The Newbies’ Guide To Medicinal Cannabis Book Previe › gallery › newbies-guide-preview-v14.pdfWith all the illustrated step-by-step technical guidance, tips tricks & hacks, safety

www.TheDaMaCollective.com [email protected]

The Dà Má Collective 大麻

Dà Má Press大麻出書 Glencoe Illinois & Key West Florida - USA

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The Newbies’ Guide To Medicinal Cannabis Book Preview

By The Dà Má Collective 大麻 &

Dà Má Press 大麻出書




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The Newbies’ Guide to Medicinal Cannabis Book Preview Contents: Welcome! ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 2Overview ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 2Markets/Audiences ........................................................................................................................................................................... 4Remedying Cannabis Industry Pain Points: Dissolving Barriers To Uptake .................................................................... 6Sales & Promotion ............................................................................................................................................................................. 8About the authors ............................................................................................................................................................................. 9List of chapters ................................................................................................................................................................................ 10Chapter-by-Chapter Summaries .................................................................................................................................................. 11Sample Chapters/Topics ............................................................................................................................................................... 12Support Our Work ........................................................................................................................................................................... 18Appendix ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 18

Welcome! Welcome to our sneak preview of the upcoming The Newbies’ Guide To Medicinal Cannabis:

Overview What’s the herbal medicine that was used daily by your great-grandparents and by millions today, is igniting a global economic & healthcare revolution, yet is the most misunderstood plant on the planet? Cannabis, a.k.a. marijuana, weed, humanity’s oldest & safest medicine! There are over 20 million recent newbie cannabis users just in the USA, with a profusion of new product options and increasingly technical delivery methods that weren’t on the scene when today’s cannabis newbie may have ‘tried a puff back in college’ - but until now there hasn’t been a Newbies’ Guide for consumers on how to safely and enjoyably use & shop for the ever-increasing variety of cannabis product forms, equipment, & consumption methods available in today’s mushrooming legal cannabis marketplace. A marketplace which (in the words of real cannabis newbies) can often be an “overwhelming” and “intimidating” experience to the cannabis novice. Never fear, The Newbies’ Guide To Medicinal Cannabis is here! THE NEWBIES’ GUIDE TO MEDICINAL CANNABIS is the first comprehensive “How to safely & enjoyably consume your herbal medicine” instructional handbook, herbal safety manual & reference guide for modern-day medicinal cannabis consumers, caregivers, dispensary & smokeshop staff, and anyone who loves the amazing healing herb! With all the illustrated step-by-step technical guidance, tips tricks & hacks, safety pointers, recipes, and helpful background info needed to have the most comfortable, safe, & effective cannabis experience possible. The Newbies’ Guide also primes the pump for positive medicinal cannabis experiences with a guided tour of the 12,000+ year history of thriving human medicinal cannabis use across cultures and healing traditions - An educated consumer is a happy confident consumer!




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The book is structured to support the cannabis consumer’s journey from often-overwhelmed (& sometimes intimidated) newbie to a knowledgeable, confident and smart cannabis shopper & partaker:

• We start with a history of cannabis’s twelve millennia of use as a common healing remedy, and (re-) acquaint readers with the notion that for the majority of human existence, cannabis has been a normal, accepted (and even revered) part of society & everyday life – by placing modern-day cannabis usage in the context of historical use, we help dissolve the stigma (left over from cannabis prohibition) and help consumers establish a positive going-in mindset/mental frame for creating enjoyable & effective cannabis experiences.

• Our Canna-Primer acquaints newbies with the endocannabinoid system and essential information for understanding and selecting the cannabis strains, genetics & qualities that provide the best results for each person – one of the most critical and least understood aspects of creating the optimal cannabis experience.

• Our Shoppers Guide (with color photos) helps newbies make sense of the ever-growing number of cannabis product types and forms – we help the reader understand similarities & differences between products and we provide all the background information needed to have an educated eye when shopping for cannabis products, equipment and accessories. Includes basic everyday products (flower/bud, hashish, wax) along with the newest innovations (novel concentrates & combos, terpene extracts and The Clear, fresh cannabis juice & sprouts, and more).

• Includes helpful tips on selecting the best products, delivery method & dosing for any given situation (illustrated dosing & matching guides, etc.)

• The Driver’s Handbook (subtitled Operating & Caring For Your Cannabis Delivery Vehicles) is the bread & canna-butter of the book: step-by-step instructions, with illustrations, safety info, and tips tricks & hacks for consuming cannabis using each product form and delivery method available in today’s innovation-friendly marketplace: how to roll & smoke a perfect joint, use and unclog a pipe, water-pipes (bongs & hookahs), edibles, vapes & e-cigs, concentrates, topicals, tinctures, and all the other ways to consume the amazing herb. Includes info on cleaning & maintaining your equipment.

• We cover “good herbal citizenship” with thoughtful perspectives on discretion, harmoniously co-existing with non-420 neighbors, and discussing cannabis with children. And tips on taking a tolerance break.

• Recipes, including favorite easy-to-make mainstays of the herbally-equipped kitchen, along with a few ancient traditional ceremonial formulae to further the journey into cannabis alchemy & cuisine.

• My Herbal Journal is an herbal medication self-monitoring journal (designed by a nurse & caregiver) to help you gain awareness of the cannabis options that work best for you, create optimal cannabis experiences, and promote richer conversations with health care providers and caregivers.

