Marijuana is just the Mexican term used for cannabis. Ancient Asians were making the most of the plant by using it as herbal drugs and not just to get high. The plant initially evolved around Central Asia, and their medicinal use started around 500 BC. From Asia, Cannabis spread to other parts like Europe, Africa, and eventually followed by America during colonial times.

Eventually, folks started using marijuana mostly for recreational purposes and getting high, thus resulting in the ban of its use in many regions of the world. For regular marijuana zoners or stoners as they are commonly known, doing hashish with a brownie or rolling up a joint is old school.

Creative minds have now come up with ointments, tinctures, and cannabinoid gummies with the highest level of THC. Dabbing or marijuana dabs are another exciting way of getting the best of the psychoactive plant. Let us look into what exactly dabbing is.

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What is dabbing and its basic types? 

Marijuana Dabs are sticky wax-like structures comprising of high concentration of cannabis. It is made by extracting THC and cannabinoids, using solvents and solutions like butane and carbon dioxide. The final results are sticky wax-like figures which are heated on hot surfaces and then inhaled through a dab rig to get high.

The birth of dabbing has only been through the past decade, but now, more advanced methods of getting higher concentrations of THC has led to its extreme popularity. In a layman’s terms, they are simply a form of dry herb which is either smoked or vaporized. 

Nowadays it is easy to learn how to make dabs back at your place, but it is advisable to buy it from a reputed seller. Waxes and dabs have a high concentration of mind-altering chemicals and therefore, should be taken with caution.

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Some of the forms of dabs are-

Shatter

Shatters have a high potency of THC, thus giving a long-lasting high. A shatter looks extremely thin and semi-transparent, therefore a fragile element below room temperature. 

Budder

This dab looks a lot like the peanut butter, and the consistency is somewhat between wax and shatter. Continuous whipping of the original sap or heating the shatter a little bit results into the budder. Because of the doughy consistency, it becomes a bit hard to hold the substance with a tool. Freezing it for approximately 15 minutes can solve this problem as it solidifies to some extent. You are better to keep it in a container or a parchment paper.

Oil

The solvent used to make this cannabis concentrate is CO2 instead of the regular Butane. This additive gives it a runny oily look which is probably best stored in a syringe. When it comes to practical use, this dab has a slightly different taste than its BHO counterpart. A silicon container is also a good alternative for storing the substance.

Wax

Amongst cannabis users, it is simply known as wax. In spite of the despising look like ear wax, dab wax is highly popular amongst cannabis users. It also has a high resemblance of the crumbled brown sugar due to its coarse consistency. Wax usually has higher concentrations of THC and Cannabinoids. It is better carried in a paper parchment.

How to make cannabis dabs at home safely, and what do you need for it? 

For a rookie, it can be quite a hazardous and complicated task to make a dab of any form at home. So for beginners, it is advised to simply buy it from a reputable dealer.

To make a marijuana dab like a shatter, you definitely need some familiarity with the basics of chemistry just to be on the safer side. Purging all of the butane is a must.  

Ingredients

• Marijuana
• Parchments
• Blades(preferably razor blades)
• Dish
• Coffee filter
• Extraction tube(thick glass)
• Butane
• Hot Plate

DIY Dabs Process

1. The first step is to make sure your marijuana is dried and cure properly.. 

2. Fill the extraction tube with dry marijuana, packing it tightly, leaving less scope for air pockets. Don’t squeeze it too much, so that the solvent flows in smoothly.

3 Cover the end of the tube with a coffee filter.

4. Now is the time to add the solvent, Pour the butane in into the open end of the tube. Let the liquid run through and collect it in the ovenproof dish. Please note that this particular step is better performed outside to avoid any chance of explosions.

5. When the cannabis is entirely saturated, let the remaining butane flow out the filter and gather in the dish. 

6. For evaporating the Butane, place the dish in a pan that is filled with water. Put the pan on the hot plate, and as the water starts heating the oil will begin forming bubbles. Don’t expose the oil with too much heat. Too much heat can degrade the mixture and darken the mixture, but most importantly, ignite your butane.

You know it over when the oil stops bubbling. 

6. Let it cool and then use the razor blades to scrape out the sticky solution from the dish. Place it in the parchment and let it solidify. 

How to use dabs?

Basically, there are a few ways you can dab, with a dab rig, a enail or a dab pen like a puffco plus. The without part uses the more traditional pipe method. 

Oil Rig

Also known as a dab rig, it is one of the most potent ways of dabbing. The rig has a strong resemblance to the bong. A small glass pipe, a mouthpiece for inhaling, vertical chamber and a nail made with titanium or glass. 

Fill the rig with water and start heating it until the nail turns red hot. Use a dabber, generally a metal, ceramic tool or glass to apply the concentrate into the nail. Applying the concentrate to the hot nail and start to inhale through the pipe.  

Bowl

This is one of them ‘without a rig’ methods. When using a bowl for dabbing, fill half of the container with weed and then put the marijuana dab in it, then more pot again. This way the dab has less chance of coming in direct contact with the flame which can degrade it. 

Joint

The joint method is the same as the bowl. Just roll the dab in the joint with enough weed stacked up.

Vape Pen

A vape Pen like the puffco Plus or even The Puffco Peak. These are small electronic dab rigs/pen with ceramic chambers where you place your dab. You then turn the device on allowing it to heat so you can then inhale the vapor.

Dabbing Pros

• Dabbing is known for its long-lasting high, due to the intense concentration of THC. Proving to be better more popular for recreational users. 
• Dabbing has been used for medical purposes because of its intense potency.
• Just a small concentration of dab can be used to cure pain for a longer time. 

Dabbing Cons

• For stoners, the highs from dabbing get intense. Therefore only small amounts should be used.
• The extraction process of the solvent is quite dangerous and can cause any fire emergency. 
• The solvent if not purged fully, when inhaled too much, is harmful to throats and lungs. 

Benefits of dabbing

When it comes to regular smoking vs. Marijuana Dabs, dabbing is the better process of getting high. It is cleaner and natural coming from the cannabis plant. Marijuana Dabbing gives quicker relaxation from pain with the intense and instant high. 

Dabbing Risks

The dabbing vapor indeed consists of known carcinogenic substances like benzene and methacrolein compared to vaping regular cannabis herbs. Thus too much consumption of marijuana dabs raises the risk of cancer.