Concentrate Smoking | 8 of 31 Days to Free Your Mind about Cannabis

Concentrates are marijuana plants that have been cooked in a solvent. That means that hash, hash oil, and cannabis oil are all classified as concentrates. Concentrates are merely a stronger, more concentrated form of marijuana which is wonderful news for chronic pain patients wanting some relief. There are quite a few devices that you could use to smoke concentrates and I will detail them below.

Kief in the bottom of a grinder.

Consuming Concentrates...

The most important pieces of advice I can give

...the healthiest pieces of advice...

are to always smoke out of a water filtration device

and to smoke concentrates cautiously 

until you're an experienced consumer!

Penguin Dabber by Chaka Glass

Hash has gotten quite a bad rap since most people associate hash as being a harsher drug when, in reality, it is merely marijuana cooked down. Hash is stronger because the kief (holds most of the trichomes) in the marijuana is used to make it. Dabs, also known as earwax, wax, or shatter, is a form of hash oil that has been cooked into a fine, see through sheet of concentrated liquid which dries hard.

Storing resin in a glass jar is a healthier option.

Another type of concentrate is resin. I would just like to say that I adore resin. I think it's pretty awesome that, after smoking the dry herb, that it is converted into a resin that can be smoked by itself. It is in between the consistency of a gooey dab and a cannabis oil. It is thick and, when smoked, is very potent in odor. There are two very important reasons why I adore resin. One is the fact that it's basically recycled weed because the dry herb got me high and then there's still this left over to smoke! And, two, is that the concentrated resin will get you higher than dry herb and it is extremely potent for chronic pain patients. Collect resin whenever your bong stem gets full into a glass jar and store with the lid screwed on tight to prevent the resin from drying and becoming hard.

Cannabis Oil

A third type of concentrate, and the most important, is Cannabis Oil (also known as Hemp Oil). Cannabis Oil is what everyone talks about when they discuss what cures cancer. When making cannabis oil, the plant is cooked down into a food grade solvent and then it is ingested or smoked for various ailments. This oil is not easy to come by in illegal states or Colorado. Colorado has some sort of law that says that regular people can't get their oil tested and it's causing medical marijuana patients to have difficulty acquiring this very important medicine. It is when the whole plant is ingested that true internal healing and curing can begin. For our purposes here I will be showing you how to smoke it, but in future posts I will be going into further detail about ingesting it.

There are many types of devices to smoke concentrates and I will list them by their ease of use and tell you how to use the device.

The Pipe*
...glass water pipe or bong is recommended
Recommended for the Intermediate or Experienced Cannabis Consumer

$75 on Artfire

Fill your bowl with dry herb and pick up your dab or resin with your dabber. Place the dab into the marijuana and roll it into the herb. Light and smoke it. Be advised that this is a more pungent smoke. You will need incense even if you think you won't!

A Different Method of How to Use a Pipe to Smoke Concentrates Video.

The Vape Pen*
...for concentrates or cannabis oil
Recommended for the Intermediate or Experienced Cannabis Consumer

I love vape pens! They are so easy to use, they hardly smell when used, and you can use resin, cannabis oil or dabs in this handy vape pen. I have a bubble vaporizer attachment that I use on an old Amazing Vaporizer. A couple of puffs and I'm in heaven! I especially love it for the times when I find it difficult to smoke because I cough very little when smoking out of this device!

How to Use a Vape Pen Video.

The Recycler
Recommended for the Experienced Cannabis Consumer

For dabs, resin, or cannabis oil consumption.

Concentrates with the names of earwax, wax or shatter are all forms of hash most commonly called dabs. Dabs have taken Colorado and the nation by storm. They are a more concentrated version of marijuana, so they should be smoked with caution. I recommend a puff or two or a pin like size dab on your dab nail or dabber for your first time because just those couple of puffs will get an experienced dry herb smoker really, really stoned.

How to Use a Recycler Video.

Smoking dry herb or concentrates are really easy once you get into it. Instagram is a really great learning tool for anyone wanting to learn more. Just search '#dabs' and you'll come up with a wealth of knowledge and videos on how to use all the up to date devices. If you come across CoralReefer420, tell her I said hi!

