Smoking cannabis is unhealthy; make your own cannabutter!

Weed, also called cannabis, has been known for centuries for its versatile uses, both recreational and medicinal. One of the most popular ways to enjoy the effects of cannabis is by smoking a joint. But smoking weed is harmful to your health, even more harmful than smoking a cigarette.

An alternative to smoking cannabis is to use cannabis butter, also known as cannabutter. Later in this article we explain why using cannabutter is less unhealthy than smoking cannabis and we explain step by step the benefits of cannabutter, how you can make your own cannabutter and how you can consume it.

Why is smoking cannabis unhealthy?

But first we explain why smoking weed is unhealthy. Smoke from a joint contains numerous toxic substances (similar to cigarette smoke) such as carbon monoxide, tar and chemicals that damage the lungs.

Many people tend to hold the smoke longer in their lungs when inhaling because they think that the THC can be better absorbed this way. However, this is a big myth. THC is absorbed into your bloodstream within a few seconds. What does happen when you inhale more deeply is that more tar and carbon monoxide enter the lungs. Moreover, there is no filtering in a joint, which means the tar content is two to three times higher than with a cigarette. If you smoke cannabis for a long period of time, you may also experience breathing problems, cough a lot and have an increased risk of lung infections.

Overall, it's important to be aware of the potential health risks and consider alternative ways to obtain the therapeutic or relaxing benefits of cannabis without the disadvantages of smoking.

What is an alternative for smoking cannabis?

As we already mentioned in the introduction to this article, consuming cannabutter is a lot healthier than smoking a joint. You do not ingest the toxins that are released when smoking weed. Of course, how much healthier depends on how you ultimately eat the cannabutter, as you can consume it in different ways. More about this later.

The benefits of cannabutter

Why bother with cannabutter when you can just roll a quick joint? Well, there are plenty of reasons:

• Much less unhealthy, your lungs and your body will thank you. There are relatively many toxic substances in cannabis that are released when burned.
• Cheaper, you probably use less each time. A lot of cannabis is lost while smoking cannabis.
• More efficient and possibly longer lasting. Because all the cannabis you consume is digested in your stomach, you will find that it can work very well. Many edibles users also claim that the trip can last a lot longer than when smoking a joint.
• Even less unhealthy than the other unhealthy alternative, vaping. Your lungs and throat are not burdened by high temperatures.
• You can get stoned very discreetly without people being bothered or bothered.

Before you can actually process cannabis into cannabutter, an important step is necessary, namely decarboxylating the cannabis. This is an essential action to enhance the potency and flavor of your homemade cannabutter.

What is decarboxylation and why is it important?

Decarboxylation of cannabis is a process by which the inactive THCA (cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) in cannabis is converted into the psychoactive THC (cannabinoid delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). This is done by heating.

Converting THCA into THC activates the psychoactive effects of cannabis. This means that when cannabis is consumed after decarboxylation, the user will experience the desired effects, such as a feeling of euphoria, relaxation and changes in perception.

Converting THCA into THC is exactly what happens (immediately) when you smoke a joint or use weed with a water pipe or vaporizer. An important step if you want to achieve the desired effect!

How do you decarboxylate weed?

Here is a step-by-step recipe for decarboxylating cannabis and then making cannabutter, including the proportions and cooking process..

What do you need?

• Oven
• Weed or cannabis cutting waste
• Grinder
• Glazen potje met metalen deksel (bijvoorbeeld waar groente in heeft gezeten)
• Dishcloth
• Oven mitts

The steps for decarboxylating cannabis

1. Crumble the fresh cannabis coarsely (not too finely).
2. Place the crumbled cannabis in a clean glass jar. Screw the cap on loosely.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or 105 if the oven is rounding off).
4. Place a wet dishcloth on the oven rack and place the glass jar on it.
5. Heat the pot for 1 hour. Shake the pot well every 15 minutes (use oven mitts!).
6. The cannabis is now decarboxylated and ready to be processed into the cannabis butter!

The recipe for making cannabutter

If you use cannabis with a vaporizer, you can also use the vape residue to make cannabis butter. However, in this article we will discuss making cannabutter with pure cannabis.

What do you need?

• Gedecarboxyleerde cannabis, vape residu of gedecarboxyleerd snijafval van cannabis
• Butter (number of grams of decarboxylated cannabis x 16, or number of grams of vape residue x 8, or number of grams of decarboxylated cutting waste from cannabis x 8)
• Accurate kitchen scale
• Cooking pan
• Grinder
• Glass baking bowl with lid
• Cheesecloth (passing cloth)
• Sieve
• Plastic storage container (freeze-proof)
• Ladle

The steps to making cannabutter

1. Grind the decarboxylated cannabis as finely as possible.
2. Weigh the amount of finely ground cannabis and calculate how much butter you need. (number of grams of decarboxylated weed x 16, or number of grams of vape residue x 8, or number of grams of decarboxylated cutting waste from weed x 8).
3. Bring a pan of water to the boil and place the glass bowl in the pan.
4. Put the butter in the bowl and let it melt (au bain marie).
5. When the butter has melted, add the cannabis to the butter and stir well.
6. Stir the pan well every half hour and keep an eye on whether the water in the pan needs to be refilled. Let the cannabis steep in the butter for 2 hours.
7. Place the cheesecloth in the sieve and place the sieve on the tray.
8. Carefully pour or spoon the melted butter onto the cheesecloth in the sieve and let the butter drip into the container.
9. Press as much butter as possible through the sieve using the ladle.
10. Put the container in the refrigerator for a few hours and let the cannabutter solidify.

Now you have bright green cannabutter! Store the butter in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the cannabis butter.

What can you do with cannabutter?

Cannabutter is a versatile ingredient that can be used in various recipes and drinks. Here are some popular uses of cannabutter:

• Edibles: Cannabutter is an important part of making cannabis-infused edibles. By using cannabutter as an ingredient in brownies, cookies, cakes, muffins, and other baked goods, you can enjoy the effects of cannabis in a tasty and simple way.
• Sauces and dressings: Cannabis butter can be used as a base for making various sauces and dressings. Think of cannabis-infused chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, or a delicious herbal dressing for salads.
• Hot drinks: Cannabis butter can be added to hot drinks such as coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. This can provide a relaxing and calming experience, perfect for a quiet evening at home.
• Pasta and risotto: Add a knob of cannabutter to your favorite pasta or risotto recipes to add an extra flavor dimension and a hint of cannabis to your dish.
• Popcorn: Make your movie night extra special with cannabis-infused popcorn. Melt some cannabutter and pour it over your popcorn, sprinkle it with herbs and enjoy your own cannabis snack.
• Spread: Cannabis butter can also easily be spread on toast, bagels, or other bread. You can combine it with your favorite jam, honey or other toppings for a tasty and potent treat.

A few final tips

It is important to note that the potency of cannabutter can vary depending on the strength of the cannabis used, the dosage and the user. Always be careful when dosing and start with a small amount to assess the effect before consuming more.

Also remember that the effects of cannabis edibles tend to take longer to kick in and can be stronger than other consumption methods. It can help to consume the cannabis butter on an empty stomach. In any case, be aware of your tolerance and consume responsibly.

With cannabutter as a base, you can be creative and create your own cannabis-infused treats and drinks. Experiment, follow recipes and discover which combinations suit your taste and preferences best!