Cannabis vaporizer cartridges are small tanks, typically made of glass or plastic, and pre-filled with a cannabis concentrate. Similar to traditional e-cigarettes, the cannabis cartridge screws into a rechargeable battery containing a button which atomizes, or activates, the vapor almost immediately once pressed.

There are obvious reasons why cannabis oil cartridges are so popular. They’re convenient, easily concealed, smokeless and virtually odorless, and most of all, pack a punch with a THC content typically at least three times that of cannabis flower. The absence of odor makes them popular for concerts, bars and according to some, work.

When the first medical dispensaries opened in Massachusetts back in 2015, only one tier of pen cartridge existed for sale. They were plastic tanks filled with murky colored butane-extracted cannabis concentrate. Now, if you enter a dispensary, or, as of Nov. 20, a recreational cannabis shop, you are most likely going to find three different types of cartridges, each filled with cannabis oil extracted via one of several methods — all with a different price tag.

The three most-common cannabis extracts you will find in cartridge form are those derived from distillation, CO2 extraction or live resin extraction. They will often be split up this way on the product menu.