What to Know About Buying CBD Oil

First, let's establish what we mean by “oil”?
​“Oil” is often used colloquially to describe cannabis concentrates, a highly concentrated form of the active ingredients in cannabis, called cannabinoids, which can sometimes take on an oily consistency. While you may assume that anything with “oil” in the name must include some form of oil you recognize, like coconut or olive oil, this is not necessarily the case. Knowing what form you would like your CBD product to take, and how you want to consume it will help your product specialist to narrow down the best CBD oil products for you.

There are a wide variety of high CBD concentrates, cartridges, tinctures, capsules, and topicals available in Washington’s I502 market; which could all be described as being, or containing CBD oil. Specifying how you would like to consume your CBD will help point your Theorem product specialist in the right direction.

What are your goals? How should you phrase them when getting help from a product specialist?
Unless you are a medical marijuana patient, Theorem employees will not legally be allowed to advise any medicinal uses of cannabis, or use your medical needs to help find the right product for you. If you come into the shop looking for medical advice, we will kindly remind you of the laws we must work within.  We do our best to point you in the right direction using the non-medical language we are permitted to use. If at all possible, try phrasing your needs in non-medical language. For instance, “I am looking for a product that I can use during the day, that will take effect quickly, and costs me no more than $5 per serving,” or, “I need a product that I can apply to my hand that is cream based and does not smell of cannabis.” By being specific as you can about your needs without involving medical language, you can give your product specialist the information they need to determine the right product for you without playing a round of 20 non-medical questions!

Why does pesticide testing matter? How can I get a pesticide-free CBD product?
Pesticide usage awareness is at an all-time high in the I502 industry. Many producers are testing their products rigorously for pesticides before allowing them to go to market, despite it not yet being a state requirement. Pesticides are often toxic and have been proven to be absorbed into the bloodstream when a cannabis product is combusted, vaporized, or consumed. The processes which are used to concentrate cannabinoids to make products like cartridges, concentrates, and sometimes products like tinctures and capsules, unfortunately also concentrate pesticides if they are present in the starting material. This means that pesticide concentrations can potentially be much higher in these products, as much as 10x higher than the pesticide concentrations in the original cannabis flower these products were made from. Because there is a lack of information about the short and long term effects of inhaled pesticides, many producers are choosing to air on the side of caution when it comes to keeping the final consumers of I502 products safe. Fortunately, there is an abundance of CBD products at Theorem which have been tested for pesticides! Feel free to request products that have been tested and proven to not contain pesticides.
For more information about pesticide usage and concerns, check out Leafly's guide to "Pesticides 101: Questions and Answers for Cannabis Patients and Consumers" 

What are the main differences between high-CBD flower and high-CBD oil/oil based products?
CBD Oil products can vary in consistency and dosing, onset and duration of Cannabis Oil, effect on lungs, and even potency. Consider these factors when selecting the best CBD Oil product for your needs.

Consistency and Ease of Dosing – Because cannabis is a plant and is not the same each time it is grown, high CBD flower will rarely have the same CBD and THC percentages between batches. This means that in order to have consistent dosing, you will need to adjust how much you smoke in order to achieve the same effect each time. Even if you do adjust the amount smoked each time, there is no guarantee that even the same strain will affect you the same way each time. Tinctures and capsules, however, are designed to provide consistent, easy dosing. Because the volume and quantities of active ingredients stay the same between batches, you can expect that the same sized tincture or capsule dose will give you the same effects every time you take it. Keep in mind that things like a big meal, your general mood, or lack of sleep can impact how your cannabis product affects you on a day-to-day basis. Cartridges and concentrates, like flower, will vary slightly between batches resulting in different potency and effects every time. Cartridges, because you can pace dosing with a simple inhale or push of a button, can make it easier to consume exactly what is needed without wasting product even if your product is a slightly different than the last time you purchased it.

Onset and Duration of Cannabis Oil Effects:

• Capsules: 45 minutes – 2 hours to take effect, 6-8 hour duration
• Tinctures: 30 minutes – 1 hour to take effect, 4-6 hour duration
• Concentrates: Immediate onset, 2-4 hour duration
• Cartridges: Immediate – 20 minute onset, 1-4 hour duration
• Flower: Immediate – 20 minute onset, 1-4 hour duration

Effect on Lungs – When you smoke flower, you are not only smoking cannabinoids, but also smoking plant matter which once combusted contains harmful compounds which can leave the lungs and throat feeling irritated. Concentrates and cartridges are made by stripping away the plant material with a solvent such as Butane or CO2, leaving you with a much more potent product that contains only cannabinoids, such as THC and CBD; terpenes, which give cannabis its therapeutic effect, aroma, and flavor; and sometimes plant fats and waxes which can affect the texture of the final concentrate. Concentrates and cartridges are vaporized rather than combusted, meaning they are heated to the temperature where they convert from a solid to a vapor and then inhaled. This means no smoke, and no smoke means no harmful irritants from combustion in your lungs! Tinctures and capsules, because they are consumed orally, make no contact with and have no effect on your lungs.

Potency – Because cartridges and concentrates are made by isolating the active components of cannabis and removing the inactive plant matter, they are far more potent than cannabis flower. While flower typically tests somewhere between 15-27% THC, concentrates and cartridges can test as high as 95-97% THC! Capsules and tinctures, because they are consumed orally and processed by our bodies in a different way than when cannabis is inhaled, can feel much more potent than flower if you accidentally take too much. If you aren’t certain of how capsules or tinctures will affect you, start with the smallest possible dose and work your way up until you find a dose that meets your needs. Keep in mind that capsules and tinctures doses are measured in milligrams (mg) rather than a percentage of the total weight of the product. A typical starting dose for someone new to ingesting cannabis products would be about 5mg.  
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Yes, there’s a lot to consider when buying quality CBD oil in Washington. The Theorem staff will gladly help walk you through the experience, and your preferences. Stop in the shop, and we look forward to seeing you soon! Feel free to shop our fresh menu, for available CBD Oil products.

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