When someone brings up holidays in the stoner community, your first thought is typically 4/20. The unofficial stoner holiday based around blazing at the opportune time isn’t the only cannabis-themed day, however. Ladies and gentleman, let me introduce you to “7/10”, the concentrate counterpart to 4/20. Where one is all about the sticky-icky green bud and all things cannabis, the other is exclusively about the amber oil products that some prefer instead. If you were wondering why July 10th, well flip that numerical “710” upside down and what do you get?
OIL
Just like it’s green counterpart though, the origins of this holiday are not set in stone. Considering it’s derived from a holiday that only recently found a likely story, this one is a total mystery. One of the earliest mentions seems to be a forum post from TokeCity, dubbing the day “Oil day”. Mentions from Marijuana.com and Urban Dictionary seemed to be the push the term along until LA Weekly stated: “710 Is The New 420”. In wasn’t soon until High Times and even International Business Times was talking about the “New Stoner Holiday’”. The actual origins of this holiday just don’t seem to captivate everyone as much as its predecessor, 420.
“Think of 7:10 as you think of 4:20. Not only is it a time, but it is a date. And this time/date stands for smoking cannabis. But more importantly cannabis oil or butane hash oil (BHO) aka “Errl”. Now BHO has been around for quite awhile now, but within the last couple years specific devices have been created to improve the way BHO is smoked (I will go into these devices more in later posts) . Along with these improvements came die-hard oil smokers. Some cannabis users completely switched over to the use of BHO. I know I’ve been smoking less and less green bud over the years and more and more BHO! And for many reasons! BHO is quick and to the point as far as medication goes! One or two hits and your as medicated as smoking a whole joint to your face! The people who have realized that this is “THE NEW WAY TO SMOKE CANNABIS” have formed a movement, The Errl Movement or The 7:10 Movement. This movement has been labeled and referenced by companies like Beehive Oil Clothing Company and Highly Educated Ti by Task Rok. Most people apart of this movement believe that one day there will be no such thing as smoking green buds, ONLY SWEET WAXY BHO!”
-TokeCity, user Dan K: November 2010
Despite that, it’s never a bad time to enjoy one of the newest additions to consumption methods in all its forms. If you aren’t as familiar with this method, concentrates are what are popularly used to dab. A dab can be either a verb or a noun in the concentrate world. A dab would be a hit of any size of a type of concentrate. Dabbing is the act of actually consuming. Concentrates can be consumed in various ways with an assortment of tools, similar to bud. They are made from extracting active cannabinoids with a solvent, typically Butane Hash Oil (BHO) or Carbon Dioxide (CO2). When dabbing, you vaporize the concentrates, bypassing any harmful and possibly carcinogenic material from smoke or excess material from the plant.
In much simpler words, if you removed all the cannabinoid content from the plant, you would get concentrate. The method used to extract those cannabinoids and terpenes will yield various types of concentrate, many of which you can read about here. Because of the risky production method, concentrates operated in the underground portion of our industry. It wasn’t until the last five years that it grew in popularity. Mostly due to the growing availability of concentrate items in cannabis-legal state’s shops in addition to cannabis-advocating celebrities.
Concentrates have created an entire subculture from cannabis and cultivated the #dablife-style. It may sound like just another way to medicate but, it’s also a sign that cannabis is evolving. Concentrates are the new, in some cases safer, option for many to consume. In all of its forms, concentrates can be more effective, faster-acting, and more cost-effective. Traits that are massively beneficial to those using cannabis for chronic issues. I think this is one of the many reasons vape pens have grown to be more common than consuming bud in some states. Their effectiveness as well as being discrete in nature makes them favorites for those who do not wish to publicly display consumption or leave a dank-scent behind. As mentioned before they are numerous ways to enjoy concentrates, some more trendy than others.
So whether you are grabbing a torch, a vape pen, or keeping it traditional with a joint, celebrate another day of cannabis’ acceptance and influence. The creation of this obscure holiday and its progression into mainstream media is a sign that things are moving in the right direction. If this concentrates or dabbing is something you seem interested in, always refer back to The Social Weed for resources to help you out. If you have a dispensary nearby, ask your local budtender. Check out dabbing areas if you frequent cannabis events. Talk up the companies who produce products as well. If concentrates are new to you, knowledge is your best tool. Understanding the products and how to consume the new method is important for a number of reasons, not getting turned off of it from lack of understanding being a common one. So, this July 10th, try something a little different for your “420” blaze and happy toking my friends.
