710: What is It, and What Does it Have to Do With Weed?

In the weird world of marijuana, 420 is a familiar number. Despite the array of myths that surround 4/20 day, we are pretty sure that it originated in the 1970s thanks to a group of weed-using students who called themselves the Waldos. While it is fair to say that a significant proportion of cannabis lovers are aware of what 420 means, the same can’t be said for 710, a relatively new marijuana-related number.

710 is a slang phrase for cannabis oil. Why? Turn the number 710 upside down, and you will see the word ‘oil.’ If this sounds extraordinarily silly, you have little knowledge of marijuana use, or what goes on inside a person’s mind when stoned! These days, cannabis concentrates such as shatter, oils, resin, and wax, are celebrated on July 10 each year.

A Brief History of 710 Day

The history behind 710 day is less clear than its 420 equivalent, and the term was probably only ‘invented’ in the last decade or so. Typically, it is claimed that the first known 710 celebrations occurred in 2012, but, likely, cannabis oil users began a little earlier.

The term ‘710’ may have been used over a decade ago as code for marijuana oil. Before cannabis was legalized in many states, people seeking weed oil would ask their dealer for ‘710’ to indicate their desire for a marijuana concentrate. These days, users in legal states openly use concentrate and see July 10 as a type of ‘holiday’ for this ultra-strong form of pot.

In 2010, Urban Dictionary had an entry for 710, but it said nothing about hash oil or dabbing. It is rather strange that no one has seriously come forward and claimed credit for 710 like the Waldos did for 420. The Urban Dictionary had an updated entry for 710 the following year, which DID mention hash oil. In 2013, another dabbing-related entry was added.

It is alleged that a post on TokeCity mentioned 710 on July 10, 2011, but the link to the post I found was broken. Within the next couple of years, the term started to appear in more publications. In 2013, LA Weekly wrote that “710 was the new 420.” The article in question appeared on the site on July 10 and said that marijuana concentrates users were planning to use hash oil, wax, and other potent forms of weed at 7:10 pm that day.

Even news outlets like the International Business Times wrote about 710, but none of these organizations were able to provide any snippets of information on who coined the phrase ‘710’, nor could they provide a timeline. Eventually, one publication stated that an underground rapper named TaskRok was responsible for coming up with the term.

A journalist named Mitchell Colbert interviewed the rapper a few years ago and learned more about the marijuana oil holiday. After chatting with TaskRok, Colbert was in little doubt that the rapper was telling the truth. According to TaskRok, he was chatting to marijuana industry friends about how weed impacts people in different ways on a TinyChat forum in 2011.

During this conversation, the group agreed to create a new time to use dabs because ‘420’ was old-school. Eventually, TaskRok said it would be a good idea to use 710 since it spelled ‘oil’ when you turned it upside down. On July 10, 2011, TaskRok released an album called The Movement which called on listeners to create a new 710 movement capable of surpassing the legendary 420 day.

While he did not succeed in making 710 more popular than 420, TaskRok did make 710 ‘a thing,’ and it soon became commercialized to the extreme, like almost every other good thing. Unlike the Waldos, TaskRok was in no hurry to ‘claim ownership’ of the term because he believes it belongs to the people.

It’s 7:10 pm – Time to Dab!

While you may be tempted to use a marijuana concentrate at 7:10 am, we don’t recommend it! Do you really want to be stoned and spaced out before breakfast? I realize that quite a few readers will say YES! Realistically, however, 7:10 pm is a much better time to indulge in potent cannabis concentrate.

By then, you are firmly in the evening time, and for a significant proportion of people, work has finished for the day. When at home, you can light up a small amount of concentrate and dab to your heart’s content. The main problem when using a dab rig is that you have to stay at home or at least out of view of the public.

If you want to celebrate cannabis concentrates at 7:10 pm outside (and risk arrest), a vape pen or portable vaporizer is the only option. Load up the pen indoors, and you can leave the house without the need to transport heavy equipment. Modern-day portable vaporizers are incredibly sophisticated, and some allow you to heat the dab to a specific temperature. By doing so, you get to control the flavor and level of cloud production.

With so many people using portable devices such as e-cigarettes, you can probably vape discreetly if you change the settings on your vape pen to produce minimal vapor.

Final Thoughts on 710

710 is a way to celebrate marijuana concentrates such as wax, shatter, hash oil, crumble, budder, and live resin. There are concentrates available with up to 90% THC! Such potency, when combined with the speed with which vaporization affects you, means you shouldn’t consider celebrating 710 day with cannabis oil unless you are an experienced user.

Those with this experience are fully aware of how potent concentrates are, and realize that a little goes a very long way. Don’t assume that all concentrates are the same either. There are significant differences in texture, consistency, and effect. For instance, dabbing wax provides a more intense and faster acting high than hash oil, which tends to offer a more relaxing sensation.