CannaBasics

by Brittney Graham

Learning about different cannabis products and consumption methods is a very daunting task. There is a maze of information that can easily be found, but deciphering truth from fiction is another issue entirely. Not to mention the personal questions like what consumption method is best for me? No worries, here at Herbage, we thought it would be helpful to have a small list of useful Medical Marijuana terms to help more easily navigate this new green world together. Check out the CannaBasics definition list below before your next trip to your local dispensary and give yourself more direction in the medicine that is right for you.

• Flower: When we grow a rose bush, we pick the roses for decoration or to give to some one special right? Well, Cannabis plants grow their own flowers for picking and they are most usually referred to as buds.
• Trichomes: Throughout the Cannabis plant, there are small, sparkling structures called trichomes. These hold the most desirable cannabis compounds such as THC, CBD, etc. You know the flower buds we just discussed? Well, these frosty appendages coat the entire surface of the cannabis plant including those buds!
• Terpenes: Trichomes house terpenes as well. Terpenes are what give different cannabis strains their unique aromas and physical effects. Fun fact, terpenes are found everywhere like Pinene is what gives off that pinecone smell when you are near a pine tree.
• Concentrate: Cannabis Concentrates are products made from the cannabis plant that have been processed to keep only the most desirable plant compounds, while removing excess plant material and other impurities. This is a very broad category so let’s break down some popular concentrates I am sure you have run into!

1. Shatter: Is brittle and glass like in texture. It can also have a snap-and-pull consistency like taffy candy. The color is usually a golden yellow to bright amber.
2. Budder or Badder: Think of a stick of butter or doughnut batter, the texture is going to be softer and oiler than the former mentioned shatter. They are both easy to handle and have a sun yellow to bright orange coloring. The consistency allows the extract to easily be used as a spread on joints or dabbed on a dab rig (which we will be discussing shortly).
3. Crumble: This is a brittle version of budder or badder. It has more of a honeycomb like consistency and the color is usually in a matted shade of yellow. It also looks like crumble as the name suggests like the topping of a cobbler.
4. Sugar: Is the term used for any concentrate that has a similar consistency to wet, sappy, sugar. There really is no uniformity in the classification other than that which means the colors can range from a bright honey yellow to a deep dark amber.
5. Sauce: As opposed to sugar, sauce is thicker like something you would put on your ribs for the Super Bowl. The color of the sauce can range from a deep amber to a bright mustard. Sauce also has a more prominent crystalline structure, which means you will see little diamonds in the sauce as well.

• Extracts: Extracts are a specific type of concentrate that uses solvents to draw out the desired substances of the cannabis plant. For example, vanilla extracts are produced by using alcohol as a solvent to pull out Vanillin, from the vanilla bean pods. It is important to note that all extracts are concentrates but not all concentrates are extracts! The difference is all in how the trichomes are collected. Extracts are concentrates created by using solvents, while concentrates can be created without the use of solvents (i.e. a heat press).

• Dabbing: Consuming cannabis concentrates can be done by vaporizing it using a “dab rig”. This method consists of heating a “nail” (made from either glass, ceramic, or titanium) and then applying the concentrate directly into the hot surface, instantly turning it to vapor for consumption.
• Vaping: The most common form of vaping is a pre-filled cartridge or “cart” as they are most commonly referred that attached to a battery. The cart contains a heating element that comes inContact with the battery and heats the concentrate when activated. This is most commonly referred to as a vape pen. Most are operated by pressing a button and simply taking a drag from the mouthpiece. It is important to note that some have a buttonless system where you just breath in when ready to medicate!
• Water Bong: A simple water pipe consisting of a bottle or vertical tube partially filled with water and a smaller offset tube ending in a bowl. Flower is ground down and added to the bowl at the end of the bong. When the bowl is lit you inhale from the mouthpiece and then pull the bowl to finish the hit.
• Dry Pipe: Any pipe you add flower to smoke with but does not contain water. You know those little pipes you see in the dispensary? Those are it!
• Cannabis Edible: A food that is infused with cannabinoids (i.e. THC, CBD). Marijuana edibles can be brownies, cookies, pasta, and pretty much anything you love to eat! The edibles can be infused with cannabis butter or oil and can even be purchased in sugar form from your local dispensary.
• Cannabis Tinctures: Are alcohol-extracted cannabis products. The cannabis liquid tincture contains high levels of THC and other cannabinoids that have been leached out into the alcohol to form a liquid. As with all forms of edibles, it is important to start your dosage small and find what is right for your body. It is important to note that ingesting cannabis is more potent and faster acting than smoking it.