Filed Under: Culture Wars, Dab Days, Pot Priorities
The rigs are hot. The terp pearls are spinning. Dispensaries across America are slashing prices on shatter, live resin, and vape carts like it’s Black Friday for stoners. Welcome to July 10, 710, the cannabis holiday that flipped itself upside down and somehow became the second biggest weed day on the calendar.
For the uninitiated, 710 is a visual pun. Flip those numbers and you get OIL, a wink at the THC-rich concentrates that power modern dabbing culture. While 4/20 is all about rolling up, lighting up, and passing it around, 7/10 celebrates the high-octane side of cannabis: hash oil, budder, wax, and rosin. In the last decade, what started as an underground code among extract heads has turned into a mainstream marketing juggernaut. Not everyone in the cannabis community is cheering.
The origins of 710 are murky, like much of cannabis lore. Some say the term first appeared on Urban Dictionary in 2010, posted by a dab enthusiast who thought it was clever. Others trace it to hip-hop tracks and California hash makers who wanted their own stoner holiday. By 2013, dispensaries and concentrate brands were hosting 710 parties and rolling out flash sales. Today Google Trends shows searches for “710 deals” spiking every July, and concentrate sales in legal markets can double in the first two weeks of the month.
This isn’t a niche thing anymore. In states like California and Colorado, concentrates account for nearly 30 percent of cannabis sales. Vape carts, once derided as the lazy cousin of flower, now dominate dispensary menus. Companies like Puffco have turned dab rigs into sleek, high-tech gadgets that wouldn’t look out of place in an Apple store.
For old-school smokers, the ones who still roll joints on vinyl records and swear by the art of the slow burn, 710 feels like a different world. Dabs aren’t just potent, they’re intimidating. There are torches. E-nails. Thermometers. You’re not casually lighting a joint, you’re calibrating like a chemist.
“I tried dabs once,” says Miguel, a longtime grower from Humboldt County. “Knocked me on my ass. It felt more like freebasing than smoking weed. I’ll stick to flower.”
That sentiment runs deep. For some, dabbing symbolizes a break from cannabis culture’s communal, laid-back vibe. It’s harder to pass a glowing-hot rig around a circle than it is a joint. With THC levels in concentrates hitting 80 percent or higher, dosing errors can quickly turn a good time into a green-out.
On the flip side, concentrate fans argue that dabs are more efficient, cleaner, and in many cases, tastier. The rise of solventless extracts like live rosin has brought artisanal craftsmanship back into the equation. “It’s like fine wine for weed,” says Taylor, a budtender in Denver. “You’re savoring terpenes and flavors you’d never get from flower alone.”
Then there’s the money. Cannabis companies have been quick to turn 710 into a sales event, pushing limited-run carts, dab rigs, and branded swag. It’s good business. One California retailer reported a 112 percent increase in concentrate sales during their 710 promotion last year. Some see it as yet another example of corporate cannabis sucking the soul out of the culture.
“710 used to mean something to extract makers,” says a Bay Area hash maker who goes by OG Press. “Now it’s an excuse for big brands to dump mid-grade wax at clearance prices. The passion’s gone. It’s all about margins.”
That tension isn’t new. 4/20 went through the same cycle, from grassroots protest to global holiday to dispensary fire sale. With 710, the shift feels faster, fueled by the tech-driven nature of concentrates and the younger, more internet-savvy audience that embraces them.
The numbers suggest 7/10 is rising fast. In some markets, 710 has overtaken 4/20 for concentrate sales. Social media is flooded with #710life posts, dab videos, and influencer giveaways. Even legacy brands like High Times have jumped on the 710 bandwagon with special events and content.
But culturally, it’s more complicated. 4/20 remains the universal cannabis holiday, a symbol of rebellion and togetherness. 710, by contrast, is still finding its place. For some, it’s a celebration of innovation and artistry. For others, it’s a sign of cannabis culture drifting toward excess and elitism.
At Pot Culture Magazine, we’re not here to tell you how to get high. Whether you’re pulling a fat dab off a quartz banger or nursing a roach down to your fingertips, it’s all part of the culture. But we can’t help noticing how quickly 710 became a thing, not because of the community but because there was money to be made.
Maybe that’s the price of progress. Or maybe it’s a warning. Cannabis culture has always been about more than THC percentages and hardware specs. It’s about connection, creativity, and the shared rituals that built a movement.
So this 7/10, take your hit, oil or flower, but remember where it all started. The real high was never about numbers.
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