With the influx of research indicating the negative and adverse effects that smoking can have on your lungs, smoke-free alternatives, such as THC pills, are on the rise as one of the most effective and efficient methods for ingesting cannabis products and reaping the benefits of THC.
Smoking can result in various less than favourable effects through inhaling tar and other harmful carcinogens, leading to severe consequences, including potentially causing cancer.
In this way, it comes as no surprise that many tokers opt for safer options to enjoy their favourite medical marijuana that are healthier and more practical in terms of overall longevity.
If you haven’t already guessed it, today we are talking about THC pills and why they continue to grow in popularity.
If you’re new to this cannabis product, don’t stress.
We’re going to cover everything you need to know, from what they are to their benefits and even how to make them for yourself from the comfort of your own home.
Curious? Good! That’s an excellent place to start.
What are THC Pills?
Often referred to as weed pills or THC capsules, THC pills are potent, portable methods for reaping medical marijuana and THC benefits. They are made by infusing a variant of cannabis concentrate with a carrier oil, typically MCT, olive, or coconut oil, and placing the mixture in a gelatin capsule for convenient ingestion.
The carrier oil is a crucial element for THC pills because THC isn’t all that water-soluble, meaning it does not mix well with water. However, it is fat-soluble, hence a lipid or fat being necessary for their creation and overall effectiveness.
One of the perks of THC pills is that they can be catered to suit the individual’s particular weed needs. They are available in various concentrations and ratios and are easily customizable to accommodate microdosing. The most widely available sizes are 5mg, 10 mg, and 25 mg doses, with some also incorporating CBD.
If you’re looking for strictly CBD, you can also find CBD pills and capsules available through many retailers and dispensaries where you can buy weed online.
Another advantageous element of THC pills is that you can make them with a variety of store-bought or homemade concentrates, including cannabis tinctures and weed oil, as well as regular dry flower. Really, whatever bud you have readily available.
What are the Benefits?
As we touched on previously, one of the most extensive appeals for THC pills is that they allow users to indulge and enjoy in the psychoactive effects of THC without exposing their lungs to harmful carcinogens. They enable users to bypass the adverse side effects commonly associated with smoking, such as coughing and potentially burning your lungs and throat.
On top of avoiding these undesirable side effects, it also helps protect oneself from some of the more severe consequences of smoking, including cancer.
Another enticing element of THC pills is that they pose a healthier alternative to other edibles that often contain high sugar, calories, and carb concentrations.
Are THC Pills Right For You?
So, suppose you live with a condition, such as diabetes, that requires you to monitor your blood sugar frequently, or you are merely trying to watch your figure. In that case, THC capsules are an excellent method of enjoying your favourite bud without worrying about spiked blood sugar levels or unnecessary sugars and carbs.
THC pills also ensure accurate dosing without any additives, making them a precise and convenient way to enjoy your cannabis.
What’s more, much to the benefit of blazers, THC pills also bring an added level of potency compared to other ingestion methods because they travel through the digestive system, liver, and GI tract to be fully absorbed. When THC is ingested, it is converted by the liver and digestive system to a metabolic byproduct called 11 Hydroxy THC or 11-OH-THC.
Unlike most other metabolic compounds that become less active once they are broken down, the exact opposite is true for 11 Hydroxy THC. Instead, it becomes even more potent than its predecessor, THC. This factor is why cannabis edibles are so effective and potent when used both recreational and medicinally.
In this way, THC pills can work to get you higher than other, more traditional ingestion methods, such as smoking or vaping.
Another convenient feature of THC pills is that you can easily make them at home for yourself using household appliances that you likely already have, or you can just visit an online dispensary Canada and buy your own!
How to Make THC Pills
One of THC capsules’ strongest allures is their versatility when it comes to making them at home as a fun cannabis-infused DIY project.
As we said before, there are multiple methods for approaching making these capsules at home. Below, we will highlight two of the most popular.
