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THC oil seems to be everywhere these days. It’s the hot topic in all corners of the marijuana industry. So whether you’re into vaping, dabbing, e-cigarettes, edibles, tinctures, or topicals, THC oil is part of it.

But what exactly is THC oil? Is it even legal? How can I use THC oil? And where can I get some to try? The experts at Honest Marijuana will answer all those questions and give you everything you need to know in this, the definitive guide to THC oil.

Let’s start with the most basic question of them all: What is THC oil?

What Is THC Oil?

If you’ve spent any time talking to people about marijuana, you know there are multiple names for pretty much everything.

The marijuana you smoke is probably the most notorious with entire web pages devoted to all the different ways you can date Mary Jane (there’s one of those slang terms now).

THC oil is no different. There are scientific names for THC oil. There are common terms for THC oil. And then there are slang terms for THC oil. Even “THC oil” itself is more of a common term than a scientific or a slang term.

Technically speaking, THC oil is a concentrate or an extract.

That means the cannabis plant matter has been washed with a solvent of some kind [common solvents include isopropyl alcohol, butane, and carbon dioxide (CO2)].

When soaked in a solvent, the trichomes, THC, CBD, CBN, and other cannabinoids get dissolve in the liquid.

After the soaking process, the plant matter is removed and the solvent is boiled off leaving behind an oily substance which is concentrated cannabinoids. When an extraction process is conducted on high THC strains of cannabis, the result is a highly-concentrated THC oil.

The same process can also be run on high CBD strains to produce CBD Oil.

While the marijuana you smoke can top out at around 20% THC, cannabis concentrates like THC oil often break the 80% THC barrier. Some are even pushing for the coveted triple-digit (100%) THC concentration.

That would be one wild ride!

How Can You Use THC Oil?

THC oil can be used in a number of different ways, including:

• By itself in vape pens, vaporizers, and e-cigarettes
• To produce other forms of concentrate including shatters and waxes for dabbing
• As a quick and easy addition to your favorite recipe

As you can see, THC oil really is the Swiss Army Knife of marijuana products. We’ll discuss some of these uses in detail later on in this article.

Is THC Oil Legal?

Yep, THC oil is most definitely legal. It’s a fairly new product so it might not be where you live. But if recreational marijuana use is legal in your state, so is THC oil.

In some states, only medical marijuana is legal. In those cases, it’s likely that CBD oil is available but THC oil isn’t. It all depends on where you live.

As more and more states, and even the federal government, move to legalize recreational marijuana, THC oil will become more common.

THC Oil For Sale

If you would like to purchase THC oil, we suggest you always buy from a reputable cannabis dealer like your local dispensary. They will have some sort of quality-assurance process that will ensure you are getting the best product possible.

This is important because the solvents used to produce the concentrate can be toxic if inhaled or ingested in high dosage.

Butane, the most common solvent for making concentrates, is particularly worrisome and may cause adverse health effects down the road if too much is consumed.

But don’t let that worry you, though. If the extraction process is run correctly, all the butane is removed from the concentrate before it’s sold to you.

That’s why we recommend purchasing from a dispensary as they have certain quality standards they must adhere to when selling products of this kind.

Methods of Delivery

As we already mentioned, THC oil is like the Swiss Army Knife of the marijuana world—it can be used in pretty much everything. Here are just a few ways you can get the most out of your THC oil.

THC Oil For Vape

THC oil can be used in your vape for a truly righteous experience. Remember, THC oil is highly-concentrated cannabinoids and can get you really high, really quick. S

tart out small and experiment with quantities, and you’ll be fine.

THC Oil Cartridge

This is similar to the vape experience mentioned above. Pre-filled THC oil cartridges can be purchased at your local head shot for use in all sorts of devices.

Some oil cartridges can even be refilled and reused to save you a few bucks here and there.

THC Oil For E-Cig

E-cigarettes were originally used as a healthy alternative to smoking tobacco. Cannasseurs quickly realized that the tobacco product in the e-cigarette could be discarded (nasty, foul stuff anyway) and THC oil substituted in its place.

