Help a newbie - high tolerance or doing it wrong?

[octaves]

Hey guys. I'm a new medical cannabis user. I'm not really aiming to feel 'stoned', just want a relief of anxiety/stress occasionally. I tried some Sativa oil in a friend's $50 pen a few weeks ago and it seemed to agree with me and improve my mood.

Thing is, since then I bought my own cheap little pen (OpenVape) and a couple different .250 carts. The first time I tried it I definitely felt a noticeable effect, though not as much as on my friend's pen. Subsequent attempts, even hitting it 5-6 times and holding it in a while, I literally feel close to nothing.

Now, I feel my mood is pretty good, but because I feel almost nothing else I'm left wondering whether it's a placebo. Also, a friend of mine from out-of-state suffering from chronic pain tried my pen and insisted it was quite strong enough. Still, I feel hardly anything.

So what is it? Are the concentrates to blame, the pen, or maybe I have a high tolerance? Also, how much in a single sitting should be done? I don't want to be hitting it 20 times and reducing the lifespan of the cartridge if that's not what should be required. Maybe I should invest in a vaporizer for the leaves?

Any input would be great!

 

[Stu]

If that's a glycerin-based pen (I am not familiar with the openvape) then I can tell you that I felt absolutely zero effects myself when trying to vape that stuff. Lots of clouds, but no effects to speak of.

The only pen that I got to work for me was the Omicron as it allowed me to use my own oil (so I know what I'm really getting).

I'm not a pen guy, really. So I would recommend trying an herb vape and see how you like it.

Good luck.

 

[satyrday]

If that's a glycerin-based pen (I am not familiar with the openvape) then I can tell you that I felt absolutely zero effects myself when trying to vape that stuff. Lots of clouds, but no effects to speak of.

The only pen that I got to work for me was the Omicron as it allowed me to use my own oil (so I know what I'm really getting).

I'm not a pen guy, really. So I would recommend trying an herb vape and see how you like it.

Good luck.

Interesting. I thought about trying to vape glycerin tincture made in the Magical Butter machine, but doesn't sound too promising (I wondered if it wouldn't be too dilute). Is the oil that the Omicron uses a pure cannabis oil or does it have some other type of base?

 

[octaves]

If that's a glycerin-based pen (I am not familiar with the openvape) then I can tell you that I felt absolutely zero effects myself when trying to vape that stuff. Lots of clouds, but no effects to speak of.

The only pen that I got to work for me was the Omicron as it allowed me to use my own oil (so I know what I'm really getting).

I'm not a pen guy, really. So I would recommend trying an herb vape and see how you like it.

Good luck.

Thanks man. The openvape carts are cannabis oil + polyethylene glycol. Honestly, I can't get anything more than the slightest of sensations out of them no matter how I go about it. The most I noticed was some easier laughing the very first time, but even that seems to have vanished in subsequent attempts.

Anyone have some recommendations on a good starter herb vape that doesn't break the bank? I know stuff over $200 seems to be the much more-recommended league but I'm not even totally sure about this weed stuff yet, so I just want to get my feet wet first. Preferably something that doesn't have a real learning curve. Portable is cool but I don't really care.

As I said above though, even though I'm complaining about not feeling much, my goal isn't ever to get totally 'stoned' really. Uplifted mood + energy sounds good. Unfortunately at the moment it's too slight to know whether it's working or just a placebo.

 

[Stu]

There are a ton of options out there for sub $200 vapes these days. Take a look in the plug in and portable sections to get an idea.

For starters, the Arizer Solo is very poular, reliable is also portable. It can be had for $160 at Puffitup or Planetvape.

The Vapolution is a steal for $99, but is a plug in.

 

[octaves]

Thanks buddy. I was also checkin' out that VaporGenie (I think that's what it was called). Looked pretty simple and cheap, and I figured it'd probably be durable. I'll check out the Solo too.

 

[Stu]

VaporGenie is another good choice. There is a small learning curve, but very small IMO. You can get really big rips from the VG once you get to know it a bit.

 

[Enchantre]

If I were doing it "all over again"... I'd go with a Solo for my first one, rather than the NO2.

Similar price point, but different type of vaporization.

As far as pen vapes... it appears to me that if you want a decent one that really works for concentrates, you are looking at ~ $300 & up. Less than that, and it's all glycerin tinctures (which are fine as a little prop) and gummed up works. If that is your preferred method, then go for the best quality that you can manage to afford, rather than trying (several) cheaper ones.

 

[tepictoton]

well i'm still liking my cheap joyetech VV battery with kanger carts...you do need oil to fill them. Have been using them for 6plus months now and apart from a little drop leaking now and then they have been holding up great and definately get the job done...