• Detailed technical and reference information for those looking to advance their cannabis connoisseurship and fine-tune their consumption experience…

The Newbies’ Guide is approx. 150 pages and contains color photos, custom easy-follow illustrations, bibliography glossary & index, recipes, perforated blank journal forms, and technical appendices. With a sturdy lay-flat binding, eco-friendly archival paper and a durable attractive hemp cover, the Newbies’ Guide will be equally at home on your kitchen table (during a medication/recipe sesh) or on the coffee table. Target publish date Harvest 2018. 1st printing 10,000 copies. The Newbies’ Guide To Medicinal Cannabis fits in standard bookstore categories including Health & Fitness, Herbs & Herbal Medicine, Healthcare & Medicine, and Medical Reference.




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Markets/Audiences

Sizing up the market The Newbies’ Guide To Medicinal Cannabis appeals to both a target core audience (recent newcomers to the medicinal cannabis experience) and a broader general interest audience: while thoroughly covering the basics of safely & enjoyably consuming cannabis, our book also contains advanced “connoisseur-level” technical, historical & cultural information that will surprise & delight even lifelong tokers who think they already know it all. Along with the growing number of people with no (or minimal) prior cannabis experience but (thanks to friends & family & what they’ve seen in the news) now have a need/interest in learning more about the amazing herb. The legal/regulated cannabis industry (and thus the number of cannabis newbies) is not just thriving it’s booming and all signs are it’s just getting started, with access/regulations continuing to open up in states & localities across the US & around the world. 7 more states - California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Maine, Florida, North Dakota, Arkansas & Montana - all recently voted to increase legal access to cannabis, with additional states continuing to announce cannabis progress (either new access or improvements/ expansions to existing programs) as time goes on (most recently California, Nevada, West Virginia, Vermont, & Florida), bringing the total population with access to medicinal cannabis to 30 states (including Washington DC), these states have a combined population of 195,792,284 people. As access and markets continue to blossom so will the number of cannabis newbies in need of the guidance and support our book provides. The U.S. markets (core + secondary) for The Newbies’ Guide are:

Market Includes Size (USA only) Freshly registered cannabis newbies (core market)

Everyone who received state-issued medical cannabis card within last year (as of 2017)

1,011,038

Remaining (not-as-newbie) medical cannabis cardholders

The remaining current-day medical cardholders (not included in above “freshly registered” count, this group is likely to be “not as newbie” but still likely to have interest in our book)

1,585,370

All cannabis newbies People with medical cards are only a subset of the total cannabis-consuming/newbie population (large gray-market). Includes # of new cannabis consumers in last 3 years (growth rate from 2013-2016)

19,634,000

All cannabis users The 13% of the U.S. population that uses cannabis (includes people that are no longer newbies)

42,782,000

Longer-term market Industry projections for the longer-term size of cannabis-consuming population (2020 & beyond)

60,000,000+

Historical perspective: In the 1920s before federal prohibition, there were between 200,000-300,000 different brands/trade names of cannabis-containing medicines for sale in the U.S. (all made by licensed manufacturers including big pharma firms like Lilly, Pfizer & Parke-Davies along with thousands of smaller manufacturers). For a majority of U.S. history (300+ years) cannabis was frequently and widely-consumed




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(men, women & children) and wasn’t anywhere close to being considered unusual, it was ‘just another medicine” regularly found in any typical household medicine cabinet – so in a way the recent cannabis wave is wonderfully progressive, from another perspective it’s just society getting back to “the way things used to be” pre-canna-Prohibition.

Other markets/distribution channels:

• Dispensaries: 3,903 med + 1,617 rec = 5 ,520 dispensaries nationwide (in early 2018)

* Dispensaries will purchase our book for internal use (reference/training)

* Outlet for book sales to consumers

• Headshops and/or smokeshops: A thriving dispensary market tends to boost headshop & smokeshop business in surrounding areas and a headshop/smokeshop is an excellent retail outlet for our book – after customers leave a dispensary the next stop is often smokeshop (high-dollar-value equipment purchases tend to happen in headshops/smokeshops not dispensaries). 5 ,000+ head/smoke shops nationwide

* Note, the boundary between “headshop” and “traditional non-heady smoke/cigar/tobacco shop” is increasingly blurring, estimate includes all headshops (estimated at “a few thousand”) + a portion of smokeshops (currently between 5,000-10,000 smoke and/or vape shops in the US)

• Cannabis caregivers : 44,000+ (the # of official caregivers registered in state-level medicinal cannabis programs)

• Conventional caregivers (home health etc.): 5 ,000,000 professional caregivers by 2020, as the # of cannabis cardholders grows, so will the # of caregiving professionals that will need to know how to provide support with their patients’ cannabis medicines

• Nurses : 3 ,000,000

• Independent bookstores : 2 ,300 nationwide

Cannabis consumer demographics Cannabis consumption increasingly occurs across all slices and segments of the general population & society, cannabis consumers are from all walks of life, the “stigma of the stereotypical stoner” no longer applies – the age range of US medical cardholders last year was from age 2-95 and while data on usage trends, demographics & metrics is just starting to become available in this maturing industry, it’s clear that cannabis use is solidly on its way into the social/cultural mainstream. (To borrow a news soundbite, “the toothpaste is out of the tube and millions of Americans are already brushing their teeth!”) With increasing regularity, grandmas/grandpas, soccer moms and just plain regular folks (who never went to a Grateful Dead show nor inhaled in college ;-) are just as likely as anyone else to visit a dispensary and consume weed without undue fuss as a normal ordinary part of a healthy functional life. Cannabis demographic trends (in mid-2017) include:

• Age:

* Age spread: 2-95

* 36% of consumers are age 21-30

* 27% of consumers are in their 30s (average age of cannabis consumer is 37)

* Over 1/3 (36%) of consumers are age 40 and up




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* Usage among older consumers is on the lower side (only 8% of consumers were 60+), this segment could increase considerably as cannabis continues gaining broader mainstream acceptance especially in palliative/hospice care

