Using Medical Cannabis to Make Your Own Marijuana Extracts

Cannabis was once frowned upon as a gateway drug and illegal narcotic. Associated with schizophrenia and paranoia, the natural plant was in many people’s bad books. Nowadays, it is being seen in a completely different light, with medical professionals everywhere claiming that medical cannabis has the potential to treat a wide range of ailments and even cure cancer! In fact, the National Cancer Institute admitted that marijuana can kill cancerous brain cells.

Now, numerous states have legalized cannabis for medical use. Around the world, the United Nations estimates that 158.8 million people are actively using marijuana, such as by smoking it, vaporizing it, baking it into edible form and even extracting the plant matter to create their very own extracts.

What are extracts, you ask? Well, an extract is essentially purified cannabis, with much less plant material. It’s potent, it’s available in many forms and it provides users with the medical perks associated with marijuana consumption. Best of all, you can walk into a dispensary to buy medical cannabis in San Francisco and (if you own the correct type(s) of equipment) create a potent extract that contains as much cannabidiol (CBD) or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as you wish.

Types of Extracts

Before you get excited at the thought of buying medical cannabis in SF to make your own extracts, understand that there’s quite a few options to choose from. Your choice depends on whether you want a “head-high” feeling, or relief from pain, migraines, seizures or one of the many other medical conditions that cannabis has the potential to treat.

Here are four common types of marijuana extracts explained:

• Hash – This type of cannabis product is a purified form of trichomes, which are the plant’s resin glands. The result is a compressed type of cannabis that can be smoked  for a strong high.
• Oil – Vapes are usually filled with cannabis oil, which can also be added to drinks food, bottles for tinctures and even the contents of baked goods. This extract comes from the cannabis indica or cannabis Sativa plants.
• Wax – This powerful extract usually has a high THC content and is pulled directly from the plant with a process known as ‘butane extraction’.
• Shatter – Cannabis connoisseurs who want a heavy high may build up their tolerance to try shatter, which has a brittle consistency and can be heated using a butane torch for the inhalation of as much as 80% THC! Usually, a butane torch and rig will be used to “dab” shatter.

Methods of Cannabis Extraction

Whatever type of extract appeals to you the most, it is essential that you stock up on some pot paraphernalia when you buy medical cannabis in San Francisco. By doing so, not only can you master the art of extraction but also, you can experience the fulfilment of making a potent self-healing potion that can be enjoyed with your preferred method of consumption, in more ways than one.

Below, we highlight some of the top methods for making high-quality extracts:

• Resin Presses and Stamps – Any moisture that could potentially affect the potency of cannabis is removed with  this extraction process. The THC content is high and the plant’s resin glands are compacted tightly by using train presses and stamps.
• Ice Water Hash – A lot of people who enjoy using a bong for cannabis consumption will experiment with this extraction method. The process is simple and involves blending the hash with ice water to loosen the trichomes. Once released and inhaled, you’re really going to feel the uplifting effects!
• BHO Extraction – Also known Butane Honey Oil (BHO), this plant-extracted essential oil is a fresh type of extraction that can be accomplished using a plant that has just flowered. A solvent (butane) is used to complete this process.
• Dry Sieving – When the cannabis plant’s resin glands are taken away from the plant, its trichome heads will stay in their rightful place. This results in kief, which is a powder type of extraction that packs a potent punch of ThC.

How do extracts make you feel?

The vast majority of medical marijuana patients will select strains that are rich in CBD content, because this reduces the THC content. THC might be good for certain conditions, such as Parkinson’s Disease, because this naturally-occurring compound is effective at relaxing the muscles. Since Parkinson’s sufferers will experience muscle spasms and motor function problems, it’s understandable that THC-rich strains are extracted for certain medical purposes.

Stiff joints caused by rheumatoid arthritis can be relieved with strains containing high levels of CBD, as well as diabetes, depression, schizophrenia, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cardiovascular dysfunctions, Crohn’s Disease and even cancer, according to one study. Clinical studies have also proven how this cannabis compound (whether it is extracted or smoked directly), can work as an anti-inflammatory, anti-tumoral, anti-psychotic and antidepressant.

Buying Your Supply

Last but not least, it’s time to buy medical cannabis in San Francisco. In order to do this without delays or confusion, you must visit a doctor to get a prescription. The doctor will ask you what your symptoms are and will likely conduct a health examination to determine the seriousness of your ailment, whether it is carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), anxiety, depression, chronic pain, Parkinson’s Disease or one of the many other health/mental conditions that are limiting your quality of life. Once obtained, a note and prescription can be presented to the budtender at your local dispensary, before he or she shows you what’s on the menu. You decide which strain you want, as well as how much (based on your prescription limits).

Note: You will need to prove you are a resident of the state using a valid form of identification. Also, you should be aware that you will be monitored with CCTV recording equipment when inside a weed dispensary. Don’t worry – it’s just the law!