Making THC Capsules with AVB
If you are someone who likes to use a vape pen to enjoy your weed and think that, once vaped, your AVB or already vaped bud is over and done and useless, think again!
For novice tokers, the element that allows your bud to produce its psychoactive effects is a process known as decarboxylation. While the term itself may seem complicated or intimidating, it’s not. Decarboxylation is the process of exposing weed to heat in order to “activate” the THC present in the plant.
Learn More About “Activating” Your Weed by Clicking on Our Guide to Decarboxylation Here!
So, if your cannabis hasn’t gone through this process and therefore hasn’t been activated, it will not produce the desired effects or get you high. This reason is why, while it may pose other health benefits, ingesting raw weed will not get you stoned.
In this way, using already vaped weed to create THC pills is an excellent option because you can bypass the decarboxylation process altogether as the bud has already been activated through exposing it to heat when vaping it the first time around.
Thus, all that’s left to do is pack your THC capsules with the AVB and enjoy.
Making THC Pills with Fresh Flower
If you aren’t a frequent vaper and just have regular flower at your disposal, that’s okay! It just means that there is an additional step to making your capsules.
Although the decarboxylation process may seem daunting, it’s incredibly straightforward.
Stick with us, kid. We’ll show you the ropes of how to make THC pills by converting fresh flower to THC weed oil.
Here’s what you’re going to need:
- Fresh weed
- Weed grinder
- Carrier oil of choice (coconut, olive, MCT, etc.)
- A syringe
- Cheesecloth or coffee filter
- Gelatin capsules
- Parchment paper
- Pan
- Oven
Step 1 – Decarboxylation
Using the weed grinder, grind your fresh bud, but not too finely. Cover a baking sheet in parchment paper and preheat your oven to 105° C (220° F).
Spread the ground weed onto the parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Spread it evenly for best results and place it in the oven. Let it bake for approximately 25 to 40 minutes, or until lightly browned.
You should flip the buds halfway through the baking time to ensure full coverage and activation.
There you have it. You’ve successfully decarboxylated your weed. It’s that simple!
Step 2 – Infusion
Using your carrier oil of choice, be it olive oil, coconut oil, MCT oil or another, and place it in a pan on the stove kept at a low simmer. Once the oil is heated appropriately, add in your decarboxylated weed and stir periodically for at least one hour.
Pro tip: the longer you leave your ground bud in the oil at a lower simmer, the more potent it will be. However, there is such a thing as leaving it on too long, which could cause the oil to turn black and become incredibly bitter.
We would recommend taking the mixture off the heat after a maximum of three hours.
Step 3 – Capsulating
Remove the oil/decarboxylated weed from the stove and strain it through the cheesecloth or coffee filter. Discard whatever is left over.
It may seem like a good idea to push down on the oil dregs to get the most out of them. However, we would advise against it. It will make the oil bitter and pungent.
Allow the strained oil to cool completely before pulling it into your syringe and injecting it into the gelatin capsules. Once filled, these THC pills, along with any remaining THC oil, can be stored in the fridge for months at a time so long as you adhere to best storage practices.
For best results, store it in an airtight, opaque container.
THC Pills – A Discreet Way to Dose
If you’d like to avoid the potentially harmful consequences of smoking and would like to find an ingestion method that is as potent as it is practical, THC pills are an excellent way to go.
Thanks to their ease of use and discreet nature, THC pills serve as a fantastic method to dose any time, anywhere.
Whether you choose to pop a pill at home or wish for a dose of THC while on the go without drawing attention to yourself with a cloud of smoke or vapour or the distinct dank smell that comes with other weed edibles, THC pills are an incredibly easy and portable option that fits easily into a bag or purse or even just your pocket.
They are also incredibly straightforward to make at home. However, if you aren’t feeling up to a DIY project, that’s okay, too! Many dispensaries, including Herb Approach, offer various THC pills that skip the creation process, allowing users to reap the benefits in one simple step.
Simply pop the pill in your mouth, swallow, and wait for the healing benefits to kick in.
As always, happy dosing!