I remember the first time I saw a portable weed vaporizer I was dumbfounded. “What the hell is that?” I thought to myself. It was around 2006, and I was sitting in a backyard, weed-friendly cafe. It was summer, and the cafe was crowded and lively.
The pungent, unmistakable scent of weed was everywhere. Sitting right in front of me, however, was a guy who stood out. He was toying with something that looked like the hilt of an unactivated lightsaber.
It was long, cylindrical, and covered in buttons. When he was finished what he was doing he put the device to his mouth and inhaled from it. I spent the next half-hour interrogating the poor guy about this both futuristic and anachronistic-looking device.
When I asked him why he used it instead of smoking weed, he replied succinctly, “it’s healthier.” Fast-forward to 2018 and the mystery man’s proclamation has proven true. Vaping weed is, in both an objective and subjective sense, much healthier for you.
Not only are vaporizers everywhere now, recreational marijuana has been legalized in six states, with more states eyeing possible legalization in the future. There has been a sea-change in people’s attitudes toward marijuana, as well as vaping.
There has been a sea-change in people’s attitudes toward marijuana, as well as vaping. These changes have spurred a debate between the different ways that marijuana is consumed. The advent of marijuana vaporizer (visit https://vapingdaily.com/vaporizers/ to find out more) has challenged the dominance of the traditional forms.
And with good reason since the evidence points to vaping weed as being healthier for you than smoking it. Here are five reasons why vaping weed is better for you than smoking it:
#5 More Bang for Your Buck
Just like any other habit (or vice) marijuana costs money. Unless you have your own plants, feeding your marijuana jones can put a hurting on your wallet. That’s why people have turned to vaping.
Of course, smoking, or burning your buds might seem like the most effective way to get high. But you are actually losing more than you are receiving when you burn weed. One of the first studies to examine the potency of THC found that smoking a typical marijuana joint delivered only 20% of its THC content to the user.
The rest was burned up and lost. A lot of THC was lost to what’s called “sidestream smoke,” which is the smoke emanating from the lit end of your joint when you are not smoking.
A later study was even more precise. It estimated that close to 70% of the THC content of a marijuana cigarette gets lost through combustion. 70%!
So not only are you getting a reduced amount of THC, but you are also inhaling a slew of carcinogenic toxins, like tar, as well as carbon monoxide that is produced by combustion.
Vaping weed not only reduces your exposure to these harmful by-products, but it also maximizes your THC intake. One American study found that vaping weed released 54% of the THC present, compared to only 20% or 30% that would occur with smoking it.
#4 Less Harm to your Lungs
We’ve already covered the effectiveness of vaping over smoking. But its efficacy should be overshadowed by the fact that vaping causes less damage to your respiratory system.
Vaporization is not combustion. The lack of combustion is the primary distinction between all vaporizers and traditional forms of smoking. While little evidence has pointed to smoking weed as having adverse health effects, it’s burning (along with burning anything) produces several harmful toxins.
This is an especially sobering statistic for those people who use marijuana for medicinal purposes. The prospect of inhaling chemicals like ammonia, tar, and carbon monoxide to benefit from the therapeutic aspect of THC seems counterintuitive. Hence, vaporizers.
#3 Flavor quality
Flavor quality is subjective. While smoking weed does have its flavor component, those noxious chemicals do get in the way of truly appreciating your materials. A lot also depends on what strain of plant you are smoking.
Some plants may offer more in the way of taste, others not so much. But vaping affects all strains equally. The heat applied, whether through convection or conduction, offers a fuller, more nuanced taste that is absent when you burn weed.
There might not be a scientific way to prove vaping weed offers a more savory experience. But anecdotally, many people have said that vaping weed produces a better tasting vapor.
#2 Keep it on the Down Low
Not everything has changed with the legalization of recreational marijuana. Despite the recent spate of states reversing years-old laws prohibiting all manner of marijuana consumption, no state has explicitly allowed for the public consumption of weed.
This means that you could walk over to your local dispensary, load up on all your favorite strains and leave without being hassled by the Man. But take one puff walking home or sitting on a park bench, and you could get in trouble.
That situation imagines you are smoking a traditional joint though. If you were vaping, however, the results would be less calamitous. But there are even more distinctions to be made.
A dry herb vaporizer differs vastly from a wax, concentrate or CBD oil vape pen. The former requires more effort than the latter. You need to prepare your materials (grind them up), load your device, and make sure no one is looking. But all told, it sounds about as laborious as rolling up a joint.
If you vape an oil or concentrate pen, which usually has pre-filled cartridges, you can sneak a discrete puff and then slip the device back into your pocket. The smell from vape pens is minimal. And whatever vapor that comes out dissipates quickly, leaving little to no offending odor.
#1 Your Highness
How high you get from smoking weed compared to vaping weed is yet another subjective quality. THC levels in your blood can be measured, but they do not necessarily reflect a reliable measure of how high you are.
The only real reliable measure is you. In fact, the lack of a measurable unit of “highness” is something currently under debate.
But with all we’ve talked about, it’s hard to argue against the effectiveness of vaping weed over smoking it. Of course, you’ll be high if you smoke weed, but vaping it delivers a more potent, chemical-free high.
A lot still depends on the potency, THC percentage, and how long and how often you take a hit, but with a cannabis vaporizer (a quality vaporizer), you are guaranteed a high like you’ve never experienced before.
About the Author: Phyllis Baker is the blogger specializing in quitting smoking and health issues. She writes guest posts and manages public relations for Vapingdaily community.