• 69% men, 31% women

o Female average age slightly higher than male: 38y female/37y male

• Product mix:

* Flower/bud, while losing market share to vapes edibles etc., currently accounts for about half (51%) of all dispensary sales

* Pre-rolled joints: ~21%

* Vape pens: 9%

* Edibles: 8%

* Concentrates: 6%

* Other (topicals bath products etc.): 5%

Remedying Cannabis Industry Pain Points: Dissolving Barriers To Uptake We’ve noticed factors creating barriers to growth (consumer adoption/uptake) for the cannabis industry. (Our authors used to run a management consultancy w/ expertise in large-scale change management, corporate strategy, and adult education.) Our book and other awareness-raising work addresses & helps dissolve barriers, including:

• Some consumers (and potential consumers) feel naughty: While much progress has been made, a stigma (leftover from prohibition) still remains surrounding the cannabis plant: the notion that using or associating with cannabis is somehow “naughty.” A careful review of information (news articles, scholarly research, editorials, interviews, public forums & casual conversation) suggests that the stigma has subtle-yet-powerful effects on influencing individual behavior: There is a significant proportion of the total population who could be availing themselves of medicinal cannabis but are not, due to a combination of internal attitudes/ perception (“I’m interested, but it’s the evil weed”) as well as a lack of familiarity (and the stigma doesn’t help either) by the consumer’s health support system, which includes healthcare providers along with the advice & influence of family & friends. (We’ve met “closet consumers” which confirms that the stigma still rears its head even among active medicinal cannabis users: even though they have a state-issued card and their herbal medicine has positively changed their life, some folks keep their cannabis consumption in the closet because they don’t want family & friends to think they’re a stoner…)

• Some consumers feel nervous, apprehensive or anxious: Even if a consumer makes it past the stigma and decides to become a medicinal cannabis consumer, residual stigma can make the consumer nervous & hesitant about their experience, which contributes to unfortunate reports of paranoia, anxiety, etc. Cannabis (particularly THC) has psychoactive consciousness-shifting properties especially when eaten & absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract. Experienced psychonautic travelers will affirm the important contribution that set, setting, and going-in mindset make to the quality and tone of the resulting experience. Going-in mindset is heavily influenced by one’s underlying beliefs and attitudes, which can be subconsciously shaped by the information one picks up in the surrounding media, even if that information is erroneous and refuted by the facts. So if the beliefs one holds about cannabis are that you’re “doing something naughty”, this can create cognitive




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dissonance which promotes feelings of anxiety, paranoia, etc. Our book helps correct erroneous beliefs by providing a wealth of historical, cultural & scientific evidence that supports a positive attitude and internal belief system towards cannabis. Education is key to dissolving the stigma and creating positive cannabis experiences!

• Some consumers feel overwhelmed, confused & intimidated (product varieties & technical complexity) : The variety and types of medicinal cannabis products/forms, cannabis delivery methods, and equipment/technology options continue to proliferate. While the ever-increasing range of products and options is a wonderful thing, it adds complexity (while shopping and also consuming) which contributes to the “overwhelm” factor, especially when cannabis in general may be an unfamiliar/foreign experience. Recent news reports have highlighted how a newbie’s first trips to the dispensary can often be “intimidating” (due to the overwhelm factor). In addition, business is booming at many dispensaries, reports indicate budtender time-per-customer can be limited especially when the shop is busy, which underscores the benefits of a consumer educating themselves before they walk in the dispensary door.

• Budtender training (the lack thereof) is “appalling” and “has become an urgent national priority” : Said by the Editor-In-Chief of the medical journal Cannabis & Cannabinoid Research (Daniele Piomelli), after conducting a 2016 survey of dispensary budtenders/staff nationwide. The study found that only 55% of dispensary staff receive formal training, however 94% of those staff give advice to consumers, and the advice isn’t always all that good: Although many dispensary staff are making recommendations consistent with current evidence, some are recommending cannabis varieties, administration methods & dosage that have either not been shown effective for a patient’s particular condition or could even make it worse! (source: Training and Practices of Cannabis Dispensary Staff, Haug, et al.; Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research 2016, 1.1 )

Never fear , The Newbies ’ Guide to Medicinal Cannabis is here :

• We dissolve the stigma (and any associated feelings of apprehension, nervousness, etc.) and improve perception/attitudes towards cannabis by acquainting consumers with humanity’s 12,000+ years of thriving medicinal & inspirational cannabis use across global cultures and traditions. By placing modern-day medicinal consumption in the context of historical consumption, we help reassure both newbies and experienced consumers alike that enjoying cannabis, whether for its physical, emotional, spiritual or inspirational benefits, is one of the most natural and time-honored things a person could ever do...

• We increase comfort level , safety and confidence with the mechanical & technical aspects of consuming herb by providing step-by-step guidance for how to consume cannabis via the increasing range of delivery methods, product forms, and equipment/technology available in dispensaries and smokeshops. With guidance from experts across the canna-industry, we’ve identified, organized and clearly explained all the essential information (including i l lustrated hands-on instructions, t ips tricks & hacks, and helpful background info) needed to become a knowledgeable shopper and an educated medicinal cannabis consumer or caregiver. We answer common newbie questions, and educate users about situations that could be encountered during the medicinal cannabis experience: “How do I roll a joint? What do I need to know to start dabbing? Oops, just got my first seriously clogged pipe and it’s time to medicate, what do I do? What’s the easiest way to clean my water-pipe? Time to upgrade my vaping experience, what should I know before I go shopping? Etc.” We also provide recipes for concocting your own cannabis edibles, technical information for more




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advanced consumers who are looking to fine-tune their cannabis experience, and a self-medication journal (designed by a nurse & caregiver).