Whatever device you use to smoke concentrates is of little importance. The most important thing is that you find relief from your illness and its symptoms!!

Stay tuned for a post on edibles! YUM!!!

*Home concentrate consumption is advised, but driving with concentrates is not. Most illegal states have laws with harsher fines and jail time. In Texas one can face a lifetime in prison for possession of concentrates.

This has been a post from "31 Days to Free Your Mind about Cannabis".

Follow CC's Short-term Cannabis Oil Research & Study for a personal account.
If you're a patient in Texas, please view this information about how you can help legalize!

Dry Herb Smoking | 7 of 31 Days to Free Your Mind about Cannabis

Now that we've discussed The Endocannabinoid System and how cannabis is the key to unlocking that system, then we can move onto the fun part - Consuming Cannabis! Cannabis can be consumed by smoking or ingesting. This post will discuss the most popular and quickest way to consume cannabis--smoking!

It can be challenging to for new patients to avoid overmedication, since many of the tools --like bongs and vaporizers-- don't come with many instructions on how to use them or how to have a controlled dosage, so I've gathered some info on my favorite consumption devices.

Consuming Dry Herb...

The most important piece of advice I can give
...the healthiest piece of advice...
is to always smoke out of a 
water filtration device.

The Pipe

Recommended for the Beginner, Intermediate, or Experienced Medical Marijuana Consumer

Glass Bubbler is in-between a pipe and a bong.

Finding the right dosage is pretty simple. You just start by consuming a small amount and work up to an amount that is pleasurable to you and that is effective against your health symptoms. For example, if you've never smoked before then I recommend that you smoke out a pipe for the first time. I recommend a "bubbler" like the one pictured above. It is a water pipe, not a water bong.

"Just a little bit" is a saying that goes a long way for your first time consuming cannabis. I recommend taking two puffs and waiting for 15-30 minutes to see how you feel before consuming more on your first time.

How To Smoke a Pipe Video.

The Dry Herb Vaporizer Pen

Recommended for the Beginner, Intermediate, or Experienced Medical Marijuana Consumer

Smoking out of this vaporizer is good for on the go, but smoking out of glass is healthier.

When you're a medical marijuana patient the best thing you can do for yourself is to buy one of these pens. This is the most important smoking device for anyone on the go. Vaporizers work by heating dry herb or concentrates to a temperature at which the active ingredients boil off and form an inhalable vapor, but below the temperature at which these ingredients approach precombustion or combustion. It's important to note that these are relatively new devices and it is easy to purchase a cheaper one and give up because they don't work. You'll need to purchase one in the $150-250 range for it to work properly and for a long duration of time.

How to use a dry herb vaporizer.

I highly recommend the dry herb pen over a concentrate pen (I will be covering concentrates in a future post) for those that live in illegal states. Some states have stricter laws for concentrates and in those instances concentrates are only recommended for in home use. 

The Joint

Recommended for the Intermediate or Experienced Medical Marijuana Consumer

A joint is a cheap way to smoke, but smoking out of glass is much healthier.

I recommend a joint for two plus persons because a joint is a lot to smoke at one time for one person, however a couple of puffs on this is possible and you can put it out carefully by just snuffing out the flame. For a joint you will need papers, a grinder, and enough cannabis to fill it. You will grind your medical marijuana and place it in the center of the paper and then roll it up using this technique by Eg0re!

How to Roll a Joint Video.

*Metal grinder is a Healthy choice.

The Bong (Ask for "Water Pipe" in Head Shops)

Recommended for the Intermediate, or Experienced Medical Marijuana Consumer

*Glass is a Healthy choice! Use Everclear and epsom salts to clean.

For many smokers, the bong is a personal accessory that is highly sought after for it's design and function. Bongs, or the preferred term of "water pipes" at marijuana paraphernalia shops, are beautiful pieces of glass that are used to consume larger amounts of cannabis. If you are having a bad pain day, then a bong hit is what you'll need. You fill the the bong full of clean, fluoride free water and small chips of ice and you fill the bowl with weed. You will light the bowl and inhale it at the same time. The amount of smoke that comes out depends on how hard you suck, so it's really easy for a newbie to suck in too much smoke. I've found that the easiest way to control that is to suck slowly while lighting the bowl and pull the bowl out of the bong quickly (this stops the marijuana from smoking more) to suck in all the air at one time. If you leave smoke in the bowl and suck it out afterwards, then it will make you cough hard.

