The number of different types of marijuana and marijuana-derived products on the market continues to grow. One of those which is becoming more and more popular recently is a type of cannabis concentrate called live resin. Cannabis concentrates like resin are designed to mitigate or eliminate the downsides of smoking marijuana while extracting and distilling specific beneficial compounds found in the raw plant.
In this article, we’ll take a look at what makes this specific concentrate different to the rest…
We’ll cover questions about what resin is, how it is made and how to smoke live resin.
What is live resin?
Live resin – usually just called “resin” – is a type of cannabis concentrate.
Cannabis concentrates are made from chemical compounds called cannabinoids which are extracted from the marijuana plant using solvents.
There are currently thought to be 113 different cannabinoids in cannabis. The most famous are THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol).
How much THC is in resin?
Part of almost any method for creating cannabis concentrates will usually be a process called decarboxylation.
Decarboxylation is required in order to activate the “active” ingredients in cannabis. It involves the application of set temperature and duration of heat.
For example, THC is the chemical compound in cannabis which has psychoactive properties. However, without decarboxylation it will not have any psychoactive effect.
In fact, before decarboxylation, THC is technically THCA – tetrahydrocannabinolic acid – and not THC at all.
Live resin is – notably – not created from decarboxylated marijuana. Instead, the cannabis used in creating live resin is sometimes fresh and sometimes frozen. But it’s never heated.
This means that many types of live resin may have lower levels of THC than other concentrates. That said, like other concentrates, it is also possible to produce resin which has very high levels of THC (as high as 80-90% or more). This is not normally the point of making resin, though.
Instead, it’s all about the taste…
Why smoke live resin?
All of the above means that resin can be less potent than other cannabis concentrates. Yet this also means it is easier to make live resin which has a stronger flavour and scent. Terpenes – the type of organic chemical which gives different types of cannabis and many other plants their unique aromas and flavours – can be destroyed or damaged by heat. That same heat which is a key part of the decarboxylation process. This means that the difference between wax and shatter and the other more commonly known concentrates and resin is that the latter can have somewhere in the order of five times as many terpenes.
This quality means that resin tends to have a higher price point than other concentrates.
Dabbing your live resin, smoking and more
If you’re wondering how to smoke live resin, the method of ingestion is much the same as for other cannabis concentrates:
- Dabbing – can you dab resin? The answer is emphatically yes. It’s actually the most popular method. Dabbing marijuana requires some special bits of equipment – usually referred to as a “dabbing rig”. These rigs can be a little expensive and vary dramatically in terms of what’s actually included and quality, so it’s worth checking around and getting some advice if you need it before buying.
- Vaporizing – as long as your vaporizer is designed for cannabis concentrates, you can use it for resin.
- Vape pens and wax pens – are convenient, easy to use and provide the heat source necessary to activate the active ingredients found in cannabis concentrates.
- Edibles – as long as your cooking process includes heating the resin or whichever concentrate you are using for a set time and to a set temperature, the answer to the question “can you eat dabs?” is also yes.
That’s because the thing which all of these methods have in common is that they heat the resin to a certain temperature and for a certain time.
These are the key requirements of the decarboxylation process.
Where can you buy live resin?
Although resin is perhaps not yet as well-established on the cannabis scene as other better-known concentrates, you can still get it from most places where you can find liquid THC for sale. Your local licensed dispensary will be the best place to start.
Is live resin for me?
Live resin has fast become a kind of upper-market, almost gourmet choice for many people who use cannabis concentrates.
The enhanced aromas retained from the original plant and the potential for a much greater and more nuanced flavour certainly make it a solid choice for people who can afford the slightly higher price.
As with all marijuana and marijuana-derived products and medication though, in the end, the type which will be best for you will depend on the effect you are looking to achieve.
You can always ask for advice from either your doctor when you are getting your medical marijuana prescription or from the people behind the counter of your local licensed dispensary.