• While our core audience is newbie consumers & herbal aficionados, our book is also a solid self-education/knowledge resource that will help fill training gaps for those who support cannabis consumers including dispensary, smokeshop & clinic staff, caregivers etc.

Sales & Promotion The first edition of The Newbies’ Guide To Medicinal Cannabis will be offered as the printed book along with an e-book version (e-book contains special content/interactive features/tools/etc. not available in print version). Bundle (w/ discounted price) available containing printed book + e-book. We also have other new original Dà Má Press products in the pipeline which will be sold via website & local shops (and given as freebies for book pre-orders). First print run will be at least 10,000 copies (depending on up-front funding received) (10K copies breaks down to 334 copies per medicinal cannabis state – so far our average order is 30 copies per shop, getting our book into 12 shops per canna-legal state will sell out 10,000 copy first print run). Future editions to also be published in Spanish (as per advice of dispensary-owner advisors, who see an increasing need to serve the Latino-speaking population). Plans are to do a 10,000 copy 1st printing, and then (as we make bestseller lists) follow up with a larger 100,000 copy print run & corresponding sales/marketing push.

Sales channels/outlets For our 1st wave/push, The Newbies’ Guide To Medicinal Cannabis will be sold via:

• Print version (“the hemp-cover version”):

* Direct to consumer/reader via our website online store/mail order and affiliate program

* Dispensaries (5,520+ dispensary storefronts nationwide)

* Headshops & smokeshops (5,000+)

* Independent bookstores (2,300+)

* Gift shops & lifestyle stores (1,000+)

* Online headshops/smokeshops (we’ll target 10-15 selected online shops)

* Clinics and other healthcare-related outlets

* Seminars/workshops, festivals, other special events (20-30 events/year by Da Ma Collective principals, more via our nationwide street team)

• E-book version:

* Direct to consumer/reader via our website/mail order

* Online/e-bookseller channels (Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble etc.)

Sales, distribution & promo/outreach strategy See our Newbies’ Guide Proposal, Sponsor Guide & Flightplan for details on sales/marketing strategy. Available upon request.




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Promo platform (social media infrastructure): Our informational website (www.TheDaMaCollective.com) is our “online home base” along with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, MassRoots, Pinterest and Tumbler accounts/channels. Visitors from 56 countries so far (40% USA, 35% United Kingdom) with 20% return visitors – tells us either the info on site is worth coming back to read again, and/or people are coming back looking for new content.

About the authors The Newbies’ Guide To Medicinal Cannabis is written by The Dà Má Collective, the pen name for the merry band of instructional writers, industry pioneers, doctors, nurses, caregivers & healthcare professionals, advocates, alchemists, herbalists, historians, medical & cultural advisors, growers, dispensary & smokeshop owners & staff, product & equipment manufacturers, master chefs, designers, artists, medicinal cardholders, and the other hempsters co-creating our book The Newbies’ Guide to Medicinal Cannabis. “Dà Má” in Chinese (大麻) translates to “The Great/Eminent Cannabis,” and is the general term used to refer to the cannabis plant in its medicinal (rather than fiber) uses. The lead co-authors of The Newbies’ Guide: Eric Landen helped pioneer the industrial hemp industry (thanks to attending a workshop with Jack Herer) by co-founding, in 1992, the world's first clothing company devoted to designer hemp and organic cotton clothing for men women & children (The Wandering Travelberry's Everlasting Hemp Clothing Co., national & international distribution, we rocked it, even won the first Cannabis Cup fashion show in Amsterdam!). In 1996, Eric launched his first self-publishing venture: The Chicago Area Well-Being Directory - the Chicago area's first resource directory of holistic healing providers. 1,000+ copies. Revenue was a mix of per-copy sales and advertising. He went on to a successful career running a management consultancy where he wrote training & technical manuals (average audience/print-run: 100,000+), translating complex procedures into easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions. Including creating the pharmacist & customer-service training program for a leading pharmacy/clinic/retail-healthcare-products chain. Eric then moved into high-level ecology/sustainability consulting where his writing has been published in magazines (BetterLife Magazine, the sustainability journal of the US Department of Defense), an encyclopedia (Encyclopedia of Ecosystems), included in international reports & publications, cited in university-level courses & curriculums, and presented as a keynote speaker & expert panelist to industry and government leaders. Along the way, he lost his longtime partner (& hemp company co-founder) to cancer in 2012 – ironically (and wholly due to the stigma), cannabis was the one remedy they didn’t try, and the seeds were sown for this book. The Newbies’ Guide’s lead co-author is Eric’s sister, Cathy Seccombe, who recently retired from a 20-yr career as an acute care nurse (RN), where she developed expert-level mastery in helping acquaint patients with new medicines & therapies and giving them the most compassionate care possible. She recently (2015) completed training/certification as a Dispensary Agent (aka Budtender) in Illinois and immediately saw that the world needed The Newbies’ Guide To Medicinal Cannabis. She sketched out the first few topics & the My Herbal Journal, showed Eric and said “Hey you’re a good writer and trainer, we should turn this into a real book, an easy-to-follow breaks-down-the-basics guide for the newbie Grandma, Grandpa or soccer mom who just got their medical card” and The Newbies’ Guide was born!




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We're pleased and proud that Peter Fraterdeus @ideaswords, the 2-time NEA (National Endowment of the Arts) award-winning designer & semiotician, is leading our book's design, typography, layout & illustration. We're happy to have Peter as part of The Dà Má Collective, as it means the final product will be gorgeous! Peter and Eric have already done great work together, they collaborated on a groundbreaking ecological economics report (Eric led the writing team, Peter led layout & design) that is now being cited in university-level sustainability curricula (see website for info, paper also published on academia.edu). We’re grateful for the contributions of the many Good People (aka Honorary Members of The Dà Má Collective: industry experts, scientists, manufacturers etc.) helping us make sure this is the best Newbies’ Guide To Medicinal Cannabis possible, our work has benefited immensely from their knowledge, perspective & helpful suggestions, insights into the latest cannabis science & research, help with fact-checking etc.

