Over half of America has legalized medicinal marijuana (with eight states plus the District of Columbia legalizing recreational use).
While smoking the flower is still the most widely known way to enjoy cannabis, it’s not the only one.
As the number of people who use marijuana continues to increase, lesser-known methods of using cannabis have grown in popularity.
Most notably, wax.
Today we see who wins when it comes to wax vs flower.
Keep reading to find out what YOU should be smoking.
What is the Flower?
To understand what wax is, you need to know how important the flower is, because, without the flower, there would be no wax.
Marijuana comes from the genus, cannabis.
Also in the cannabis family is hemp, which has led to hemp being prohibited in a lot of places much like marijuana.
Unlike marijuana, hemp cannot get you high.
That’s because within the tiny hairs of the marijuana flower lies tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
THC is what gives marijuana its psychoactive abilities and is one of the the reason the plant is listed as a schedule 1 drug.
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From Flower to Wax
Wax is a concentrate that is extracted directly from the flower.
This is typically done with the use of butane.
As you put anything under intense heat, it changes the composition of the object you’re lighting on fire.
Therefore, it’s dangerous to make wax at home if you’re not educated on how to and if you don’t have the proper equipment.
Luckily, with its growing popularity wax is readily available at most dispensaries
Want to Get Higher?
When you put a lighter to flower in a bowl, it ignites the THC, resulting in the high feeling you get from smoking marijuana.
The average flower contains around 8% of THC—but can get up to +26%.
Not to mention that a considerable portion of THC oxidizes into thin air as soon as you light the bowl.
While you do get high when consuming flower, you’re not utilizing the full potential of cannabis.
Wax is far more concentrated than just smoking the bud.
One dab of wax has up to 80% THC.
How to Consume Wax with an Oil Rig
The most popular way to use wax is with an oil rig.
An oil rig is a lot like a water pipe.
The only difference is instead of a bowl there is a nail made of either glass, ceramic, quartz or titanium.
To hit the wax, light the nail until it is red hot.
Be sure not to overheat it if your nail is quartz, glass or ceramic because it can ruin the nail.
Once hot, use a dabber to apply the wax to the nail.
It will vaporize and start to smoke, allowing you to inhale the THC into your system.
How to Vape Wax
Just like how cigarette smokers switched to e-cigarettes, many cannabis users have grown to appreciate vaping.
To vape wax, you need to make sure that you have a vaporizer that’s compatible with dabbing.
To vape, remove the atomizer from the battery.
Once you have the atomizer off, put a dab of cannabis wax onto the exposed coil.
From there, power up the battery chamber.
Reconnect the atomizer onto the battery.
When you’re ready, connect the mouthpiece to the vaporizer.
Be sure to inhale slowly so the proper amount of heat is placed upon the wax.
How to Use Wax on a Healthstone
For those who only have a bowl, they can still hit wax without worrying about sucking it up through the hole.
But you need a healthstone to act as a screen over the bowl.
A healthstone is a porous piece of glass that allows the THC to travel from the heated wax into the mouthpiece.
For best results use a torch with your face away from the flame.
Once the wax combusts, then inhale through the mouthpiece.
Mixing Wax with Flower
You can also consume wax through a bowl if it’s on top of the bud.
When mixing wax with flower, keep in mind the THC differences.
If you’re packing a bowl, you may want to start with less flour than you typically do.
While your tolerance may be up for a regular bowl, it may not be prepared for the 80% THC that comes with wax.
Lastly, you can roll some wax up in a joint with marijuana.
Click here if you want to learn more ways to smoke wax without using your rig.
Purchasing Wax
While wax may be available for those who have medical marijuana cards, it’s typically a product available in recreational cannabis shops.
A budtender would know what you were talking about if you asked for wax.
In fact, if you were just browsing the shelves, you may notice a bunch of names that don't look familiar but are very similar to wax.
Other types of concentrates like wax include:
Crumble
Shatter
BHO (Either Butane Honey Oil or Butane Hash Oil)
Conclusion
So who wins when it comes to wax vs. flower?
Well, it depends on what you’re using to keep score.
Wax is stronger and will give you a cleaner high.
Flower, however, is easier to use and more readily available.
From my experience, there's a time and place for both.
Which one do you prefer? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below!