How to Smoke a Bong Video.

The Volcano Vaporizer

Recommended for the Experienced Medical Marijuana Consumer

A volcano is not easy to come by, but it can be purchased at some of the nicer head (paraphernalia) shops, but it can be cheaper to find online. I just recently tried a volcano vaporizer for the first time and I loved it. I could taste the delicate flavors of the marijuana and I didn't cough at all (I'm a hacker usually). I appreciated the fact that I could smoke very easily with this device!

The way it works is that you insert the herb into the top middle. You lock the bag into place, turn on the machine and watch the bag fill with the vapor. It is then smoked through the tube and passed around like a joint at parties. The bags that come with it can be reused a lot of times.

How to use The Volcano Vaporizer Video.

Stay tuned for more posts about edibles, oil, and concentrates!

This has been a post from "31 Days to Free Your Mind about Cannabis".

Follow CC's Short-term Cannabis Oil Research & Study for a personal account.
If you're a patient in Texas, please view this information about how you can help legalize!

Cannabis & The Endocannanoid System | 5 of 31 Days to Free Your Mindabout Cannabis

A good friend of mine got me "Cannabis Pharmacy: The Practical Guide to Medical Marijuana" to read about cannabis and I found a ton of information that I want to share with you about what medical conditions cannabis alleviates and all the information you need to know if you're a medical marijuana newbie!

Medical marijuana benefits the following illnesses, but not limited to:

• Alzheimer's Disease
• Anxiety Disorders
• Arthritis
• Asthma
• ADHD
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Autoimmune Disorders
• Cachexia and Appetite Disorders
• Cancer
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Diabetes
• Fibromyalgia
• Gastrointestinal Disorders
• Gerontology
• Glaucoma
• Hepatitis C
• HIV/AIDS
• Insomnia and Sleep Disorders (including Sleep Apnea)
• Migraine and Headache
• Multiple Sclerosis and Movement Disorders
• Nausea and Vomiting
• Neuropathy
• Pain
• Parkinson's Disease
• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Seizure Disorders
• Skin Conditions
• Stress

Due to the fact that today's physicians are not taught that cannabis can be an effective medicine medical marijuana patients typically know more about what cannabis can or can't help. The problem stems from the difficulty of conducting peer-reviewed medical research on the medical uses of cannabis when the primary US government agency supervising that research is dedicated to the proposition that cannabis is a dangerous drug of abuse with no accepted medical use. However, this situation is changing with 23 legal states and more to come this next election season.

We do know how cannabis works in the body and there is much research being done on the endocannabanoid system in our body that mimics the chemicals in marijuana. In order to understand medical marijuana and how it can be beneficial for your health, it's good to understand the endocannbanoid system. 

The endocannabinoid system consists of a network of endocannabinoid receptors, which are distributed throughout the body. They system is a very complex regulatory system, board in its function, and found within all complex animals, from fish to humans. The endocannabinoid system supports such diverse functions as memory, digestion, motor function, immune response, appetite, pain, blood pressure, bone growth, and the protection of neural tissues. Many researchers believe that there are even more physiological processes with which the enocannabinoid system is involved, still yet to be discovered.

 

The two primary subtypes of cannabinoid receptor in the enodcannbinoid system are CB1 and CB2. These receptors are distributed throughout the entrap nervous and immune systems, and within many other tissues, including the brain, gastrointestinal system, reproductive and urinary tracts, spleen, endocrine system, heart and circulatory system. Furthermore, researchers have uncovered new evidence that points to at least three other cannabinoid receptors throughout the body, in addition to CB1 and CB2. 

