Do cartridges ever expire??

[Thomas Davie]

I haven’t bought a black market cartridge in over 16 months; but I’ve got a question about legal cartridges that....just never came up with on the black market side of things,

All legal cannabis products in Canada have a tax stamps and a packaged on date. One local company has taken it upon themselves to buy unsold stock from the provincial distributor (the government) in bulk and pass the savings on to the customer. So it isn’t uncommon to find flower that has been packaged over half a year ago....but at low prices. I’ve always figured it was a risk buying old stock - but the price is usually too attractive to pass up.

Today I receive email marketing about a ‘good buys’ (haha get the joke?) on cartridges. I take a risk and pick up 4 carts, and yup they were packaged on December 10, 2019. Tastes ok to me; standard unflavoured distillate.

And this is how Canadian companies are getting around the no advertising of cannabis laws; you can’t sign up for email unless you ‘legally’ state you are of age, and then you get bombarded with emails that wouldn’t be allowed in,print, radio or tv.

Tom

 

[w01fg4ng]

Most legal products I've bought, including carts, have had an expiration date or "best before" date. Does Canada not do this?

Given enough time, there are a few reasons why a cart can go "bad." Terpenes can and do go toxic/rancid given enough time. Some legal carts have also been found to contain toxic levels of lead that leach out over time. The smallest concern of mine would be a loss in potency---the amount lost is insignificant imo.

 

[JackARoe]

My wife stumbled upon the reservations in Ontario where some of the items are very cheap. They had carts for very cheap on a sale. Could buy a coffee at Starbucks for the price of a cart. They are a little smaller but the oil is excellent. So my wife bought 10 they were so cheap. So I guess I will see how long they last. I have wondered this too.

I wish I could get into just vaping for a week. I have such issues with the battery, inconsistent carts, and all kinds of things that go wrong that I always just go back to flower in a glass pipe.

 

[Thomas Davie]

@w01fg4ng No, all cannabis products have a packaged on date and that’s it. It’s up to a retailer to decide when/if to return unsold inventory to the provincial distributor at a loss. And then it’s up to the provincial distributor to return unsold inventory to the originating company (at a loss)..

So, sadly no indication of a best before date. Years of smoking and then navigating the legal medical before adult rec market makes it easy to judge good/bad producers fairly quickly. The only level of protection for the consumer is the unique lot# code on each product, in case of recalls.

@JackARoe These vape cartridges I picked up each came with a battery/charger so I’m set.

I’ve had a few sessions with these cartridges (Shishkaberry) and they just taste bland like raw distillate.

Tom

 

[JackARoe]

So when I exxplained to they guy in my local head shop that my wife shops at the reservations in Ontario and how cheap it was he kind of worried me. I almst never vape and use flower. The flower also was quality and very cheap. But my wife bought a bunch of carts that the lady gave to her for $5 a piece, about 1/4 gram of oil. My wife has been using these, granted one cart last her 6 months as she only takes a few pulls a week from it and usually just does edibles.

Anyway back at the head shop, told them of the low cost and the dude in there scared the piss out of me saying any cheap cart (whether from an Native Reservation or anywhere) could have the vitamin e acetate in it and could be dangerous. The lady at the reservation said all the stuff was from local farms and other things from BC. The bud was top notch for 1/4th of what people pay. That I know is not fake.

Not sure if anyone knows or can answer, but I wonder if there is a way to test a cart for vitamin E, or what are the chances those dangerous carts are still floating around? The oil in the vape is decent. 2-3 hits works,. IS thick and only has a tiny bit of flavor. But 10 of these carts sitting here and now this dude (who did have a know it all attitude) kind of put the fear in me but I would hate to waste these carts but I will if they are dangerous.

I am looking for a place to test them. But that could be expensive so I am not sure what to do with them. I suspect they are legit and from Ontario and not from China.

 

[G_Chem]

I’ve had carts that are years old still work just fine. I’d say 2-3yrs at least. If that helps..

-GC

 

[Thomas Davie]

So when I exxplained to they guy in my local head shop that my wife shops at the reservations in Ontario and how cheap it was he kind of worried me. I almst never vape and use flower. The flower also was quality and very cheap. But my wife bought a bunch of carts that the lady gave to her for $5 a piece, about 1/4 gram of oil. My wife has been using these, granted one cart last her 6 months as she only takes a few pulls a week from it and usually just does edibles.

Anyway back at the head shop, told them of the low cost and the dude in there scared the piss out of me saying any cheap cart (whether from an Native Reservation or anywhere) could have the vitamin e acetate in it and could be dangerous. The lady at the reservation said all the stuff was from local farms and other things from BC. The bud was top notch for 1/4th of what people pay. That I know is not fake.

Not sure if anyone knows or can answer, but I wonder if there is a way to test a cart for vitamin E, or what are the chances those dangerous carts are still floating around? The oil in the vape is decent. 2-3 hits works,. IS thick and only has a tiny bit of flavor. But 10 of these carts sitting here and now this dude (who did have a know it all attitude) kind of put the fear in me but I would hate to waste these carts but I will if they are dangerous.

I am looking for a place to test them. But that could be expensive so I am not sure what to do with them. I suspect they are legit and from Ontario and not from China.

‘Yeah that’s a risk not worth taking. At the least, set the cartridges aside for the moment. PM sent.

Tom

 

[JackARoe]

Thanks TD, it is very appreciated. I usually always smoke and have had these here all year and not touched them other than a few hits. They seem fine but the head shop guy put the fear in me. Having things tested inn this world of 2021 is a great idea. I know people do that when they order chems from overseas, something I dont do but vape oil, after all those issues, should be vetted.

 

[G_Chem]

So when I exxplained to they guy in my local head shop that my wife shops at the reservations in Ontario and how cheap it was he kind of worried me. I almst never vape and use flower. The flower also was quality and very cheap. But my wife bought a bunch of carts that the lady gave to her for $5 a piece, about 1/4 gram of oil. My wife has been using these, granted one cart last her 6 months as she only takes a few pulls a week from it and usually just does edibles.

Anyway back at the head shop, told them of the low cost and the dude in there scared the piss out of me saying any cheap cart (whether from an Native Reservation or anywhere) could have the vitamin e acetate in it and could be dangerous. The lady at the reservation said all the stuff was from local farms and other things from BC. The bud was top notch for 1/4th of what people pay. That I know is not fake.

Not sure if anyone knows or can answer, but I wonder if there is a way to test a cart for vitamin E, or what are the chances those dangerous carts are still floating around? The oil in the vape is decent. 2-3 hits works,. IS thick and only has a tiny bit of flavor. But 10 of these carts sitting here and now this dude (who did have a know it all attitude) kind of put the fear in me but I would hate to waste these carts but I will if they are dangerous.

I am looking for a place to test them. But that could be expensive so I am not sure what to do with them. I suspect they are legit and from Ontario and not from China.

A couple of things about shitty carts, is they are usually liquidy. They also don’t give that strong of a buzz if you really pay attention. These were the shitty fake carts going around the Midwest and elsewhere everyone was buying.

Also they usually filled with tons of fake terps, whereas good natural carts are much more “natural” tasting. Like does it taste overly flavorful, or reasonably?

-GC

 

[Gary White]

My friend in Ohio gave me a 510 battery and a street cart and it was just nasty. I chucked it. It had some kind of perfume smell and the buzz was harsh, not a clean cannabis thing. God only knows what the drug was. I gave him a GIO battery and a <legal> Jack Herer cart. I got an OG Kush cart from my dispensary and it was fine so it wasn't the media.