Why Do Some Patients Dab Medical Cannabis?

Cannabis is an entirely new experience to most who are seeking medical care. Most of medical patients have never used cannabis in any form. Most of them are not smokers, and many have no familiarity with the cannabis effect.

Novice users seek convenience, discretion, and clear medical results. Of course, they may find those benefits in edibles, vaping, topicals, and other consumption or application methods. But, some are opting for dabbing because of its significantly increased potency.

What is dabbing?

Dabbing requires a rig which, in most cases, looks like a bong. It includes a “nail,” a small tongue of metal or quartz. When the nail is heated, you drop or apply some cannabis concentrate to the nail. Dabbers use concentrates in the form of wax, “budder,” or shatter. It vaporizes immediately and produces medical effects you can inhale.

At lower temperatures, the nail produces vapor, but at higher temperatures, the concentrate combusts into smoke. Vapor or smoke, it delivers a hefty volume of cannabinoids.

What’s the problem?

• Dabbing is a delivery process that makes already high potency cannabis even stronger. And, as new strains of cannabis are being engineered to strengthen their THC content, dabbing has delivered overwhelming THC doses.

Some users have reported extreme experiences, paranoia and delusions, and physical effects worth emergency medical care. Dabbing can mean way too much of a good thing.

• Dabbing is a delivery system that also presents a risk in its core operation. Heating the nail can be a risky task for users. Most legacy dabbers use a mini blow torch to heat the nail. The torch may leak butane and present a fire hazard. But, newer dabbing rigs electronically heat the nail. With an e-nail, you can also control the process better.

If you can keep the temperature lower than 611° F, you will produce a safer experience because the higher temperatures create combustion and carcinogens.

Cannabis concentrates are produced through several processes. Many of those processes use butane to extract the cannabis powers from the plant and its debris. The chemical process reduces the plant matter and fiber to concentrate the cannabinoids. But, butane is unstable and explosive. So, dabbers must opt for safer product.

What’s the rig?

Bongs are simple in concept but often elaborate in glass design. They’ve become an art form for glassblowers. But, except for the color touches, the Black Leaf 4-arm Perc Bong with Ash Catcher has hit the market as a gold standard for ease of use and elegance in design.

Made of 3.2mm borosilicate glass, the choice of laboratories everywhere, it resists temperature changes. This one uses a 4-arm percolator to break down the size of smoke particles. This cools the smoke to produce a more refreshing, less harsh experience. 

Users light their cannabis product as it sits in the bud bowl. Then, they draw the smoke by inhaling at the mouthpiece. Other bongs have simpler or more complicated interiors, but they have the same basic physics.

A terrific dabbing rig for travel, the GRAV Circuit Rig is a simple 7-inch tall design and execution. Still, it manages to field a turbine percolator that spins until you stop drawing. The whirlpool effect produces clean and heavy rifts. But, it takes a torch to light this bong, but that shouldn’t reduce its convenience.

If you’re looking for a dabbing ring with the added safety of an electronically-controlled nail, users might try the Puffco Peak. Fully torchless, this elegant contemporary design comes in a traveling case with all its accessories. Efficient, clean, and easy to use, the Peak requires no learning curve.

Dabbers need only to load their concentrate, press a button, and wait 20-seconds for the heat at any of four different heat settings you need for an easy, rich, dab experience.

For personal safety, enjoyable experiences, and medical therapy, new dabbers must avoid the cheap and low quality. Admitting that quality rigs can be pricey, this is not a time to go budget. You should look for high-rated titanium or quartz nails. There is no bargain in unmarked, unlabeled, or chemical-tainted solvents. And, users cannot ignore the safety and convenience of e-nails.

Why do some patients dab medical cannabis?

Many patients find that dabbing works best for them. They don’t like smoking joints, they find that vaping doesn’t do what they need, and they are not primarily interested in recreational fun.

The best concentrates are a literal extract of the properties of the specific cannabis strain. The concentrate then has the same aroma, flavor, and effect as the original strain. The concentrate should contain 75 to 90 percent of the original active ingredients.

Clearly, they want the hit of high-potency cannabinoids and terpenes, filtered and cleaned purely. While the potent rush can be risky, with quality equipment medical therapy users can regulate the hit to provide the most effective results for their specific medical problem.

You must remember that some of these patients suffer pain that needs relief of their choice. Some want to balance their pharmaceutical regimen with additional help. And, some, like PTSD patients, want a fallback therapy for chronic physical and psychological conditions.

Still, what works for some patients may not work for others. Where illness and its symptoms are partly subjective, patients will search for the treatment that best manage their problems. So, it this falls short of a full endorsement of dabbing for medical solutions, it does not deny its benefits for many.