Endocannabinoids serve as the primary messenger across synapses (the gaps between nerve cells. They signal neurons to communicate with each other through the release of neurotransmitters, keeping our nervous system running smoothly. Endocannabinoids are produced on demand, released back across the synapse, then taken into the cells and rapidly metabolized. They appear to be profoundly connected with the concept of homeostasis, helping redress specific imbalances presented by disease or injury. Their role in pain signaling has lead to the hypothesis that endocannabinoid levels may be responsible for the baseline of pain throughout the body. This could mean that the constant release of the body's own endocannabinoids could have a tonic effect on muscle tightness in multiple sclerosis, neuropathic pain, inflammation and even baseline appetite. 

 The CB1 receptor is expressed throughout the brain, where endocannabinoids and CB1 combine to form a circuit breaker, which modulates the release of neurotransmitters. The brain functions affected by the endocannabinoid system are decision making, cognition, emotions, learning, memory, regulation of body movement, anxiety, stress, fear, pain, body temperature, appetite, reward center, motor control and much more. The brain stem is one region where the CB1 receptors don't work and that's the area in control of respiration and circulation which is why cannabis overdoses are not fatal. One thing to note here is that the CB1 receptor that is responsible for modulating neurotransmitters is also the one that is responsible for the psychoactive effects of cannabis. 

The CB2 receptors control the release of cytokines (immunoregulatory proteins) linked to inflammation and general immune function throughout the body.

Watch "The Endocannabinoid System" Video.

While there are over 100 cannabanoids, they can be categorized into 10 different types with these being the primary forms.

• THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the primary psychoactive constituent of cannabis and interacts with both the CB1 and CB2 endocannabinoid receptors.
• CBD (cannabidiolic acid) is mildly psychoactive and is produced mainly from hemp.
• CBG (cannabigerol) is an analgesic non-psychoactive cannabinoid with antiseptic, antibiotic, and anti-tumor agents. 
• CBC (cannabichromenic acid) has anti-depressant, antibiotic and anti fungal properties.
• CBN (oxidation byproduct of THC) is not found in the cannabis plant, but in resin or oil.

When the cannabis is heated and consumed, the endocannabinoid receptors are activated. Now that you understand the complexities of how the endocannbanoid system and medical marijuana works together, our next step to understand how it can help YOU is to help you understand how to consume it.

This has been a post from "31 Days to Free Your Mind about Cannabis".

Follow CC's Short-term Cannabis Oil Research & Study for a personal account.
If you're a patient in Texas, please view this information about how you can help legalize!

Cannabis Safer than Alcohol and Prescription Medications | 4 of 31 Days to Free Your Mind about Cannabis

For those of us that suffer from disease we can walk into any doctors office and leave with a multitude of medications. Anything we want we can attain. One can get benzos and ambien from PCPs and, if you have something more pressing, you can get some major opioids or pain pills from pain management offices.

I took a look at the CDC's website and found some very, very disturbing statistics that made the above one pale in comparison. 74% of all overdoses are due to opioids and 30% are due to benzodiazepines. Most overdoses had a combination of the two. Opioids are prescribed for pain and benzodiazepines are prescribed for anxiety, so therefore the two leading causes of injury death are due to pain and anxiety.

According to Washington Post marijuana there are more trips to the emergency room for prescription medications or alcohol than marijuana, making marijuana safer to consume than prescriptions or alcohol.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana is the leading drug for illicit teenage use and is followed second by prescriptions. If we legalize marijuana then that will make it necessary for a driver's license to be used to purchase marijuana at a dispensary just as needed for alcohol or narcotic prescriptions, therefore making it as difficult to attain as alcohol or prescriptions.

Marijuana has been proven by studies to be safer to consume. Since the two leading causing prescriptions are written for pain and/or anxiety it is safe to advise that our society would benefit more from the legalization of marijuana than the continued use of alcohol and prescriptions that cause such a high incidence of death.

This has been a post from "31 Days to Free Your Mind about Cannabis".

Follow CC's Short-term Cannabis Oil Research & Study for a personal account.
If you're a patient in Texas, please view this information about how you can help legalize!