I also think tinctures will not be concentrated enough...

 

[TooShort]

over 200...Omicron is around 130 and I recommend it, use the Ce4 cartomizer if you want just thin oils like PG, use the carts for thick waxes. Omicron does have a learning curve to adjust to though. I've also tried a Vaporglobe and they're ok, like having a mini skillet with you, better if you're trying to get fat hits and way lower learning curve.

 

[octaves]

Hey guys, one more question. In general, what is more cost effective? Buying the herb vs buying the oils?

I don't know how long these little .250g cartridges last, but it at least seems to be weeks. That said, I'm having to hit it so many times to feel anything it might bring the lifespan down. The cartridges are like $25, whereas a gram of herb might cost me $25-30, but being a newb, I have no idea how long that kind of thing lasts. Again, I might use it semi-daily to relieve stress and stuff but that's about it. Not much recreational use.

This'll kind of inform how I proceed. I'm thinking of either the VaporGenie or popping for the discounted Arizer Solo. But if the oils are much more cost effective or something I might try some of the other suggestions here.

 

[Enchantre]

In my opinion, you will get the most value from vaping herb (flower)... with a really good, conserving vaporizer you can skimp it down nicely. Purchased concentrates will cost more per dose - but, they may have other benefits, like speed of effects, stealth of use, and consistency.

Flowers/herb gives you the full spectrum of cannadidols/doids/other stuff, some of which may not be available through a concentrate.

 

[TooShort]

Hey guys, one more question. In general, what is more cost effective? Buying the herb vs buying the oils?

majority of oils are made from the trim of herbs which gives oils such an amazing price vs bud imo. For me i can blow through a quad of fire in a week just a couple grams of oil though in 2 weeks

 

[Titamius]

Hey guys, one more question. In general, what is more cost effective? Buying the herb vs buying the oils? .

I don't know a whole lot about this subject, but ime it really just depends what you can get herbs and oil for in your area. First thing I wanna say is that it shouldn't cost you more than 20 a g for the highest quality flowers, depending on where you live. Around here anything over 10 a g is a rip off, even for the best.

I know one person around here that makes oil, and its great quality oil but he wants a whoppin 80 a gram...
So in my position, flowers are much cheaper seeing as how a gram of oil lasts me a few days of dabbing, when I could buy a quarter oz for 60 or 70 and have it last over a week. although I'm sure most of you dabbers could probably get a g of oil for around 50... If only I could find REAL oil at real price... then I'm sure it would even out more but im pretty sure vaping is still more efficient overall, without the cost variable in play.

 

[DreamTime]

If you are just starting,you shouldn't need concentrates. Just vaping flower should get you where you want to be. For someone new to MMJ, concentrates will be overkill unless you want to get blasted off your ass. Doing concentrates will increase your tolerance very quickly and and make it so that only concentrates will "do it" for you.

I would suggest getting a decent vaporizer and sticking with flowers. I would also suggest a couple of strains that are particularly good at handling anxiety and stress but won't knock you out:
Northern Lights #5 (for anxiety - the stuff is better than Xanax)
Sour Diesel (for stress - it's the most "up" and "happy" strain I know of).

 

[ataxian]

If you are just starting,you shouldn't need concentrates. Just vaping flower should get you where you want to be. For someone new to MMJ, concentrates will be overkill unless you want to get blasted off your ass. Doing concentrates will increase your tolerance very quickly and and make it so that only concentrates will "do it" for you.

I would suggest getting a decent vaporizer and sticking with flowers. I would also suggest a couple of strains that are particularly good at handling anxiety and stress but won't knock you out:
Northern Lights #5 (for anxiety - the stuff is better than Xanax)
Sour Diesel (for stress - it's the most "up" and "happy" strain I know of).

DreamTime is right about CONCENTRATES!
This type of medicine is very strong.
ADD: Now I medicate everyday with CONCENTRATES and FLOWERS!

 

[octaves]

Thanks for the input guys, I'll probably be buying a VaporGenie or a Solo and going with flowers for a while. By the way, does cannabis have any effect on acne? I'm 23 and still have some occasionally, but in the last week I've been vaping cannabis and I've had a serious uptick. It's a real bummer because it's real bad, but I don't want to have to quit the MMJ. I don't know what else to attribute it to though, other than just some passing surge which happens sometimes but not this bad.

 

[Enchantre]

I would consider MMJ to be anti-inflammatory. Acne, and other skin outbreaks, are a sign of systemic inflammation. I have a mild -to - severe case of eczema, which is very sensitive to grains, including corn. It expresses itself as "pimples" in some cases, though they aren't, really.

I'd look elsewhere for the cause of acne.