Cannabis oils are contained, transported, and dispensed from a variety of vessels. “Pucks” and different types of parchments are the most common containers used to package cannabis oils, but the syringe remains the only oil container that can dispense measured doses of cannabis concentrate by design. Sure, you could cut and weigh out shatter for consistent dosage (which is recommended for cannabis consumers who want control of their cannabinoid intake), but more viscous oils are not as cooperative.
The syringe, however, holds an especially loaded place in drug culture for its apparent relationship to intravenous drug use, which is amplified against the backdrop of the opioid epidemic in the United States. The optics of the syringe are challenging to overcome because society shares the preconceived notation that syringes belong in the responsible hands of science and medicine professionals, yet are being abused by hard drug users.
Benefits of Cannabis Oil Syringes
It’s time to push your concerns aside and give this implement a chance. There are myriad benefits of cannabis oil syringes. First, syringes usually come in a variety of volumes. Many have their volume indicated in marks on the body of the syringe, giving you relative measurements for dosage. The Puffin Farm‘s Hindu Kush Raw CO2 Oil syringe, for example, has notches for every 1/10th in the full gram syringe.
(Pro Tip: The plunger on an oil syringe can be kind of touchy. Press lightly and slowly to dispense your oil. This will save you the mess and heartache of lost oil or RSO.)
Some syringes come with a metal tip applicator. This is nice if you’re going directly from your syringe to a nail or banger on your oil rig, but the applicator can get a little goopy, leading to a small and somewhat frustrating loss of oil. Personally, I recommend discarding the applicator, opting to load a dab onto a dab tool instead. You can still have your measured dosage without the fuss of the tip and, as an added aesthetic bonus, the removal of the metal tip makes it look less like a syringe and needle (a tiny victory for the utility and optics of the cannabis oil syringe).
Another benefit of the syringe is its minimal to nonexistent loss of oil. The plunger in my oil syringe pressed the oil through without losing much to the container. With a puck or parchment, over time oil can get thin and difficult to fully collect. There are different techniques to gather this residual oil, but the syringe requires neither the time nor effort to do so. The full volume is available, measurable, and usable without the fuss of a heating element and tools.
By utilizing the syringe, you’re re-appropriating its imagery and use thus changing its stigma. The battle for legal cannabis is contingent on public perception and optics. If we can continue to illustrate the benefits of all things cannabis by virtue of using them conscientiously, we can gut the outdated arguments about cannabis as a Schedule I drug and “stoners” that are as bad and destructive as the intravenous drug users nestled in the same category.
