What is 710 Day? It's July 10, an unofficial day when cannabis fans celebrate wax, shatter, rosin and other concentrates. The name is a visual pun: write 710, turn it upside down, and it reads OIL. Think of it as a younger cousin of 4/20, focused on dabs instead of flower. Here's where it came from, how people mark it, what concentrates are and how to dab safely.
What Is 710 Day? What the Number Means
Flip the number 710 upside down and it spells OIL, a nod to hash oil and other cannabis concentrates. Fans often mark 7:10 on the clock the way others mark 4:20. You'll also hear it called National Oil Day or Dab Day, though neither is an official holiday.
How 7/10 Relates to 4/20
4/20 grew out of a 1971 meeting time among a group of California friends, and it celebrates cannabis broadly, with flower front and center. 7/10 is newer and narrower: a day for concentrates and the people who make and enjoy them. For the full backstory on the older holiday, read our explainer on what 4/20 is.
Where 7/10 Came From
The origin is fuzzy. The most common account, repeated in alt-weekly coverage, credits a small online community of concentrate fans who began promoting July 10 as oil day around 2011. From there it spread the way internet slang does, through forums, social media and concentrate-focused events. 7/10's beginnings haven't been documented the way 4/20's have, so take any single "founder" story with a grain of salt.
How People Mark the Day
Celebrations range from big to quiet:
- Competitions. Judged contests where extractors enter concentrates and judges score aroma, flavor and quality.
- Festivals and expos. Licensed events with vendors and education, where local rules allow them.
- Small gatherings. Friends trying a new concentrate together at home.
- First tries. Some people use the day to learn about concentrates, starting with a tiny dab and plenty of patience.
Concentrates 101: Wax, Shatter, Budder, Live Resin, Rosin
Concentrates collect the resin from cannabis trichomes, along with its cannabinoids and terpenes, and leave most of the plant material behind. They're far stronger than flower. In Washington State's legal market, an analysis of millions of sales found that concentrates averaged 68.7% THC, compared with 20.6% for flower.
| Type | Texture | How it's made |
|---|---|---|
| Wax | Soft and opaque, crumbly to creamy | Solvent extract that's whipped or stirred as it's purged |
| Shatter | Glassy and brittle | Solvent extract left undisturbed so it sets clear |
| Budder | Smooth and buttery | Solvent extract whipped into a creamy texture |
| Live resin | Saucy or buttery and very aromatic | Made from plants frozen right after harvest instead of dried |
| Rosin | Varies, often sappy | Pressed from flower or hash with heat and pressure, no solvents |
For a deeper look, see our guide to cannabis concentrates, our rosin primer and our overview of extraction methods.
How Concentrates Are Used: Rigs, E-Rigs, Dab Pens, Vapes
- Dab rigs: a glass water pipe fitted with a nail you heat with a torch, then touch a small dab to the hot surface and inhale the vapor.
- E-rigs and e-nails: electric versions that hold a set temperature, which makes lower-temperature dabs easier.
- Dab pens: battery devices with a small heating chamber you load yourself. Our dab pen guide explains how they work.
- Vape cartridges: prefilled oil cartridges on a battery, the simplest option.
Torch-heated nails, which a 2017 study called the more common setup, offer no real temperature control. That's one reason e-nails and pens appeal to people who want gentler hits.
Dabbing Safety: Small Amounts, Lower Heat, No Driving
Concentrates are strong, so take your first dabs slowly.
- Start tiny. A first dab should be smaller than a grain of rice. Inhaled THC peaks in about 20 to 30 minutes, so wait before deciding on another.
- Go lower on heat. In a 2017 lab study that recreated dabbing, hot nails broke terpenes down into irritants such as methacrolein, and benzene appeared at the highest temperatures. At the lowest temperature tested, methacrolein wasn't detected. Many people also find lower temperatures taste better.
- Handle torches with care. Keep butane torches away from anything flammable, and let the nail cool before you touch it. An e-nail or dab pen skips the open flame.
- Sit down and stay put. Concentrates can hit fast and hard. Never drive or operate anything afterward.
- Store safely. Keep concentrates and torches out of reach of children and pets.
Michigan Rules on Public Consumption and Events
Adults 21 and older can carry up to 2.5 ounces in Michigan, and no more than 15 grams of that can be concentrate. Consuming cannabis in public isn't allowed, and property owners can ban it on their property.
Thinking about a ticketed event? A business that lets people consume on site while charging admission, selling goods or services, or requiring membership needs a state license. That means a temporary marijuana event license for an event, or a designated consumption establishment license for a permanent space. The city or township also has to have authorized on-site consumption. For the full picture, see our Michigan cannabis law guide.