What is Cannabis Oil? | 3 of 31 Days to Free Your Mind About Cannabis

My quest for answers about my neurological disorder led me to cannabis oil. As many of you may or may not know, I'm an activist for marijuana reform in Texas. It's been a passion of mine for a little while now. I became a believer when I sought something more natural to help me with pain. I've been smoking it for the past year for medicinal purposes. It's amazing for pain relief and I don't feel as unhealthy as I did while I on Vicodin.

While doing research on Parkinson's, I came across cannabis medical studies on a regular basis. These studies are about patients not only smoking it, but ingesting cannabis oil. The entire marijuana plant, using alcohol as a solvent, is cooked down into a thick resinous oil. When ingested in this manner marijuana becomes a formidable and powerful medicine.

"Run From The Cure" has a bunch of important patient testimonials and it explains what the oil is and how it is made. It's important to understand this so that you can understand how it heals the body.

"Run From the Cure" was the very first movie I ever watched about cannabis oil. I had heard of cannabis oil, but I didn't really know what it was. Dr. Sanjay Gupta's Weed episode touches on the topic briefly, but I wanted to share this video because it's the most important video that anyone with a debilitating disease can watch.

Cannabis oil is the entire plant cooked down using a solvent (I suggest Everclear, not rubbing alcohol as it's less toxic) and then the patient ingests the oil. This oil is highly potent and it is what everyone is talking about. This is what cures cancer and a multitude of other debilitating diseases. If cannabis can't cure it, it can sure make your quality of life way more enjoyable!

Please watch this video and share it with your friends. Education is key to solving our health problems!

Cannabis Oil can cure a multitude of ailments. This is a short list!

This has been a post from "31 Days to Free Your Mind about Cannabis".

Follow CC's Short-term Cannabis Oil Research & Study for a personal account.
If you're a patient in Texas, please view this information about how you can help legalize!

Dr. Sanjay Gupta's Public Apology about Cannabis | 2 of 31 Days to Free Your Mind about Cannabis

I have always been a Sanjay Gupta fan. I've been posting about him since my infancy as "Bipolar Chica". When I came across his CNN segment, Weed, I was intrigued. I didn't even know that he was against marijuana until that point. I watched the hour long documentary in surprise. I had no idea that marijuana had so very many, many health benefits!

After watching his first documentary I had to find out more about him and I did find out ever so much more about marijuana and I began to equate Dr. Gupta as my own personal marijuana doctor/guru. I followed what he said and researched everything and found that he is extremely factual. Please watch the following segments.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta's Apology to Americans for his beliefs about Weed

 Dr. Sanjay Gupta's CNN documentary, "Weed", 43 min.
(Choose between 16 min. or 43 min. versions)

Dr. Sanjay Gupta's CNN documentary, "Weed", 16 min.
(Choose between 16 min. or 43 min. versions)

Dr. Sanjay Gupta's CNN documentary, "Weed 2", 43 min.

If Dr. Gupta can admit his misconceptions, then so can the rest of the medical system!

This has been fun! See you tomorrow, folks!
:D

This has been a post from "31 Days to Free Your Mind about Cannabis".

Follow CC's Short-term Cannabis Oil Research & Study for a personal account.
If you're a patient in Texas, please view this information about how you can help legalize!

How Cannabis Became Illegal | 1 of 31 Days to Free Your Mind about Cannabis

When Henry Ford invented the first automobile to run on hemp, he didn't know that it would create a 75 year marijuana (also known as hemp, hash, cannabis, or marihuana) prohibition. The entire car was made out of hemp and it ran on hemp fuel. The technology was way ahead of it's time! It was truly wonderful because hemp can be grown easily and quickly. It really will answer a lot of environmental questions now that it's being grown in the United States again.


I mention Ford's Model T because that innovation got some tongues wagging. Andrew Mellon, Hoover's Secretary of Treasury, was the primary financial support for DuPont, a company heavy into chemical, fossil fuel and paper manufacturing, and he was concerned that hemp would interfere with his investment. Paper made out of hemp doesn't turn brown, but the paper they were producing needed extra chemicals to keep it white and Mellon wanted to continue to turn a profit, so he joined forces with William Randolph Hearst, producer of several publications in NY and CA. Together they used yellow journalism and sold Reefer Madness to the public. Racism and business fueled Reefer Madness with words like,

“Marihuana influences Negroes to look at white people in the eye, step on white men’s shadows, and look at a white woman twice.”  

