Should I Grind or not Grind My Cannabis?

Cannabis has been the center of debate for centuries. Individuals have argued for and against its prohibition since the late 1800s. Socially, cannabis consumers have been debating over a few topics such as holding the cannabis smoke while inhaling to increase their high, blunts versus papers, and whether or not they should grind their cannabis or shred it by hand before smoking it. For the latter debate, there is a bit of science and logic to grinding or not grinding cannabis.

What Happens When You Grind Cannabis?

When you place your cannabis in a grinder and turn it into mincemeat, there are a few scientific processes that occur. For instance, when you grind cannabis, you are breaking up a fair amount of cannabinoids, including THC, which is responsible for providing patients with the psychoactive effects of cannabis. Moreover, you are losing trichomes, the THC-filled crystals that coat dry cannabis buds, in the process. This is because the trichomes are viscous, so they stick to the innards of the grinder.; Even more noteworthy is the loss of Kief, or psychoactive pollen present in cannabis. This is because most grinders have a 'kief catcher,' which is the last layer of the grinder protected by a micro-sifting screen. However, the kief tray can be accessed with ease to add the potent pollen back to your cannabis. With these methods, cannabis consumers are bound to lose potency with their cannabis when using a grinder.

Why NOT Grinding Cannabis can be Beneficial

Conversely, not grinding cannabis can be beneficial. As aforementioned, potency is lost when using a grinder thanks to the grinder's designed ability to take trichomes and catch keif. When using your hands to grind cannabis, you do not lose nearly as much potency versus using a grinder. However, trichomes can get stuck to the consumer's fingertips when breaking down cannabis by hand. Some consumers recommend the infamous black disposable gloves to avoid this loss of potency. Mathematically, consumers who break down their cannabis by hand will always be more medicated than those who have chosen to grind their cannabis.

Why Vaping and Grinding Your Cannabis is a Different Story

When it comes to vaping, grinding your cannabis is a different story. It is necessary to grind your cannabis before inserting it into a dry vaporizer. This is because most dry cannabis vapes are not designed to fit whole buds. If sizable cannabis buds were inserted into a dry vaporizer as is, then chances are you just wasted your flower. The heating plates in most dry vapes are not configured for the uneven burning of plant matter.

Conversely, breaking down your cannabis by hand with the method mentioned above could ultimately increase your high. Moreover, vapes get you higher versus smoking cannabis. It is scientifically backed by the vaporizers to operate at different temperatures. This is due to the cannabinoids, or compounds of cannabis having different burning points. For this reason, consumers can get more than THC versus smoking. Other cannabinoids such as CBN, CBG, THCV, and others become activated when vaping on particular temperatures.

Which Method is Right for Me?

Now that you know the science behind grinding versus not grinding cannabis as well as the math behind grinding cannabis for dry vaporizers, a question is posed: which method should I do? If you are in search of obtaining an increase high, consider breaking the cannabis buds down with your hands and even utilizing a dry vaporizer. If your ground cannabis is enough for you, then continue to shred your cannabis like it's nobody's business.