SPECIAL SECTION
the attraction of extraction >> There are numerous ways to extract THC and CBNs from Cannabis — but which are the best for patient’s bodies? BY MITCHELL MOQUIN FOR NORTHWEST LEAF
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or those of us who need high doses of medicine to combat the debilitating pain and anxiety that our illnesses cause, Cannabis concentrates can become our only form of relief. Extreme levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol are only reached by botanical extraction, which can be dangerous with some methods. The known extraction processes are dry-sifting (agitation), water (solvent), butane/hexane/co2 extraction (supercritical temperature), or
naptha-soaking (an astringent). We will address the butane and naptha products and explore their processes further. First, remember why most of us are medical Cannabis patients. Most of us have chosen Cannabis to be our medicine because we fled the fallacy of the pharmacy in search of a more natural and healthful lifestyle. I believe all of these forms of oil can be just as safe and beneficial to our health as they can be dangerous.
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Photo courtesy norcanna.com
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he manufacturer and the medicator should be fully knowledgeable of the products they are producing and consuming. Until it is further established that wax, or budder, is an improperly purged form of BHO in most cases, hash oil will carry a sour taste in the mouths of many. Slang terms for hash oil are abundant, much as the word snow has countless synonyms among Inuits. The terms you should get used to, however, are: oil, shat-
ter, reading hash and earlz. Properly purged oil will be transparent and tacky. Much of the pliability offered from waxes and budder are desirable to many patients because of the ease of application. However, the reason why many in the community dismiss waxes and budders is because of the paraffin, air and water content. Void of wax content, BHO could prove to be just as effective in any means of ingestion as Phoenix tears (the naptha solution). In essence, bu-