In 1932, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics was created under the US Department of Treasury (notice the correlation?). Mellon appointed his niece's husband, Harry J. Anslinger as the chief of the agency.

When he testified before congress he had this to say,   

“Marijuana is the most violence causing drug in the history of mankind…Most marijuana smokers are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes.” 

Within two years, Anslinger drafted the "Marihuana Tax Act of 1937" which was disguised as a tax revenue bill. Since the bill was introduced into the House and Ways Committee that meant that it didn't have to be debated. It didn't hurt that the chairman of the committee was Robert Doughton nor that the member of the Senate Finance Committee to stamp it into law were both DuPont allies.



The American Medical Association (AMA) was opposed to the law because taxing meant that they had to pay those taxes and the doctors didn't want to lose money. They said that they didn't know that this bill was about 'cannabis' as it had been put under the term, 'marihuana'. Marihuana was a word only used by Mexicans at that time (hemp was the name known by society) so it was largely misunderstood. The AMA argued that if the name had been something that they had known then they would've fought the legislation.

In 1969, Leary v. United States, found that the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 violated our 5th amendment by requiring people to incriminate themselves when paying the tax. In 1970, Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act as Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act. This act required all doctors to keep track of strict security and records. It classified drugs into five categories with marijuana being in the Schedule 1 category with meth, heroin and cocaine due to potential abuse. Remember that the AMA fought the Marihuana Tax Act because they thought it was a viable medication and they didn't want to pay taxes? 

In 1974, the US government became aware that cannabis could cure cancer, but they did not legalize marijuana nor did they tell any citizens about their miraculous discovery. Cancer is a 95.5 billion dollar per year industry. Pharmaceutical companies and the entire medical industry is reaping the benefits of marijuana prohibition. There is little benefit to corporations if marijuana is re-legalized because they won't make as much money off of a natural plant that can be homegrown and produced by the common man and not a high tech pharmacist.

Big Pharma is definitely benefiting monetarily from the prohibition of marijuana. With the inclusion of genetically modified organisms in the 1980's in the American diet, people are becoming severely ill with gastrointestinal and neurological disorders (to name a couple) due to the EPA increasing the amount of allowable pesticides by 3000%. There are so many diseases that cannabis cures and helps that it can be deemed a medicine for all (see my next post about medicinal benefits of the cannabis plant.)

In 1999, the United States government applied for and received a patent on cannabinoids (cannabis).  The government is fully aware that there are many European studies that solidify that marijuana does have medical benefits. The patent states,

"Cannabinoids have been found to have antioxidant properties, unrelated to NMDA receptor antagonism. This new found property makes cannabinoids useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and HIV dementia. Nonpsychoactive cannabinoids, such as cannabidoil, are particularly advantageous to use because they avoid toxicity that is encountered with psychoactive cannabinoids at high doses useful in the method of the present invention. A particular disclosed class of cannabinoids useful as neuroprotective antioxidants is formula (I) wherein the R group is independently selected from the group consisting of H, CH₃, and COCH₃."

The facts are clear. Big Pharma wants to be the one to produce and profit off of the legalization of marijuana. I'm beginning to wonder if whoever is heading up DuPont now still has a stake in all this due to the immersion of news that the government would like to legalize CBD oil only. Despite all of the heavy handed dirty tactics from the United States government, the American people are waking up the medicinal benefits of the 'all-natural' mighty powerful medicinal qualities of cannabis! Over 23 states have some form of legalization and two states have legalized recreational use of marijuana. Several more states such as Florida, Oregon and Pennsylvania are putting legalization on their ballots this November. I believe the entire country will soon have some form of legalization by the year 2020. That's wonderful news for all American patients and means that soon we will all have the right to choose between a 'plant derivitive + chemicals' with multiple harmful side effects or an 'natural plant derivative' without any harmful side effects.

This has been a post from "31 Days to Free Your Mind about Cannabis".

Follow CC's Short-term Cannabis Oil Research & Study for a personal account.
If you're a patient in Texas, please view this information about how you can help legalize!