In an effort to clarify the most effective method of cannabis consumption, and therefore the least effective methods, we dove into several research journals along with a long list of cannabis websites and publications. While we can narrow down the scope of findings and information, this is yet another project that makes one thing absolutely clear: WE CAN NOT TRUST ANYONE, ANYWHERE, IN THIS INDUSTRY FOR ANY INFORMATION.
After perusing fifteen to twenty online articles, our research once again came to a quick close, realizing there is far more bad than good. Our poignantly focused topic (unassumingly heavily written upon) is yet another example highlighting the industry's incompetent willingness to make unqualified statements, even when they contradict common sense. Criticism is still highly lacking in this partially cloaked continuation of the over-exaggerated and over-generalized, for-profit, "medicinal" charade.
Bio-Availability
Is the ability of a drug to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Coming from other areas of intoxication, bio-availability played a key role in researching the synthetic pharmacopoeia Millennials much like myself, learned to skillfully navigate. An understanding of pharmaceutical's bio-availability for instance, allowed us to measure an equivalent dose of one opioid to another. In cannabis the term rarely applies, but a single lesson on the various methods of consumption and the averages we do know, can help focus attention to effective products and especially to the most effective routes of administration. Like the butt-hole.
Route of Consumption
The metabolism of cannabis is determined by the route of consumption. This played a huge part in safely using opioids with drastically different bio-availabilities depending upon the route of consumption. Readers can imagine why mainlining is preferred (and read why later). While many articles and publications go into the absorbed effects of THC alone in transdermals, patches, topicals, etc., my interest lies in the various methods of inhalation and their obvious differences, despite article after article with incorrect information that doesn't distinguish the two.
MISINFORMATION CANNABIS PLANET
Finding numerous publications stating that combustion smoke consumption is equivalent to the bio-availability of vaporized THC, this is purely and obviously false. It only requires a momentary connection between dabbing ice water hash and the temperatures when terpenes and cannabinoids vaporize, to see the error in logic. Furthermore, we know the temperature when THC is destroyed and converted to CBN, that happens long before actual combustion smoke ever occurs. Common sense in mind, here are several examples from leading publications and top search results:
Leafly says: "However, the bioavailability of THC is still limited when consumed orally, averaging only 4-12%. When smoked or vaped, the bioavailability of THC leaps to an average of 30%," combining combustion smoked cannabis as equal to vaporized cannabis. Again, this is absurd.
"The bio-availability of inhaled THC is 10% to 35%. After THC is absorbed, it travels to the liver where most of it is eliminated or metabolized to 11-OH-THC or 11-COOH-THC. The remaining THC and its metabolites enter the circulation. Across all users, light and heavy, the bioavailability for inhaled THC is between 10% and 35%".
"By definition, drugs administered intravenously have a bioavailability of 100%" (there you go). "Smoking and vaping are one of the more efficient methods in terms of bioavailability. One study found that smoked THC has an average bioavailability of 30% while, in contrast, orally ingested THC ranges from 4% to 12%. The results for CBD are similar when comparing smoking to oral ingestion." -Encore Labs
COMMON SENSE REBUTTAL TO REPORTED BIOAVAILABILITY
With common sense telling us that combustion smoke destroys a majority of THC and destroys all terpenes present, we know for a fact that vaporization provides an immense increase in the bio-availability of the flower, product, and/or trichomes. Refer to our article on dabbing temperatures, which includes the temperatures of vaporization for terpenes and cannabinoids, with pre-combustion occurring and destroying elements even before actual combustion occurs. Anything lit on fire and smoked is destroying all but a mere fraction of the original THC, while vaping may preserve an entire spectrum including terpenes.
