Assessing the Dangers of "Dabbing": Mere Marijuana or Harmful New Trend?

The practice now known as “dabbing” appears to be quickly proliferating as a fashionable way to use marijuana in the United States.1 Dabbing is the inhalation of a concentrated tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) product created through butane extraction. The use of butane hash oil (BHO) products and the modification of cannabis more generally are not new phenomena, but dabbing has recently moved from relative obscurity to the headlines, leaving cannabis aficionados, adolescents, and parents curious about its effects. Physicians and other health care professionals need to be prepared for discussions about the effects of dabbing to minimize potential harms, particularly because recent marijuana policy changes likely has facilitated youth access to “dabs.”