dabbing is the best way to get your canna fix. it’s pure, unadulterated THC up to 90 percent in oil or wax form, and you get to use a BLOWTORCH? read on for a primer on how to dab, or at least how we do it.

the first time i saw my best friend dabbing a concentrate, i was like: “is this meth though? is this hard drugs?” and honestly, i was a little scared inside.

he brought out what looked like a bong – so friendly and familiar! but then suddenly there was a blowtorch involved.

he scooped out a little bit of cannabis concentrate wax from a jar on a tiny metal stick (called a dabbing tool, i guess), and then with his other hand (LIKE HOW?! coordination) started to blowtorch the shit out of the metal bowl (called a titanium nail) that was placed into the bong. once the bowl was hot, he turned off the blowtorch, touched the dabbing tool to the inside of the metal bowl, and the wax disappeared as the bong filled with smoke. then he quickly inhaled it and exhaled it.

apparently, a lot of people use something very similar called a ‘rig’ to dab. rigs are fancy, but probably great. my best friend and I once smoked out of a Seagrams seven bottle, so we are no strangers to Macgyver-ing to suit our needs. he has Macgyvered a rig out of a chambered glass bong and a titanium nail and it works, in case you also just want to use your old bong for dabbing.

you can’t dab the same way you’d hit a bong. once the metal bowl is hot, you deftly turn off the blowtorch without burning the shit out of yourself. then with the dabbing tool/stick thingy, you touch the wax or oil to the inside of the hot bowl (no touchy) and suck in through the bong as fast as you can. you also want to push the smoke back out of your lungs as fast as you can. it’s heavier than bong smoke, it feels pretty thick. my best friend says, “it’s not like smoking a pipe. it’s very concentrated, so you don’t need to hold it in. it absorbs immediately.”

so there you are, you suck in fast and hard and then you let it go just as quickly. at this point, if it was a fairly good sized dab (samples may vary) you experience what we like to call ‘face melted.’ sometimes my eyes will actually water, and sometimes it hits me so hard that i need to sit down and catch my breath.

it feels like the room gets a little brighter and every little bit of stress leaves my body. i feel carefree, upbeat, and relaxed. the best thing to do is listen to some music, or try to take on a creative project. honestly even household chores are much better once i’ve dabbed. i could bake a cake. just call me day dab barbie.

dabbing pros:

feels ahhhmazing

gets you REALLY high

fast to use, and fast effect

seems better for you because you aren’t puffing smoke all day

blowtorch is really cool

dabbing cons:

oil and wax is very expensive — around $80 for a container

until you figure out how much wax or oil to use, it’s hard to know how big your dab will be

not many studies on long-term effects

people might think you’re doing meth or something weird