To Vape or Not to Vape?
By Dr M Hughes (PhD) for VapeMate.co.nz
As someone familiar with vaping, I’m aware that one of the more polarizing debates in the cannabis community these days seems to be vaping. Cannabis users can have strong feelings about vaping both for and against. This article will shed some light on vaping, and why it is becoming an increasingly popular choice amongst cannabis users.
So what is cannabis vaping exactly? How does it work?
Cannabis vaporisation heats cannabis to a temperature just below combustion. The vapour produced is then inhaled. ‘’Vapes’’ come in a wide variety of sizes and designs, from ones that are designed to sit on your coffee table, to ones you can fit into a small evening bag or jacket pocket. Smaller vapes are among the most popular as they are discreet and easy to operate in an unobtrusive manner.
One of the more common arguments from pro vapers is that this method is ‘’better’’ for you than smoking. The basis for these arguments comes largely from research which has shown that vaping tobacco is 95% safer than smoking it. This correlation is attributed to the wide-spread use of vaping in the administration of medical marijuana, and to the growing popularity of vapes with cannabis users.
Some of the established benefits of vaping are:
Better Flavour: Vaping has been shown to improve and enhance the flavour of cannabis and allows the flavour of the terpenes and cannabinoids that are individual to each strain of cannabis to come through in the vapour.
Better Efficiency: Vaping allows for the cannabinoids to be extracted from dry herb in a more efficient fashion. This can allow for multiple sessions from a single cylinder of packed herb. Once the dry herb has been fully vaporized the leftovers can be used for tea, butter or Cooking.
Temperature Control: Most cannabis vaporizers have adjustable temperature settings that allow you to control the temperature your weed vaporizes at over the course of your session.
No matches and no lighter required! You’ll never again find yourself trying to light your herb up in the rain or go to have a smoke and find you have nothing to fire it up with!
And finally, the one negative aspect of vaping that people mention most is cost. As with different styles of vapes, prices vary widely as well. You can buy a basic vape for under $200 which allows a new user to try it out without a huge outlay of money.
So...to vape or not to vape? I say give it a go! And before you all troll me for my shameless riffing on Shakespeare, there appears to be evidence that he may have written some of his works while indulging in some joyful smoke. 400 year old pipes dug up in Shakespeare’s garden were found to have traces of marijuana. Having read some Shakespeare in my time I can’t say I’m surprised!
Happy Imbibing!