To Grind or Not to Grind
As the worst year ever comes to a close, the cannabis industry continues to soar to new heights. The projections surrounding the future of the cannabis industry foresee it surpassing $200 billion within the next 10 years. This is thanks to the level of acceptance recreational and medical cannabis has gained within the last 50 years. Moreover, these new heights of consciousness have given way to new debates. One of the prominent debates surrounding cannabis revolves around dismantling the buds before they are consumed. So, which method is better? Let's find out what happens to cannabis when it is grinded and if it is ultimately worth it.
The science behind grinding cannabis
When cannabis is ground up to a fine matter, several scientific processes are occurring simultaneously. For example, the moment cannabis is broken up out of its traditional budded form, a substantial amount of the cannabinoids (cannabis compounds,) including THC and CBD are broken up on a microscopic level. Furthermore, trichomes are lost in the process. These are the sugary crystals that contain cannabinoids and terpenes that patients have come to know and love. This is due to the viscosity of trichomes. These compounds are so thick that they tend to stick to the inner components of the grinder. Patients cannot receive these compounds if they have been removed from the cannabis itself! Even more noteworthy is the substantial amount of Kief loss. This is the psychoactive pollen present in most strains of cannabis. This is due to most grinders coming equipped with a kief tray. This is the last layer of the grinder equipped with a sifting screen. Nevertheless, the kief tray can be reached with ease to add the potent pollen back to your ground cannabis. Due to these methods, patients are virtually guaranteed to lose potency when using a grinder for their cannabis.
Why you should avoid grinding cannabis
On the other hand, not grinding cannabis can be extremely beneficial. As briefly aforementioned, potency is lost when using a grinder. However, when using one's hands to tear the cannabis versus grinding the cannabis, you do not lose nearly as much potency versus using a grinder. However, there is a drawback to hand-shredding cannabis as well. Trichomes tend to get stuck to the patient's fingertips whilst tearing down cannabis via this method. Some patients recommend the black disposable (vinyl) gloves to avoid this loss of trichomes and potency. This method is one way to avoid the amount of potency loss associated with grinding cannabis.
Grinding cannabis and alternative consumption methods
When it comes to other forms of cannabis consumption, potency has a better chance of being preserved even after grinding. It is ultimately necessary to grind your cannabis prior to inserting it into a vaporizer. This is thanks to the design of traditional vaporizers only allowing small amounts of cannabis to be vaped at a time. If sizable cannabis buds were inserted into a dry vaporizer in their traditional form, then the chances are that cannabis will not be effective as it ought to be. The heating plates in most vapes are not designed for the uneven vaporizing of plant matter. Conversely, breaking down your cannabis by hand with the aforementioned method could ultimately increase your high when vaping. This is a method where no potency will be lost simply because smaller amounts of cannabis consumed via vape get most consumers higher than traditional forms of consumption regardless.
Final thoughts on grinding cannabis
If patients are interested in preserving the potency of their cannabis and getting the biggest bang for their buck, grinding cannabis should be avoided. On the other hand, there is a population of consumers who view grinders as 'weed banks' thanks to their kief tray and ability to 'steal' cannabis. It is a 'glass-half-empty, glass-half-full' type of debate.