List of chapters

IntroductionA manifesto: Dissolving The Stigma Against Nature’s Oldest & Safest Medicine

Cannabis in Human History & the Healing ArtsA global tour of cannabis’s role in human history, medicine and the healing arts |Names for cannabis throughout the world | Cannabis myths, poetry, art & artifacts

Canna-PrimerCannabis botany & ecology | Intro to endocannabinoid system, entourage effect etc. | Getting acquainted w/ strains: cannabis’s therapeutic compounds & qualities

Forms of Medicinal Cannabis: Shoppers GuideHerb/bud/flower | Kif | Hashish | Concentrates | Rick Simpson Oil (RSO/FECO) Dronabinol (marinol etc.) | Edible oil/butter | Edibles | Tincture | Topicals | CBD oil | Fresh-juiced cannabis leaves | Hempseed | Cannabis sprouts

Planning Your JourneyDosing | Matching guide: Cannabis forms vs. delivery vehicles

Driver’s Handbook: Operating & Caring For Your Cannabis Delivery Vehicles

The basics: safe storage & handling, using a grinder, good herbal citizenship (discretion, children, etc.) | Rolling & smoking a joint (cannabis cigarette) | Pipes | Water pipes (bongs hookahs etc.) | Dabbing | Vaping & e-cigarettes | Nebulizer | Rick Simpson Oil (RSO/FECO) | Dronabinol (marinol etc.) | Edible oil/butter | Edibles | Tincture | Nabiximol | Topicals | CBD oil | Fresh juice | Hempseeds | Sprouts

RecipesDecarb-ing | Canna-butter & cooking oil | Tincture | Cookies | Brownies | Candy | Chocolates | Bhang (traditional recipe) | Happiccino | Majoun | Anointing oil

Miscellaneous BitsConserving herb | What to do when you’re out of herb | Tolerance breaks | If you find yourself higher than a kite …

My Herbal Journal Self-monitoring your cannabis experiences & favoritesAppendices

Appendix 1: CannabinoidsAppendix 2: TerpenesAppendix 3: Flavonoids & other bio-active compoundsAppendix 4: Commonly-Used Canna-Measurements

Bibliography, Glossary, Index & Additional Resources

The Newbies’ Guide To Medicinal Cannabis topics




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Chapter-by-Chapter Summaries Introduction – Manifesto: Dissolving the Stigma Against Nature’s Oldest & Safest Medicine Acquaints the newbie with the vital role cannabis plays in human history, medicine & physiology – the intent of the manifesto is to help dissolve any remaining internal stigma (in the reader’s heart & mind) that may exist towards cannabis. Dissolving the stigma (and any associated feelings of apprehension, nervousness, etc.) is important: having a positive going-in mindset primes the pump for maximizing the enjoyability & outcomes of the cannabis experience. Our manifesto helps restore and solidify positive perception & attitudes towards cannabis by acquainting consumers with the historical evidence and solid facts surrounding humanity’s 12,000+ years of thriving medicinal, recreational, spiritual & inspirational cannabis use across global cultures and traditions. By placing modern-day medicinal & recreational consumption in the context of historical consumption, we help reassure both newbies and experienced consumers alike that enjoying cannabis, whether for its physical, emotional, spiritual or inspirational benefits, is one of the most natural things a person could ever do...

Chapter 1: Cannabis in Human History & the Healing Arts An illustrated global cross-cultural tour of cannabis’s ubiquitous and omnipresent role throughout 12,000+ years of human history, with focus on its use in the healing arts across eras, cultures, and healing traditions. Lavishly illustrated with ancient cannabis artifacts, maps, archaeological discoveries, key historical texts & tomes, and the latest research.

Chapter 2: Canna-Primer Basic information about cannabis and how it interacts with your system: Cannabis botany, ecology & sustainability. An introduction to the endocannabinoid system and the entourage effect. About cannabinoids, terpenes, and cannabis’s other therapeutically active compounds (flavonoids etc.). How to read a lab report. The latest on strains & genetics and how different cannabis strains, genetics & therapeutic compounds affect the cannabis experience/outcomes, with guidance on selecting the strain(s) that work best for you.

Chapter 3: Forms of Medicinal Cannabis: Shopper’s Guide Acquaints consumers with what they need to know when shopping for the increasing plethora of products, forms (flower, vapeable oil, edible oil, waxes & concentrates, terpene extracts, sublingual, topical etc), delivery methods, & increasingly specialized equipment available in the modern marketplace. An informed cannabis

shopper is a happy confident shopper! J

Chapter 4: Planning Your Journey Ok it’s time to medicate, what should a newbie consider when deciding whether to smoke or vape or dab or rip a bong or have an edible? Tips on dosing and selecting the best cannabis delivery method. Includes a handy matching guide (“Cannabis Forms & Products vs. Delivery Vehicles”) in case you need help figuring out what kind of equipment you need to best consume the amazing new product you just brought home from the dispensary: Some cannabis products can be consumed using a range of delivery vehicles/methods, but for other products using the wrong delivery method can be hazardous! Learn how to choose the best vehicles & methods for safely & enjoyably delivering each type of cannabis product into your endocannabinoid system.