The e-cigarette eliminated the tell-tale smell and possible second-hand high that would result if you simply smoked your doobie in the lunchroom.

THC Oil Pen

Similar to the e-cigarette, the oil pen is a healthy alternative to smoking a fatty. Oil pens vaporize the THC oil (convert it to tiny droplets) so you can inhale it without all the associated carcinogens that come from burning stuff.

Even if you don’t like the high you experience with an oil pen, you have to admit that they are extremely portable and extremely convenient. Tote them with you on a hike and take a toke every few hours for an all-day high that is unlike any other.

THC Oil Vaporizer

Some people even vaporize THC oil directly into the air. You can even buy refillable vaporizers at the drugstore. They’re intended to be used with eucalyptus and menthol products to help clear the lungs, but you can use them with THC oil, too.

This, of course, is really only appropriate in your home where everyone is of legal age. Vapor will quickly spread to the whole house, so don’t use this method when children are present.

Other THC Oil Products

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, THC oil can even be used in your just about anything. Here are some do-it-yourself and store-bought options.

Do-It-Yourself With THC Oil

THC oil can be dribbled into to your favorite recipes to add a bit of THC kick to your edibles. Common treats include cookies, brownies, butter and other baked goods.

But you can also add a few drops of THC oil to your tea, coffee, juice, and other liquids. Want some THC spaghetti? Add a few drops of THC oil to your marinara sauce.

The possibilities are literally endless. Play around with the recipes you already have and then make up some new ones for even more fun.

Store-Bought THC Oil Treats

Some edibles you just can’t produce on your own without lots of special equipment, knowledge and time. Consumables like gummy bears, candy, and THC-filled capsules, though, can be purchased at your local dispensary so you don’t have to go to all the effort.

It’s no mystery that opioid addiction has reached epidemic levels in the United States. 2015 alone saw with 33,000 fatal overdoses. Over half of said opioid-related deaths were caused by legitimately obtained prescriptions. While District Attorney Jeff Sessions says that legal cannabis is to blame for the epidemic, science says otherwise.

According to statistics in drug abuse, in 2011 alone, the thirteen states that legalized medical marijuana had seen a 35 percent decrease in opioid-related deaths. A study conducted by the American Journal of Public Health found that in the two years following its legalization for recreational marijuana, Colorado saw a 6.5 percent decrease in opioid use. Meanwhile, states without legalization — Florida for example — saw increased opioid-related fatalities of 22.7%.

Three Ways Cannabis Helps

We had the good fortune to meet with Dr. Joe Cohen of Holos Health and Journey to Life in Boulder. He is considered an expert in the field of cannabis medicine. According to Dr. Cohen, cannabis is doing its part to end the opioid epidemic in the United States in three specific ways.

1. Cannabis amplifies opioids. Cannabis potentiates the effects of opioids, meaning that when someone takes cannabis with opioids, they can immediately cut their dose of opioids in half, and begin the process of removing the opioids from their system. 
2. Cannabis relieves withdrawal symptoms. Cannabis also provides relief from the withdrawal symptoms associated with opioid withdrawal such as: vomiting, abdominal pain, chronic pain, temperature changes, and tremors. 
3. Cannabis protects the brain during withdrawal. Cohen also mentioned a process that kills off brain cells and occurs during opioid withdrawal called glutamate excitotoxicity. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for memory and cognitive function. During withdrawal, exotoxins enter the brain causing high levels of calcium to penetrate cell walls causing cell damage. Cannabis stops this process from happening and protects the brain. 

Jeff Sessions has openly stated that cannabis use “is already causing a disturbance in the states that have made it legal.” The only disturbance lies in the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies who have lost millions of dollars from people taking charge of their wellbeing.

Since the days of “Reefer Madness”, the rumor was that cannabis is the gateway to heroin. The reverse is true. Cannabis is the exit to heroin. This truth lies in the millions of lives that are being saved in the name of cannabis each day.

