From the moment you try it, its attractions are obvious. Inhaling a dose of a waxy or oily marijuana extract – not smoke, but colorless, odorless, vapor – seems so superior a method of imbibing THC that you tip your hat to technology. No harsh burning smoke. No lingering stench, hardly a smell at all. No matches or lighters. No clumsy paraphernalia. (The cigarette-shaped and -sized device has a long-lasting, USB-rechargeable battery – even a glowing red indicator that tells you when you’ve had one reasonable, measured dose.
Of course, other folks smoke it with blowtorches heating metal elements to spark the strong vapor. So much for the slickness of the paraphernalia.
The New York Times reports on the potential downsides of dabbing, including unhealthy and dangerous fabrication methods in states, like NY, where the drug is still considered illegal. Not to mention ultra-concentrated THC levels – sometimes 80% compared to an average 20% for weed by mother nature – that can leave folks with rapid heartbeat, panic, paranoia, blackouts, even hallucinations.
The corollaries to alcohol – its use and abuse – are easy to draw. “Marijuana,” says a teenager, “is the beer of THC, as dabbing is the vodka.”
And what’s the corollary, if any, to the dance craze? Comments welcome.