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Chapter 5: Driver’s Handbook: Operating & Caring For Your Cannabis Delivery Vehicles The bread & canna-butter of the book: illustrated step-by-step instructions, with all the helpful tips tricks & hacks, for consuming cannabis including guidance on the full range of delivery vehicles (joints, pipes, chillums, bongs & hookahs, dabbing, vaping, edibles, topicals, tinctures, CBD oil, Marinol, fresh-juiced cannabis, cannabis sprouts etc.). Along with all you need to know about cleaning, maintenance, and selecting/shopping for new equipment.

Chapter 6: Recipes Essential recipes to help you start down the path of cannabis cuisine, we start with basic everyday standards that are the foundation of herbal cookery: our favorite go-to butter/oil recipe, cookies brownies & candies, and our favourite beverage the ‘happiccino.’ Along with more elaborate fare including traditional ceremonial recipes (served at festivals & other special occasions) like bhang and an ancient magical majoun formula. For experienced travelers, we also dabble in a bit of advanced herbal alchemy…

Chapter 7: Miscellaneous Bits Helpful info that didn’t fit anywhere else: What to do when you’re out of herb (and wish you weren’t), tips for conserving herb, tolerance breaks, and especially relevant to newbies: What to do when you find yourself higher than a kite…

Chapter 8: My Herbal Journal An herbal medicine journal form, designed by a nurse & caregiver, to help you self-monitor your cannabis experience and develop awareness of the strains, products, delivery methods & dosing that deliver the best outcomes. We provide plenty of preformatted blank journal forms, with perforated pages so you can easily make copies, keep with other papers, or share with your healthcare provider/caregiver/etc.

Appendices & Technical Info Technical information for those who want to deepen their knowledge and fine-tune their cannabis experience: Cannabinoid vaporization temperatures, reference charts for cannabinoids terpenoids & flavonoids, common cannabis measurements/conversions, etc.

Back of Book Stuff Glossary, Bibliography, Additional Resources, Index

Sample Chapters/Topics • How to Smoke a Bong/Water-Pipe: Prep/Setup

• Intro to Concentrates

• Getting started with dabbing: Dab Safety & Seasoning Your Dab Nail

• (Note, following are drafts/mockups - the design, layout & illustration elves are still working their magic…)




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112 The Newbie's Guide To Medicinal Cannabis

Parts of a bong (water-pipe):

Bowl/slideThe bowl/burner that holds your smoking

material. Often removable, hence the word Slide. With some bongs, bowl is not

removable in which case your bong has a bowl but no slide.

MouthpieceThe opening at the end of the tube

where you put your mouth

Tube/chamberThe tube/chamber which

fills with smoke

DownstemA small tube that connects bowl to water

reservoir. Commonly found in 14mm & 18mm sizes (& sometimes 10mm), if

buying new bowl/slide make sure it’s the right size for downstem.

CarburetorOptional hole in side of tube used to draw

fresh air & clear the tube of smoke. Only found on bongs without removable slides

(removing the slide performs same function as carburetor).

ReservoirThe area at bottom of bong

that holds the water

How to smoke a bong - prep/setup:

1) REMOVE THE BOWL/SLIDE FROM THE DOWNSTEM(if your bong has a removable bowl/slide)

2) ADD WATER TO RESERVOIRYou want enough water to cover the bottom end of the downstem, but not so much that it’ll bubble up the downstem & splash your herb. (Remember physics class/hydraulics: if you fill the reservoir enough so the water level in reservoir/tube is higher than bowl/top-end of the downstem, water will flow out the downstem & soak your herb.)

When you draw through the bong, the water will bubble & may bubble/splash up the downstem a bit, take good care not to over-fill the reservoir. We suggest taking a test draw (with the bowl removed from downstem) to make sure water level is low enough (even when bubbling) that it doesn’t soak your herb. Water level an inch (1”) or so above the bottom of stem is a good place to start.

3) IF YOU’RE ADDING ICE TO THE WATER, ADD IT NOWIce greatly enhances the experience for some people as it cools the smoke down considerably, and heat-in-lungs is one of the major irritants of smoking. There’s an ongoing lively discussion about hot vs. cold and how temperature of bong water may cause desired active herbal components to get absorbed into water more vs. less, in theory cold water may require burning slightly more herb to achieve the desired medication level. Whatever you prefer.

Don’t put alcohol in the pipe, it would absorb the active canna-compounds instead of you. When you first add ice, some will melt rather quickly (affecting water level) so let it sit a minute and adjust ice/water until you have the desired level of water in the reservoir.

Some bongs have a “pinch” in the tube, so you can drop ice cubes down the top of the tube and they’ll be held in the pinched part. If adding ice to the top/pinch, add it now. ...</end of snippet>

Bong-ology 101Professional bong-ologists think the water pipe was first developed in North Africa, possibly Ethiopia.

Cannabis specimens nearly 4,000 years old were discovered in an African archaeological site.

In the mid-1800s, explorers observed African natives burning cannabis as part of an offering meant to be enjoyed by their ancestors’ spirits...

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Forms Of Medicinal Cannabis: A Shopper’s Guide 109

ConcentratesA cannabis concentrate is any product where an extraction process is used to concentrate cannabinoids to a potency stronger than found in herb/flower. The term can be used rather ambiguously – generally, “concentrate” tends to be used to refer to cannabis extracts produced using a solvent, with the resulting product being suitable for vaporizing dabbing or smoking, these products generally have a waxy or oily consistency. In this book, we’ll use “concentrate” to refer to a solvent-extracted product suitable for vaping or dabbing. This includes BHO (Butane Hash Oil or Butane Honey Oil), PHO (Propane Hash/Honey Oil) and their family of products: Oil, wax, shatter, errl, earwax, budder, etc., along with other solvent-extracted products: CO2 oil, ethanol-extracted oils, water/ice hash, etc.