RELIABLE NUMBERS FOR Cannabis Extracts (or vape) Bio-availability
After numerous searches we finally found information that aligns with common sense. "The actual bio-availability of THC after inhalation is estimated to be 18%; when you vaporize cannabis instead of combusting it, the estimated bio-availability increases approximately 40%." That's a massive increase in bio-availability, nearly doubling the amount of THC & CBD absorbed, which is on par with our understanding. All of these "sources" measure only THC & CBD, without interest in a meaningful effect, the Entourage Effect, requiring a spectrum of cannabinoids and terpenes. Only through vaporization is the bio-availability of terpenes possible, without being burnt. With combustion smoke destroying terpenes, they are left out of the picture entirely, along with extracts in each article on cannabis bio-availability.
And this much has been known for nearly a decade and spurred numerous applications such as the life-long presence of the Volcano vaporizer and countless wooden box-style flower vape devices, before the idea of dabbing or BHO ever materialized. Somehow in all of the commotion, everyone forgot the basics and motivations behind vaporizing flower, instead of burning the plant. Now able to remove and preserve these trichomes from the plant into ice water hash and rosin, dabbing becomes the most effective and efficient method of vaping and therefore, consuming the cannabis plant.
Volcano & Research Proves Vaping Increases Bio-availability
One last google search turned up some accurate information from RoyalQueenSeeds.com about the 2016 study [2] called “Medicinal Cannabis: In Vitro Validation of Vaporizers for the Smoke-Free Inhalation of Cannabis.” Numerous tests were performed using the Volcano and others to show the vastly improved bioavailability of vaporized inhalation. The numbers aren't even close with vaping at 50% to 80% bioavailability.
Dabbing Wins
Seen from afar as a way to get as high as possible, as fast as possible, dabbing quickly garnished itself a "beer-bong-like" image. Taking it's earliest aesthetics purely from a place of methamphetamine use didn't help. Add in the blowtorch, and dabbing quickly became a super-stoner-style using a "rig". It didn't help that the BHO extracts of the time ie. "wax, shatter, crumble" were nearly all THC and made from the trim and scraps alone. How far we have come. Today, dabbing is not only the most enjoyable way to consume the best cannabis, it's also the most efficient and effective.
If solventless hash teaches us one thing, let it be an understanding that trichomes are what we are after. The entire trichome head and not the plant. Not the leaves or buds or flowers or stems, not the pistils or stigmas, or any other plant feature that cannabis shares with many others. Consider the plant the carrier, the same way a rolling paper carries herb, the herb carries trichomes.
Hash Plant. Ever heard of it? The hash plant was grown and intended for hash-making, which has evolved into today's OG Kush varietals. Growing freely as a landrace, it's low psychoactive properties required concentrating the plant into more powerful and condensed alternatives through different ancient processes of hashish. Hashish being so widely known and consumed that smoking the flower itself wasn't even considered. As cultures vary drastically on their perceived usage of cannabis, the black market should be respected. While large producers employ chemical solvents to maximize profit margins, the culture's demand for solventless hash and rosin on the black market would be wise to pay attention to.
Despite having half of the cannabis community jump down my throat anytime I say it, let me repeat myself yet again: Smoking cannabis flower is absurd! Put down the plant and pretend to understand it. Pick up her trichomes and welcome yourself to the world of vaporizing (dabbing) solventless hash.
Summarize
After looking and reading through at least twenty other websites and their inaccurate and lazy reporting on the topic, it dawned on me they do not care. Education in this industry is applied without confrontation. If the information does not fit neatly into simple, categorical understandings, it is not written about. Nearly every article today is written only to reinforce the dominant narratives of corporate cannabis, now in a lazy effort to increase their S.E.O. (Search Engine Optimization) if not paid for. Trying to be found among the millions of sites, someone has to write about each and every topic under the sun, as the dominant narrative multiplies and the soul of cannabis is neatly, nicely, professionally, incarcerated in corporate propaganda.
Hashy Holidays!
-Hashskeller aka The Hinch. aka Hashthputin aka Hashbokov, aka Theodore Dabstoyevski, aka Franz Hashka, aka Kurt Hashonnigut aka Hashhunter Thompson.
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