A Complete Guide to Dabbing

When you hear the word ‘dab’ or ‘dabbing’, your mind may immediately go to the famous dance move which has been introduced. The word dabbing is, nowadays, totally associated to the dance move. However, the word ‘dabbing’ is also used to describe a process by which you inhale marijuana.

There are many ways in which people prefer to use marijuana. They use it by rolling it in a cigarette form and forming a joint, they use it in oil form, topicals, concentrates, vapes and now dabbing. Marijuana users are, nowadays, preferring to use marijuana by dabbing since dabbing is one of the best ways to get high immediately. While dabbing is a great way to get high, it does pose some major health risks. Wondering what exactly is dabbing? Keep on reading.

What is Dabbing?

A marijuana concentrate, which may be have the texture of a butter or wax, is heated on a hot surface. The heating causes the smoke to be produced which is inhaled. The marijuana concentrate can be heated with anything: with a blowtorch, in an electronic vaporizer, in a bong, etc. It all depends upon the user’s preferences. The effects of the marijuana concentrate remain the same no matter which method of heating is used.

The marijuana concentrate is abundant in tetra hydro cannabinol (THC), which is why people tend to get high immediately when dabbing marijuana concentrates.

THC is one the main components in marijuana responsible for making you high. For people who are not that big of a fan of getting high but just want to use marijuana for its benefits on health, cannabidiol products are also available. However the dabbing method is used by people who want to get extremely high, hence the marijuana concentrate with a high level of THC.

It is reported that people tend to get so high with dabbing marijuana that they pass out, experience psychedelic effects and start hallucinating or can start feeling really uncomfortable and nauseous.

When using marijuana concentrates, it doesn’t matter how you use them because marijuana concentrates are packed with THC. You will still get extremely high. The process to make marijuana concentrates is quite simple. A solvent like carbon dioxide or butane is blasted on the marijuana plant. This helps to extract most of the THC from the plant and the solvent is allowed to dry. Once the solvent dries, a thick gooey and waxy substance results from the process. Using carbon dioxide to extract the THC concentrate is much safer as it is healthier and sager for health rather than butane.

Apparently, the yellow and gooey substance which is extracted has 5 times the effect of THC than if you had used or smoked the marijuana plant. Since concentrates are taking over the marijuana world quickly, it is being described as ‘the future of the marijuana industry’. Which is also why dabbing is becoming quite popular of a technique.

Low Temperature or High Temperature Dabbing?

It is not necessary for marijuana  concentrates to be heated at a high temperature every time. Many people like to heat the marijuana concentrate at a low temperature. However, high temperature or low temperature, each of them have their won advantages and disadvantages.

A dab heated at a temperature of 390 to 400 Fahrenheit. The cannabidiol in the concentrate easily reaches its boiling point as it has a boiling point of 320 Fahrenheit. Even the effects of high temperature dabs are more intense. However, the downside is that the natural terpenes of the concentrate are destroyed. Moreover, heating excessively can cause benzene and naphthalene to be produced.

Whereas with low temperature dabbing, none of these problems arise, only that the effects aren’t as intense as with high temperature dabbing. Benzene and Naphthalene aren’t produced either.

What is a Dabbing Rig?

A dabbing rig is also called an oil rig. It is mainly used to smoke marijuana concentrates, butane hash oil, shatter, glass, etc. The dab rig apparatus is more commonly made up of glass. It has a bong which is the main part of the dab rig. There is a nail which is made out of glass, titanium or quarts which helps to hold the heated concentrate. The reason why the nail has to be made up of such hard material is because they have an extremely high melting point. Since the marijuana concentrate requires a great amount of heating temperature for the concentrate to be heated, the nail must be made up of such material that can withstand such heat and hold in the concentrate. The concentrate is usually placed on the nail using a dabber.

The concentrate on the dab rig nail is heated using a blow torch or a butane torch. Once the smoke is produced, the user inhales the smoke through the mouth piece attached on the dab rig.

Using the dab rig, you can effectively heat your marijuana concentrate quickly since the dab rig is designed to heat the concentrate at extremely high temperatures, almost till 371 degree Celsius. This helps to avoid the marijuana concentrate from combusting. Rather, it vaporises and gives off smoke.

With the dabbing rig, nothing catches on fire as it has been designed that way, unlike a traditional bong. With dabbing rigs, with one puff you get the same effects as you would have if you had inhaled using a traditional bong four or five times.

What is a Dabbing Nail? What Are The Types of Dabbing Nails?

As already mentioned, dab nails are essentially used to vaporise the marijuana concentrate using a blow torch or heating coil. With a dab, the substance is placed on the dab nail and heated.

Different types of dab nails exist. Some dab nails are placed over the dabbing rig which require no dome while some nails are placed inside the rigs which have a dome. The main types of dabbing nails used in dabbing rigs are glass, titanium, quartz and even ceramic.

