Cannabis dispensaries are popping up all around the country, and an ever-growing variety of cannabis based products have come with them.
- Cannabis Flowers
- Cannabis Pre-filled oils
- Cannabis Tinctures
- Cannabis Concentrates
- Cannabis Edibles
- Cannabis Dabs
- Cannabis Topicals
Table of Contents
What is a cannabis flower?
The cannabis flower, also known as the bud, refers to the trichome-covered part of a female cannabis plant. It’s recognized as the most versatile medication and the most sought-after form of cannabis. The typical way to medicate is through smoking in a pipe or joint.
What are Dabs?
Dabs, also known as concentrated Butane Hash Oil (BHO), are a potent type of marijuana concentrate. Their texture is sticky and gooey because manufacturers often use butane and carbon dioxide to extract these concentrates.
Are flowers and dabs the same?
Flowers and Dabs are two different forms of cannabis, each with its own unique look, effect and set of rules for obtaining.
- Flowers are the most popular form of marijuana product in many states due to their legality and availability.
- Dabs on the other hand, have become a rising trend in recent years mostly due to their potency and the adventure associated with seeking waxes or oils out.
The benefits of dabbing
Unlike other consumption methods, dabbing is highly beneficial medicinally and recreationally.
- Smokeless
- Stronger, purer, more plant like flavorful
- Fast & effective
You can feel the impact just five minutes after consumption, considering the activated compounds move directly from the lung’s alveoli openings into the bloodstream. This gives users a stronger potency and flavor, making it an excellent choice for users looking for THC-rich highs.
Which should you choose: Weed or Dabs?
Today’s cannabis industry offers several options for consumers depending on their needs. For instance, new cannabis users may find dabbing overwhelming due to the resulting anxiety caused by high-THC content. Conversely, dabs may be great for users interested in instant, potent, and long-lasting relief.
Similarly, flowers offer immediate and highly potent effects. Although its THC concentration is lower compared to dabs, users can get just enough to enjoy a mild buzz.
This section highlights the major differences between flowers and concentrates to help you make the right choice.
Which is more potent?
If you prioritize potency, dabs are the way to go. They are more potent than even the cannabis flower with the highest THC concentration. An average concentrate contains 50-90% THC, compared to 15-30% often found in cannabis flowers.
Which is healthier?
While cannabis flower combusts plant matter during smoking, dabbing doesn’t. Instead, it produces a milky white vapor you can inhale when you heat it. However, some dabs can affect users’ health adversely, mainly concentrates made from flammable solvents like ethanol and butane that can end up in the product. That is why it is recommended to choose concentrates certified pure and safe for consumption by third-party labs.
Which is easier to consume?
There are different ways to consume cannabis flowers. The first is smoking—you can smoke flowers from a glass pipe. You can also smoke from bongs that use water to produce smoother hits. Alternatively, you can smoke flowers in a blunt or joint or vaporize them with a desktop or portable vaporizer.
Concentrates also have various consumption methods. For instance, you can dab your concentrates by dropping a dab of concentrate onto a hot nail and inhaling it through the dab rig. While this is highly effective, it could be more user-friendly. You can infuse concentrates like distillates into edibles or introduce oils into transdermal patches, topicals, and capsules.
Which is more flavored?
Choosing between concentrates and dabs might be tricky if you are in it for the flavor. You can count on high-grade flowers for the best smell and flavor. In contrast, some concentrates lose some amounts of terpenes during extraction. If you still prefer concentrates, look out for live resin or high-terpene, full-spectrum extracts—these types have more terpenes than others.
Which is safer?
Both flowers and dabs are safe for responsible consumption. However, smoking cannabis flowers is associated with finger burns and worsened respiratory symptoms. Also, there may be paranoia, red eyes, dry mouth, and a few other mild adverse side effects, which subside after some time.
There is no question about dab’s safety for consumption. However, making dabs with solvents exposes you to the risk of explosion. Therefore, it is best to adopt only home solventless extraction methods.
Which is more cost-efficient?
Both options cost differently depending on the product type and quality. For example, flower buds offer about 20% cannabinoids by weight compared to 80% in dabs. Therefore, flowers can cost about $15 per gram, while concentrates can be as high as $15. There may also be variations based on location, potency, and brand.
Another factor that affects cost efficiency is the consumption method. You lose up to 63% of THC when you burn your flower buds during smoking—about 20% more than when vaporizing. Dabbing, on the other hand, takes away just 20% of the psychoactive compounds.
Overall, the best value for money lies with cannabis concentrates.
Which is discreet to use?
Smoking cannabis flowers come with intense smoke and odor. Therefore, it is unsuitable for discrete consumption. Vaporizing the flower is more discrete, just like when you consume concentrates with a dab pen.
To round up…
You can expect different but satisfying experiences from both dabs and flowers as a cannabis user. However, there is no perfect consumption method for everyone. It is best to understand your needs and see which option helps you meet them effectively.