In today’s cannabis market, you have numerous ways to enjoy your favorite strain and reap the benefits of its cannabinoids. In addition to smoking, you’ve got edibles, tinctures, capsules, vape pens, topicals, and more. There’s also a product called resin. There are multiple types of cannabis resin and several ways to use it. Read on to learn more. 

What Is Resin?

Have you ever held a cannabis bud in your hands only to find your fingers covered in a sticky residue? That’s resin. It’s the light to dark brown sap-like substance that covers the trichomes of the plant. For the plant, resin helps to protect against UV damage and repel pests. It can also help to attract pollinators. 

Resin contains a strain’s cannabinoids and terpenes. Those cannabinoids (most notably THC) are what most users are after. They provide a wide range of benefits, including pain relief, stress relief, relaxation, and more. The terpenes are what give each strain its aroma and flavor. They provide some of their own benefits and can enhance the effects of various cannabinoids. 

Types of Resin

There are several types of cannabis resin products:

• Hash. Hash is one of the oldest forms of resin. The process for making it involves removing trichome crystals and pressing them into bricks. 
• Live resin. Live resin involves flash-freezing freshly picked cannabis buds. Freezing allows the trichome crystals to maintain more cannabinoids and terpenes. It also makes removing the crystals easier. 
• Rosin. Rosin involves applying heat and pressure to the dried cannabis buds to remove the resin.  
• Butane hash oil (BHO). BHO requires the use of a solvent (butane) to remove the desired compounds. 
• CO2 oil. CO2 oil is another solvent-based resin product. Instead of butane, it uses CO2 to remove cannabinoids and terpenes. 

There’s also another type of resin that you won’t find in a dispensary. It’s the sticky stuff that’s left in the bowl of your pipe or bong. It’s not as potent as other forms of resin since it’s used. There may be some cannabinoids left, though. You can scrape it from your bowl and use it again. It likely won’t have as much flavor, or it may taste a bit burnt.  

How to Use Cannabis Resin

You have numerous options for using cannabis resin:

Top your joint or bowl. Some users like to add a small amount of resin to their joints or bowls for extra potent hits. 

Vaping. You’ll often find more liquid resin products like BHO and CO2 oil packaged in cartridges for vape pens. You can also use a dab (concentrate) pen for other types. 

Dab it. Many users like to dab their extra potent resin products using a dab rig. This method offers fast-acting results. 

Are You Ready to Try Cannabis Resin?

There are many types of cannabis resin products and many ways to use them. If you’re looking for more potent experiences, they may be the products for you. Check out our selection of live resin at MMD. And, if you do decide to give it a go, remember to start low. Even the most experienced cannabis users may find a little too much resin can have quite the kick.