Source: My 420 Tours
Reference: https://my420tours.com/is-cannabis-an-opioid-exit-drug/

On January 1, 2020, Illinois began a new chapter by allowing sales of recreational Marijuana.  This allowed adults with a legal ID to purchase limited quantities, but what kind of sales did it generate?

Medical Marijuana Sales

In January 2019, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced the retail sales of medical marijuana of $12.69 million.  This was up just under 50% from January 2018.

Recreational Sales

For the month of January 2020, IDPH has reported sales of recreational marijuana of $39.25 million. That is quite a testament to the adult use marijuana agribusiness! Just under one fourth of that money came from people with IDs in states other than Illinois. Due the variation in local sales tax, there is no estimate at this time for the total impact on state tax coffers.

Illinois Marijuana Sales Experience: Collinsville IL

Collinsville is a small suburb of St. Louis.  It lies about 15 mile east of the Arch (Gateway Arch National Park in Downtown St. Louis) and was lucky enough to have a business that obtained one of the 48 licenses to sell recreational marijuana on January 1, 2020.

On that day, it was cold, but the lines were long – much longer than anyone anticipated. Some 700 people waited in line to be the first to purchase recreational marijuana. To the surprise of many, the lines remained long for the next several weeks. To those visiting the site, it was not at all unusual to see license plates from not only Illinois and Missouri which make sense given the locale, but also Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Kansas and many other states near and far.

A store spokesman states that over the month, buyers waited 90-120 minutes in line, and that nearly every single person in line purchased marijuana of varieties (including edibles). The store also implemented “Medical Mondays”, intending to only sell to medical customers on Mondays.  This was in large part to allow them time to restock items.

In January alone, this single site sold almost $5 million, or nearly 15% of all the sales in Illinois. This has been a wonderful addition to the city of Collinsville.  It brought in an extra $125,000 in sales tax for the city in just the month of January. The city has already scheduled raising their portion of the sales tax from the current rate of 2.25% to 5.25% in July and expects as much as $2 million in extra sales tax money in 2020. Currently the city’s budget is at $57 million.  An extra $2 million will have a major impact on what the city can do for their residents.

Marijuana Sales shortages

One issue the state is addressing is shortages which have resulted in stock piling and “sweetheart deals”. Illinois has allowed some companies to set up both dispensaries and own cultivation sites.  Illinois law says that neither side of this equation can form exclusive agreements.

With such unbridled desire and unmet need, the concern is that some of these dispensaries with cultivation capability will hold back on supplying the whole state.  This would mean that some dispensaries would not get any supply or that others might only have items limited to what their own cultivation site offers.  Illinois has clearly said that neither of these should happen. Toward that end, one week after sales began the state sent letters to dispensaries reminding them of the law and the fact that they could face fines of $20,000 per infraction.   This action was prompted by complaints of dispensaries and pot farmers who felt that larger conglomerates were taking advantage of the situation.

Governor Pardons Many

One of the unique things about the laws put in place in Illinois is a recognition that the 50-year fight against this “weed” has been wrong.  The state has pledged to invest 25% of the new tax receipts back into the neighborhoods that have been hardest hit by too many decades of inept policies.  The newly elected governor has already pardoned over 11,000 people with deemed “low level” cannabis offenders. There are over 100,000 arrest with less than 30 g and no violent offense which are expected to eventually be expunged. Arrests that did not result in a conviction but are still on public record will also be expunged which will affect over half a million arrest records.

This compassionate concern and historic review are something which is unique in the Illinois law and one which should be followed in other states.

Bottom Line

According to Motley Fool, California is expecting to sell a combined medical and recreational marijuana amount of over $3.8 Billion (yes, with a B).  It expects Illinois to sell $half a billion and be number 10 on the top 10 states list.

Total sales across these top 10 states are expected to top $11 Billion. We wonder how high sales need to be before the whole country recognizes that it is time to fully legalize this burgeoning industry and follow the lead of Illinois to pardon our past sins.

Source: California Weed Blog
Reference: https://californiaweedblog.com/2020/02/16/illinois-is-all-in-for-marijuana-sales/