Once upon a time, marijuana was generally associated with rolling papers, pipes and various smoking apparatuses. More recently, with the legalization of cannabis in many states, we’ve been seeing a wider variety of foods, beverages, supplements and all sorts of products, all made possible by concentrates. Concentrate comes in a number of forms:
- CBD Oil.CBD oil is a hemp-derived oil that’s great for inflammation and pain relief, and as a treatment for stress and anxiety, without the high. Do your research when buying CBD oils, as the term is often used broadly, and even interchangeably with hemp oil. CBD oil is often mixed into butters and cooking oils for edibles, or simply put into capsule form for easy use.
- Kief.Kief is the crystal powder covering the cannabis flower, this gives it that pretty, “dusty” appearance. These tiny crystals are where we get all the good stuff from cannabis, the CBD, THC, and terpenes. This is a type of concentrate you can collect in small amounts at home simply by shaking out your grinder. Kief can be used to create hash, which can be several times as powerful in terms of THC content as smoking the plant itself.
- RSO. RSO, aka “Phoenix Tears,” and short for “Rick Simpson Oil,” was invented by Rick Simpson as a homemade skin cancer remedy. This type of concentrate is made by soaking cannabis in a solvent like isopropyl alcohol or pure naphtha to draw the active ingredients out. A number of variations on RSO exist, some being sold as THC-potent high-inducers, others as therapeutic CBD treatments. This is cannabis in a purely medicinal form. You won’t find many people using RSO for baked goods, but it’s great for a toothache or insomnia or as a nice mood-adjuster when you’re feeling a bit stressed.
- Tincture. Prior to prohibition, tinctures were actually the most common way to enjoy marijuana. Similar to RSO this is an alcohol-extracted concentrate, typically taken with a drop or so under the tongue. Give it a half hour to kick in before you decide it’s not working. Tinctures can have an intense effect, but they don’t always hit as quickly as smoking or vaping.
- Vaping Oil. This is the oil you find in your vape cartridges. Usually a C02 oil acquired with an industrial extractor. A neat thing about vaping oil is that, if you like having something to puff on, it’s a fairly precise way to get just the effect you’re after, whether you want a mild mid-day high or a quick dose of CBD-based anxiety relief with no buzz.
Cannabis concentrate is a booming industry right now, and that means that it’s an industry that’s still… let’s say “sorting itself out.” There are a lot of businesses involved in the market that aren’t really in it for the long haul. Now that it’s suddenly legal in so many states, it’s hip, and profitable, to jump on the bandwagon.
Lowell Farms is not that. Lowell Farms is deeply invested in creating the very best cannabis concentrate, and sustainability, using recyclable packaging over plastic, and growing cannabis with organic fertilizers and no synthetic pesticides. That’s the ethos for everything Lowell Farms sells, and it’s the ethos at the new Lowell Farms: A Cannabis Café, Los Angeles’ first legal cannabis restaurant, opening up in West Hollywood. Cannabis culture has always been about eco-consciousness, and Lowell Farms is embraces that, with organic products and sustainable sourcing… plus great food that gets you high, under the direction of head chef Andrea Drummer.
