What is meant by the transition period?

Step Four: minutes, stirring every few minutes, which mixes cannabinoid and butter molecules and speeds, speeding absorption.

Step Six: Pour the cooled, filtered liquid into a storage container. Step Five: Filter butter and cannabis through a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Wait until the mix has cooled enough to handle, and then wear rubber gloves to squeeze residual liquid from cheesecloth.

Step Seven: Refrigerate the liquid until solid.

nabis causes THC to convert into the psychoactive form. CBD is converted into its nonacid form. Combustion releases many toxic compounds—aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzopyrene and other carcinogens—that are inhaled into the lungs. See www.marijuanagrowing.com for more information.

Cannabinoids are soluble in fats, sugars, and oils (lipids), alcohol, and other oil-based solvents. Once combined, cannabinoids are soluble and convert from the acid to the nonacid form. THC becomes psy-choactive, and CBD becomes much more therapeutic. Solubilization occurs when cannabis is mixed with fats, sugar, oils, alcohol, and other oil-based solvents. The cannabinoids migrate and concentrate in the solvents.

Combine cannabis with these solvents, and heat at low temperatures (50ºC –62.8ºC) for 60 to 90 minutes to solubilize (extract) cannabinoids. Simmering and stirring ensures that complete extraction occurs.

Combining cannabis with alcohol (spirits or glycerin) requires no heat, but the process takes much longer. For example, place a bud in a bottle of ethyl alcohol— vodka, rum, or spirits of any kind. Over time the alcohol will take on the flavor and the potency of the cannabis. Or the alcohol can be evaporated to leave a concentrate.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) can also be used as a solvent to liberate cannabinoids. CO2 is becoming a popular method to extract CBD and THC from dry cannabis.

MAKING CANNABIS BUTTER

Smoke Points butter: 121.1ºC–148.9ºC olive oil: 190.6ºC–246.1ºC peanut oil (refined): 232.2ºC sunflower oil (refined): 226.7ºC

Cannabis butter is a main ingredient in many recipes. It can be used alone, as butter on bread, or mixed into countless recipes. Cannabinoids are bound to milk fats in butter and are preserved as long as butter is safe to consume. Use salted butter for most recipes; it has a higher smoke point than unsalted. Use unsalted butter for baking. Slow, even cooking at a low temperature and adequate stirring are essential to avoid burning when making cannabis butter.

QUICK CANNABIS BUTTER

Process small amounts of cannabis butter, less than 1 kg. of cannabis butter by sautéing it in a pan and adding cannabis. Process larger amounts of cannabis with the recipe that follows:

Utensils

Ingredients

cannabis flower buds