There are other types of extracted products that are technically concentrates, however we’ll discuss

them separately as unlike BHO-type concentrates, some concentrates are not suitable for smoking, vaping or dabbing (not just “not suitable”, you could get a serious lung condition by smoking oils/

lipids) and should only be ingested orally or applied topically.

These non-smokeable concentrates include canna-butter & canna-infused edible/cooking oils, some formulations of RSO (Rick Simpson Oil), tinctures & topicals.

How concentrates are made:Plant material (bud/flower, kif, and sometimes trimmings) is processed using a solvent (solvents include butane, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, carbon dioxide, water) to extract the medicinally-active cannabinoids. The solvent is removed and the resulting extract is processed to a consistency that’s generally somewhere between a viscous oil and a pliable wax. Often contains very high levels of medicinal compounds such as THC, CBD, terpenes & flavonoids. (Herb/flower can generally range from 1%-30% THC & other cannabinoid content, while some extracts can be 90%+ THC.)

In addition to butane, propane & chemical solvents, there are newer extraction methods which use solvents less of a contaminant concern, such as CO2 (carbon dioxide, the resulting product is called CO2 oil) and water-under-pressure (used to make bubble hash & ice wax).

In the news: concentrates & safetyThere’s been controversy seen in the media about cannabis concentrates due to the manufacturing process, particularly the solvents used and the care given (or not given) during the process:

There is an unfortunate trend of amateurs, with little experience in chemistry and proper (and safe) manufacturing practices, attempting to make concentrates at home and accidents/explosions occurring with the highly-flammable solvents used to make the concentrate (butane etc.). This has prompted news reports comparing concentrates to meth labs & crack, which is an erroneous association as the energy/experience of smoking crack vs. a nice clean hit of wax are nowhere even close to comparable.

Today’s professional producers use “closed-loop” systems which are much safer than homegrown stovetop methods. Another concern (for both amateur & professionally-produced products) is the purity of the solvents used, and taking care during the manufacturing process to ensure no solvent residues (butane etc.) remain in the finished concentrate.

More and more producers are putting an emphasis on purity & lab testing; especially if you have a sensitive system, or a condition particularly affected by toxins, you may want to take extra care (for example, researching a particular manufacturer to see what kind of extraction process and testing/QA they do) when selecting concentrates.




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Types of concentrates:

BHO (Butane Hash Oil aka Butane Honey Oil, aka solvent-based concentrates): This is a general umbrella term for all the forms of concentrates made using petrochemical and/or complex-hydrocarbon solvents, the most commonly used are butane, propane, pentane, hexane, & isopropyl alcohol. The BHO (ISO etc.) extraction process can be tweaked where the end product takes a number of different textures/ consistencies/appearances, each of these has their own name (wax, shatter, budder etc.). Tweaks in the extraction process can produce extracts that have different ratios of various cannabinoids & compounds (for example, % of THC-to-terpenes, where some concentrates/methods will deliver higher terpene contents than others).

The relatively-common product called “ISO” is hash oil made with isopropyl alcohol, sometimes referred to as “ISO oil”. Its products – such as ISO wax – are functionally similar to BHO. Same goes for products made with pentane, hexane etc.

The family of concentrates known as “live resin” are made the same way as wax but with fresh frozen plant material (frozen immediately after harvest), which tends to preserve terpene (and other aromatic compounds) better than wax made from dried flower.

Extractions using propane are called Propane Hash Oil or PHO. PHO concentrates have similar textures to their BHO equivalents (wax shatter budder etc.), however the lower boiling point of propane means lower extraction temperature which preserves terpenes (that are lost at the higher BHO temps) and intensifies flavor & aroma. Propane tends to be more expensive than butane but for some people the difference is worth it.

Note that texture & appearance on its own usually does not reflect the quality of the product (the fact that a slab of wax is opaque and crumbly doesn’t necessarily make it better than a wax which is soft like taffy), the factors that produce different consistencies/textures are primarily cosmetic, for example to make an opaque (rather than clear) wax, air is stirred into the product. (The exception is shatter, the best shatter is clear as glass, see Considerations When Shopping below.)

Types/forms of BHO (and other petrochemical/hydrocarbon solvent based) concentrates:

WaxConcentrate in its common sticky &

pliable form a.k.a. Earwax

HoneycombConcentrate that’s crumbly, often

takes on honeycomb texture/shape

ShatterConcentrate that hardens to

glasslike consistency

Taffy/PuttyConcentrate that has texture

of, well, taffy or putty

BudderConcentrate that’s runny

Oil/ErrlConcentrate with an

oily consistency




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Forms Of Medicinal Cannabis: A Shopper’s Guide 111

CO2 oil: Often called Hash Oil. An amber or orange-ish oil made using pressure & carbon dioxide (also called supercritical fluid extraction). This method is non-flammable and doesn’t use petrochemical solvents. No risk of solvent residues, however CO2 extraction removes more terpenes than butane extraction. Equipment tends to be expensive (100’s of thou$and$). Disposable cartridges for vape pens can be purchased prefilled with CO2 oil mixed with propylene glycol (same substance used in nicotine vapes) which gives the oil a liquid consistency. Cigarette smokers sometimes enjoy dipping/painting their cigarettes with “hash oil” (CO2 oil) for a nice ‘bump’. Often contains 50-75% THC.

Water hash (ice wax, bubble hash etc.): A concentrate produced by agitating plant material with cold water & ice to break off the trichomes (kif), then filtering the resulting solution through a series of screens to remove undesired material. The resulting product is often in the range of 50-80% THC, consistency/texture differs based on the specific manufacturing technique, forms include bubble hash, ice wax, & solventless wax. The basic water hash process creates a golden-to-brown granular product. Sometimes this is further refined by heat-pressing it (between pieces of parchment paper, see Rosin) to create a light-to-clear taffy or shatter-like consistency. Good water hash can be similar in quality, terpene content, and flavor to solvent-based extracts. People with sensitive systems tend to gravitate towards water-produced products due to the petrochemical-solvent-free manufacturing process. Often used in edibles.

