THC tolerance is ever present. Using cannabis concentrates allows regular users to reach their preferred level of effects without having to smoke ungodly amounts of weed. This is especially helpful for medical marijuana patients who need daily THC to manage their symptoms.
Cannabis consultant and extractor at 710 Labs, Alejandro Garcia tells The Paper. that vaping concentrates can be less detrimental to the health of daily users.
“When you’re smoking cannabis, the health effects can be comparable to smoking cigarettes — when it comes to the tar and just how bad the smoke is for you,” he says. “Preventing that from happening, obviously, is a good thing. Some of that lung capacity will still be there.”
Allergies
Garcia says using concentrates is also a better option for those who suffer from cannabis allergies but want to keep dosing THC.
“I’ve been in the industry more than a decade — going on 14 years — and when I first started, I didn’t have an allergy to cannabis,” he says. “But I eventually developed one over the years from working on the extraction side of things — working with small particles.”
Garcia began reacting negatively to the presence of weed. Smoking causes him to experience congestion and lung irritation, and touching it makes him break out in hives.
“So I ventured into using concentrates only, because you’re eliminating a lot of the plant matter and a lot of those defenses that the plant naturally has to try and protect itself from predators,” he says. “You eliminate a lot of those compounds that would make my immune system go crazy.”
Rigs and Dabbing
So you’re convinced, but what’s the best way to get started?
Up until recently, the best way to consume hash oil was through a dabbing rig. These expensive pieces of hardware (some cost in the tens of thousands) look similar to a bong, but instead of a bowl for marijuana, they’re fitted with a quartz bucket known as a “nail” or “banger” for hash oil.
The process might be a bit daunting for the average consumer. A butane torch is used to heat the banger up to excessively high temperatures between 300 and 600 degrees before a dab of oil is dropped into it to vaporize.
The danger of burning oneself during the process is just too high for most casual users. Luckily, technology has caught up with demand, and it’s easier than ever to get into the hobby without needing a traditional rig.
Vape Pens
Brown tells us that an inexpensive and beginner-friendly way to start dabbing is through the use of vape pens. These are often sold as tube-shaped batteries that fit various disposable oil cartridges. All you have to do is screw a cartridge onto a charged battery and you can start vaping right away.
“It all just depends on what your goal is,” Brown says. “Are you trying to be discreet or trying to travel with it? The whole torch setup with a rig can be a little awkward sometimes.”
There are also pens designed with their own banger that allow entry-level consumers to use the same concentrates that are used with full rigs. The dab is dropped into the banger, the cap is closed and after that it functions a lot like a cartridge.
E-Rigs
If you’ve already been using pens and are looking to level up without using a full-on rig, Brown and Garcia both agree that an electronic rig is the way to go.
These machines have only been around for a few years, but they’ve completely changed the game. Imagine a classic rig but without the danger of burning yourself with a butane torch.
E-rigs are shockingly easy to use. You just set the temperature you want, wait for it to heat up, then get to dabbing. The price of entry is fairly variable too. Consumers can get an e-rig for under $100 (although, as with all things, you get what you pay for).
“It’s kind of like everything in life — the more money you spend, the better experience you’re going to have,” Brown says. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what you need to have.”
Brown says e-rigs make dabbing much easier.
“It’s a good experience,” he says. “I like glass better, but then, if you’re going to have a glass rig, then you need your torch, which has to be filled with butane, and you have to clean your little banger out with Q-tips. And then there’s traveling. An e-rig is a pretty convenient setup.”
Garcia says e-rigs are easier for beginners.
“It’s the simplicity. And it’s less intimidating for somebody who’s coming into vaporizing concentrates than using the torch and the glass,” says Garcia. “There are still purists out there who use glass rigs, but the ease of use and the ability to get a consistent hit day in and day out with the e-rigs is really good.”
The Downside
We would be remiss in our duties if we failed to mention that there could be some health concerns associated with dabbing oil versus smoking weed.
In a 2021 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, researchers looked at data from a two-year Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study conducted by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Participants between the ages of 12 and 17 were asked if they’d experienced wheezing or whistling in the chest that disturbed sleep, limited speech or affected exercise. They were also asked about their use of cannabis and tobacco.
The researchers found that lifetime cannabis oil use was associated with negative respiratory symptoms that weren’t associated with lifetime e-cigarette or tobacco users. It was a shocking revelation, but it seems as though regular oil users could be more likely to suffer negative health impacts than weed smokers or even cigarette smokers.
There hasn’t been much research done on the topic since that study, so it’s far from definitive, but it is something to consider.