Complete Guide to Cannabis Products: Flower, Concentrates, Edibles, Vapes, and More

The quick comparison

These are the ranges people commonly report. Your own body, tolerance, and the dose all change them.

Which product is best for a first-timer?

Flower and pre-rolls are the easiest to control, because you feel them within minutes and can stop. Edibles work too if you start at 2.5 to 5 mg of THC and wait at least two hours before taking more. Skip concentrates until you know your tolerance, and tell the budtender what you want so they can narrow it down.

Flower

Flower, also called bud, is the dried and cured flower of the cannabis plant. You smoke it in a joint, pipe, or bong, or heat it in a dry herb vaporizer.

• Good for: Control over the amount, and a wide range of strains and aromas.
• Know before you buy: Smoke has an odor, quality varies a lot, and the same strain name can feel different from batch to batch. Our indica vs. sativa guide and strains by effect guide help you read past the name.
• Value: Ounces and bulk flower are a different shopping job. See how to compare ounces.

Pre-rolls

Pre-rolls are joints or blunts rolled for you, ready to light.

• Types: Single pre-rolls, infused pre-rolls rolled with concentrate, and multi-packs.
• Good for: Convenience, sharing, and anyone who does not roll.
• Know before you buy: Quality varies with what is inside. Whole flower and trim are different products. Pre-rolls vs. hand-rolled shows how to tell. Play, Olswell's everyday brand, makes infused pre-rolls.

Vape cartridges

Carts are pre-filled with cannabis oil and attach to a battery.

• Types: 510-thread carts that work with most 510 batteries (check the fit), brand-specific pods, and disposables. The oil can be distillate, live resin, or live rosin.
• Good for: Discretion, portability, and measured puffs.
• Know before you buy: Hardware and oil type matter. Our cartridge guide covers both. Olswell's house brands make rosin carts, including RKIVE Reserve solventless rosin carts.

Edibles

Edibles are food and drinks infused with cannabis, including gummies, chocolate, baked goods, beverages, and mints.

• Good for: No smoke, long-lasting effects, and a labeled dose.
• Know before you buy: They take longer to work, so patience is the whole game. Michigan caps adult-use edibles at 10 mg of THC per serving, and a package can hold many servings (a gummy pack can carry up to 200 mg in total), so read both the per-piece and per-package numbers. Read the edibles guide before you start. Play makes everyday gummies.

Concentrates

Concentrates pull the cannabinoids and terpenes out of the plant into a stronger product.

• Hash rosin and live rosin: Solventless concentrates made with heat and pressure, and for hash rosin, ice water. RKIVE Reserve is Olswell's solventless line.
• Live resin: Made from fresh-frozen cannabis with a solvent that is purged out afterward.
• Hash: A traditional concentrate made by collecting the resin glands.
• Distillate: Highly refined cannabinoids with little natural flavor.
• RSO: A dark, full-spectrum oil usually taken by mouth. See What Is RSO Oil?.

A small amount goes a long way, and Michigan allows up to 15 grams of concentrate per transaction. The comparison guides are live rosin vs. live resin and how RKIVE hash rosin is made.

Tinctures and topicals

Tinctures are liquid extracts taken in drops, under the tongue or in food. Topicals are balms, lotions, and patches applied to the skin, and most are not meant to get you high. Transdermal patches are the exception. Read the topicals guide for the difference.

Tinctures and topicals are not categories on Olswell's live menus, so call your store to ask before you plan a trip around one.

Cannabinoids and terpenes in one minute

Cannabinoids are the compounds that drive the main effects. THC causes intoxication, and CBD does not. Terpenes are the aroma compounds, and many people find they shape how an experience feels. Two products with the same THC can feel different. The terpene guide and label guide show how to read both.

How to choose

If you are returning to cannabis after a break, count yourself as a beginner. Start with a lower dose and build back up.

The Michigan basics

• Who: Adults 21 and older, with a valid government-issued photo ID at every sale.
• How much: Up to 2.5 ounces per transaction, with no more than 15 grams of that as concentrate. You can carry up to 2.5 ounces in public and keep up to 10 ounces at home.
• Tax: Adult-use purchases pay a 10% excise tax plus a 6% sales tax.
• Testing and labels: Licensed stores sell products that have passed state lab testing, and labels show THC and CBD content, the batch, and the producer.
• Where: No consumption in public, never drive impaired, and cannabis must not cross state lines.

Related reading

• Indica vs. Sativa vs. Hybrid: What Actually Matters
• Cannabis Edibles 101: Dosing, Timing, and Michigan Regulations
• Live Rosin vs. Live Resin: What's the Difference?
• How to Choose the Right Cannabis Vape Cartridge
• Pre-Rolls vs. Hand-Rolled
• How to Read a Cannabis Label
• Cannabis Terpenes and the Entourage Effect Explained

Shop at Olswell

Olswell has four Michigan stores: Adrian, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, and Kalkaska. Each one has its own live menu, and inventory rotates by store, so check before you go.

Olswell's house brands are RKIVE Reserve, Play, and The Limit, all grown and processed by Olswell in Michigan. RKIVE Reserve is the top shelf, with solventless hash rosin and reserve flower. Play is the everyday line of gummies, infused pre-rolls, rosin carts, and concentrates. The Limit is the value line, with ounce deals, bulk flower, and limited drops that sell out.

Order on your store's live menu and pick up in store: Adrian, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, or Kalkaska. Orders are held until the end of the business day, payment is cash only with an ATM on-site, and Olswell does not deliver. First-time customers get a quarter off their first visit. See the deals page for what else is running.

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Sources: Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency.

Medical Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Cannabis products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult with a healthcare provider before use.

Age Disclaimer: For adults 21 and older only. Must present valid government-issued photo ID. Please consume responsibly.