Rosin:Rosin is made by smashing either dried buds, trim, or lower-grade kif or water hash between sheets of parchment paper, applying pressure and quickly heating. This extrudes some of the plant’s essential oils to create a product similar in form & appearance to shatter or water hash. THC content tends to be between 50-70% THC. Rosin can be made at home using a hair straightener and parchment paper (and pressure).

Clear: Clear is hash oil that has been produced using fractional distillation. This process is inherently different than a solvent-based process. Fractional distillation is (at this writing) considered state of the art, and allows for precise targeting of specific compounds (particular terpenes etc.). Clear is increasingly being used as an input material for concentrate and tincture production.

“Exotic concentrates”:Innovation & creativity continue to produce new varieties & combinations of concentrates which we’re calling “exotic” or “novel” concentrates - these include Jelly Hash (kif soaked in hash oil), Caviar (nugs/flower buds soaked in hash oil and then rolled in kif), and other creative concoctions. Super-flavorful & aromatic, super-duper-potent!

Considerations when shopping for concentrates:In general, the two main factors to consider in choosing a concentrate, are the strain it’s made from (i.e., targeting the strain to your symptoms, just like you do for flower), and also realizing that some variations in processing methods might result in variations in the ratios of medicinally active compounds. For example, the same raw material, processed using two different techniques, could have varying levels of a certain terpene that’s helpful in medicating your particular condition. Lab reports (from the dispensary and/or manufacturer) are helpful.

Another consideration is if you have a sensitive system, you may want to lean towards non-solvent extraction techniques (CO2, water hash or rosin, where rosin is made w/ non-solvent-made raw material: flower, trim or water hash).

In general, the physical appearance/texture is not an indicator of quality so pick whatever variety/texture suits your preference – waxes can vary in color & consistency (for example crumbly wax is not necessarily better than runny budder, it’s more about the quality of raw material than the physical appearance of the concentrate). The exception to this rule is shatter, which should be perfectly clear (any cloudiness in shatter is caused by pockets of unwanted lipids). Well-made shatter should snap apart when you pull it (instead of stretching like taffy, it should snap or shatter, hence the name).




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HOW TO DAB:

Before you start dabbing:Get your gear set up for a safe start, and season your dab nail (if needed):

Thoughts on safety:Dabbing is inherently no less safe than cooking a meal over a gas stove, however because the mechanics can be unfamiliar at first, it’s important to be safety-conscious when dabbing:

• Using a blowtorch is a much different dynamic than using a lighter. Torches are hot and can crack glass and catch things on fire. The “hot zone” is much larger than the visible cone of flame. Be extra careful when using a torch.

• The dab nail retains skin-blistering levels of heat for longer than many might think. Take good care not to burn yourself.

• Another safety factor: you’ll get much higher from dabbing than other delivery vehicles – plan accordingly when determining where to set up your rig (see step 10 below).

• If using a non-titanium nail (glass, quartz, ceramic) conduct yourself as though the nail could break at any time, especially when hot (because it can!). Consider this when deciding where to park your dab rig (like if the hot nail broke and fell, what would be underneath it? Nothing flammable we hope.)

• While this isn’t exactly a safety factor, it’s still something to consider: the concentrate (before dabbing), and the leftover residue after dabbing (reclaim) can be quite sticky (and stinky), so take care with what’s around it and what it comes into contact with. (If wayward concentrate gets stuck in the carpet, might need a heavy-duty solvent to get it clean...)

Seasoning your dab nail (first-time only):If using a new nail/skillet for the first time and especially if it’s a titanium nail, many recommend seasoning the nail (similar concept as seasoning a new cooking pan), to remove any potentially toxic residues left over from the manufacturing process, and also to seal the pores in the nail (by coating with/vaporizing a small amount of concentrate). This reduces oxidation (of the titanium) and also improves flavor when you dab.

While glass, quartz or ceramic nails don’t have pores to seal, some might want to season (or at least clean) glass, quartz or ceramic nails to ensure any manufacturing residue is removed. As glass, quartz or ceramic can be sensitive to rapid changes in temperature (they can crack/fracture), omit the “plunge into cold water” step (below) and instead allow the nail to air-cool, and be extra careful when heating these materials as they’re not as durable as titanium. A quartz nail (depending on its quality) can sometimes be carefully dipped in water to cool, but proceed cautiously.


How to season your (titanium) dab nail:

1) FILL A BOWL FULL OF COLD WATER

2) LIGHT YOUR BLOWTORCH

3) HOLD YOUR NAIL (by the bottom joint) WITH A PAIR OF PLIERS/TONGS)

4) HEAT OUTSIDE OF NAIL/DISH UNTIL GOOD & HOT(Heat all the surfaces you plan on having come in contact with concentrate/wax)

A brand-new nail might not glow red when hot, as the red glow is partly due to carbon buildup which (since it’s a new nail) hasn’t had time to form yet. If seasoning glass or ceramic or quartz, go easier on the heat than you would for titanium. ...</end of snippet>

Ceramic Titanium Quartz

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Appendix • Our cannabis manifesto: Dissolving The Stigma Against Nature’s Oldest & Safest Medicine

Documents

The Newbies’ Guide To Medicinal Cannabis Book Previe › gallery › newbies-guide-preview-v14.pdfWith all the illustrated step-by-step technical guidance, tips tricks & hacks, safety