In case you haven’t heard the news, there has been an outbreak of vaping-related illnesses in the US recently. The good news is that the culprit seems to have been identified, which means the issue can now be dealt with accordingly and people can start going back to purchasing their favorite vape cartridges, provided of course they originate in the regulated market. Unexpectedly, however, e-cigarettes are not really a cause for concern here. In this case, the blame has been placed on vape products containing THC, however the vast majority of vape-related illnesses have been associated with cartridges from the black market since those producing illicit cartridges have been including vitamin E acetate to dilute the THC to cut costs and increase profit margins. Once again, prohibition and the resulting demand for illicit cannabis products is what basically has led to the present situation.
News headlines, especially ini the mainstream media, run on sensationalism and because this particular story deals with drugs (cannabis), it will definitely draw a lot of attention and clicks. Despite the fact that the vaping illness outbreak could have been prevented by means of legalization and improved oversight of the manufacturing processes of vape products in legal markets, the damage might have already been done as far as PR is concerned. Without a doubt, some people will now attempt to avoid vaping and vape products entirely, while others attempt to find an alternative. Thankfully, they answer may already be here.
Say Hello To Solventless Extraction
The advantages of vaping over smoking concentrates have already been touched upon in previous blog posts, though it should be stated that not all concentrates are alike. Several processes still utilize solvents such as CO2, ethanol, butane, as well as propane, and the vaping illness cases will probably spur consumers to avoid concentrates made with hydrocarbon extraction methods. Although the BHO extraction process can indeed produce 0 parts per billion of butane in the purged concentrate if done properly, numerous natural (as well as traditional) methods are already available.
The dry-sift and bubble (or water) hash methods have been on the concentrate block for a while now, however a new technique, rosin (also known as solventless hash oil (SHO)) has been turning heads since coming onto the scene just a couple of years ago. Simply put, rosin is just plant material (buds and/or leaves) put under heat and pressure resulting in a gluey, pliant resin. The biggest difference between rosin and other products such as BHO is the total lack of solvents. In addition to not having to fret about hydrocarbons in your medication, rosin also consists of terpenes and flavonoids, meaning not only is this a completely non-toxic technique, it is also very flavorsome and fragrant, making it even more attractive to patients using cannabis for their treatment as there is zero smoke and zero of solvents contaminating their medicine.
But that’s not all! It should come as no surprise that people have also been giving rosin a try and now even live rosin has become a thing. This novelty is allegedly even more delectable than its precursor, though various factors may affect this, for example the quality of the plant material and temperature. Like other concentrates, there’s so much more you can do with it besides smoking or dabbing. With a bit of modification, rosin can be used to make capsules, edibles, pills, tinctures, and even injected into vape cartridges, which makes it even more alluring to those turned off by the vaping illnesses. And if THC is not your thing, CBD rosin is also now available. Nevertheless, the public clearly wants to avoid contaminants in cannabis products. Rosin and other solventless extracts are just the right solution.
If you are interested in testing out the solventless method, we recommend Komodo Glue or Hydra Kush seeds for strength, Crème Brute, Wedding Drake and Chimeran Blue for taste.