Glass nails are quite inexpensive. Most of the glass nails usually come free with a dabbing rig. However, with glass nails there is the danger of the nail bursting as glass cannot withstand the high temperatures required to heat the marijuana concentrate.

Quartz nails are pricier than glass nails but still affordable. They can withstand high temperatures but there is still the danger of it breaking if it is accidentally dropped.

If you want to avoid your nail from breaking if it drops, choose a titanium nail. Titanium nails can withstand the high heating temperatures and doesn’t break when dropped. They cost more than glass or quartz nails.

Ceramic nails are claimed to provide the best flavour. They are inexpensive however they are still easy to break.

What Are Dabbing E-nails?

Also known as electronic nails, these nails have been around for quite some time and have been changing the game. With the help of a controller box, heat is delivered through a coil which is connected to the nail. This allows the nail to heat up automatically and to the user’s preferred and desired temperature. With just the touch of a button, you can easily control the temperature. E-nails do not even use that much energy, just a little goes a long way and it helps provide a great amount of dabs.

Using e-nails, you can eliminate the use of butane torches. Butane torches are easily accessible to many, however butane is not good for your health and is unsustainable. E-nails help get rid of that problem. However e-nails are not made for everyone to use. These e-nails are made to produce a great amount of heat. This requires the user to be very responsible and attentive during the heating process.

You can easily get e-nails from Demedo.

What is a Dabbing Coil?

The name sounds complicated and yes, you can dab without a dabbing coil. However it makes life easier. Without a dabbing coil, you will have to get a blowtorch, you will have to get a dabbing rig or an electronic nail, both of which are expensive and there may be a risk of inhaling too much THC. With a dabbing coil, you don’t have to worry about the things mentioned. You just have to add the concentrate to the coil and start inhaling. While a dabbing vape pen is inexpensive and easily affordable, the benefits of using dabbing coils are greater. Dabbing coils are mainly contained in dabbing pens with atomisers. The coil heats the concentrate which can be easily inhaled through the pen which is available in multiple sizes and varieties.

The dabbing coil is great for medical marijuana users. This is because it is discrete and you wont feel weird using it in public. Even your marijuana intake is kept in check.  

Dabbing coils are easily available with Demedo.

Pros of Dabbing

Many users who swear by dabbing being the best technique usually like the extremely quick and pure effect that it has. Moreover, while the marijuana concentrate is highly concentrated with a great amount of THC, it is with dabbing that you get the best and fastest results of the concentrate. Dabbing can also help reduce the risks of lung cancer or lung damage in general. Smoking the marijuana dried flower in a joint form can be harmful as nicotine is mixed in it. Moreover, smoking causes excessive mucus to be produced and worsens any lung problems you may already have.

With dabbing, there is no horrendous smoke or smell emitted. Unlike lighting up joints and smoking them, dabbing does not produce any kind of overpowering smell. This is great for people who want some privacy or just value some discretion. Moreover, it is an economical way to get high. With just one dab, you can get as high as if you had smoked 4 or 5 joints.

Since dabbing marijuana, as already mentioned, provides quicker results, it is great for use for people who use marijuana for medical purposes. It provides instant relief as compared to other methods of using marijuana. Moreover, dabbing marijuana for medical use has a very unlikely chance of the user getting addicted to it.

Cons of Dabbing

The biggest con of dabbing marijuana is that the marijuana concentrate is usually produced with a solvent which is mainly butane. Butane is quite harmful for health and if the marijuana concentrate is not produced with the highest of standards, butane can cause some serious damage to the human body. Moreover, there are many other toxins in the marijuana concentrate which can trigger allergies. Dabbing also causes many other side effects. For example, hallucinations, loss of consciousness, rapid heart beat, dizziness, becoming nauseous, anxiety, etc. Moreover, dabbing is not recommended for those people who need marijuana products with a high CBD content. This is because the marijuana concentrates used for dabbing usually have a high content of THC rather than CBD.

Dabbing marijuana concentrates is also quite an expensive way of getting high. This is because you have to obtain many other materials to heat the marijuana concentrate such as a blowtorch, many other equipments and lets not forget the expensive marijuana concentrate as well.

Another disadvantage of using the dabbing technique for using medical marijuana is the fact that many people become used to the tolerating the high level of THC with dabbing with marijuana concentrates. After a while, they may only be able to get relief if they inhale the same level of marijuana concentrates as before. They wont feel satisfied till they have inhaled the high concentrated level of THC. Users of medical marijuana have a higher chance of getting addicted to marijuana if they dab.

Which Countries Have Legalised Dabbing?

Countries and cities which have legalised dabbing marijuana are Colorado, Alaska, California, Canada, Maine and Oregon.

Whereas dabbing Marijuana is illegal in Saudi Arab, Washington DC, Wyoming, Florida, North Dakota, South Dakota, Virginia, Arizona, Georgia, Alabama , Texas and Mississippi. 

However, more and more countries and cities are considering dabbing to be legal in 2019.

Check out Demedo for the best dabbing products and enjoy using them.