Is It Safe To Vape? The Main Differences Between Smoking Cannabis And Vaping

30 Aug 2017

Over the past several years, vaporizing cannabis or “vaping” has been increasingly popular, just like e-cigarettes. However, what precisely is vaping, and is it safe to do? In this article we will be separating fiction from facts.

What Is Vaping?

Vaping is essentially heating cannabis without burning it, go to the best portable vaporizer homepage. The active ingredients are released by the heat into a vapor. A vapor device then creates a fine mist that it releases into the air. No smoke is created since there is no combustion.

Vaporizer products vary when it comes to functionality and size. In this article we will be focusing on portable and desktop flower vaporizer types.

Is Vaping Safe?

Two recent survey studies show that individuals who vape cannabis see it as providing them with health benefits and also find that it is less harmful and safer to their health compared to smoking. Also, cannabis vaporizers have been designed specifically for inhalation without using smoke toxins that are so harmful.

However, what do researchers have to say about this? Does vaporizing actually reduce ingestion of harmful toxins such as carcinogens, ammonia and tar that are contained in cannabis smoke? Although there has not been a lot of research done on cannabis vaporizing, over the years studies have shown that fewer carcinogenic compounds are produced by vaporizing compared to smoking marijuana since it is heated but there is no combustion. Cannabis smoke isn’t as toxic as cigarette smoke is, however it is still not desirable to inhale any combustion products. Any kind of smoke contains particulates and gases that can create respiratory problems and lung irritation. In fact, more than 100 compounds and toxins are released whenever cannabis is burned.

Also, smokers are a lot more prone to getting bronchitis and respiratory infection, but it isn’t the cannabinoids causing it. It’s the smoke. One of earliest studies that compared vaporizing with smoking shower vaping had fewer respiratory effects, based on reports from the subjects of the respiratory symptoms that they had.

Cannabis Vaporization Benefits

Numerous medical patients have lungs that might be very irritated by smoke and problems with their respiratory systems, so frequently vapor inhalation provides them with relief.

Some people state that a more clear-headed high is produced by vaporized since no smoke is inhaled. However, not much research has been done on whether smoking and vaping actually create different kinds of highs. There was a study that involved 18 subject who either vaped or smoked three different THC strengths (6.8, 3.4 or 1.7 percent). Measurements were then taken of the carbon monoxide within the expired air and the delta-9-THC within the blood. Although there was not a significant difference in blood levels, there was a significant reduction in expired carbon monoxide when vaporization was utilized.

There was a 2014 study conducted or around 100 subjects. They both vaporized and smoke, and several of the individuals reported several advantages that vaporizing offered them over smoking, including better taste and no smell of smoke. Also, they reported that with vaping a greater effect was product with using the same amount of cannabis. Following the study, almost of all of the participants were planning to continue using vaporization.

Notice users also have a tendency to prefer vaporizing since the vapor may be inhaled using short puffs instead of deep breaths. Also individuals like the added benefit that using a vaporizer is more discreet. Best Portable Dry Herb Vaporizer

Are There Vaping Disadvantages?

Some of the disadvantages that have been reported involve setting the vaporizer up, preparing the cannabis (needs to be ground up into a very fine consistency), having to wait for the vaporizer to get heated up, and having to clean the vaporizer after using it each time. In addition to having a process that is slightly more cumbersome, many portable and desktop vaporizers cost too much for casual users (although over the long term, vaporizers can actually save you money when it comes to using cannabis).

Vape Temperature Is Important

There was a study conducted in 2009 that was among the first to study vaporizing and variable temperatures. This study, like earlier ones, not only showed that there were fewer harmful byproducts produced by vaping compared to smoking, but the study also show that temperature does make a difference.

Not Blowing Smoke, Vaping Works

Cannabis in this study was vaporized at three separate temperatures (446 degrees F, 392 degrees F and 338 degrees F). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to measure the cannabinoid-to-byproduct ratio. The ratio at 446 degrees F and 392 degrees F was significantly higher than it was with smoking, which showed that vaporizing produced less harmful toxins.

Cannabis is heated to temperature right below combustion by most vaporizers, in the 180 to 200 degree Celsius (356 to 392 degree F) range. It is now known that the amount of compound that is released increased as it approaches the boiling point. It is also now known which specific temperatures different compounds are released at: for non-psychoactive compound cannabichromene (CBC) it is up to 428 degrees F, which is just under the 451 degree F combustion temperature, and for THCA it is 220 degrees F.

So we can now finally answer that elusive question about preferred vaporizer temperature. For medicinal purposes, the temperature depends on which compound you are using. Temperature is still a personal preference for recreational use.

Future Cannabis Vaporization Research

There was not extensive cannabis research that had been done ten years ago since in most countries cannabis was illegal. As cannabis acceptance and legalization continues spreading across the US and world, an increasing number of scientific studies are now being done, find the best vaporizers here. Increase information on vaporization and improved access to products has made it more appealing for cannabis users for medical as well as recreational use.

Scientists are very anxious to have cannabis users to study for exploring both the perceptions and prevalence of vaping, such as the survey of almost 3,000 recreational cannabis users that was done. There was another study that examined the advanced cancer patients’ cannabis intake preferences who were using cannabis for alleviating their symptoms. In addition, there are quantitative studies occurring as well, such as the 2015 study where blood levels were measured which confirmed earlier studies of vaporizing being an effective way to deliver THC.

Since an increasing number of cannabis users are seeing vaporizers as offering additional benefits and being less harmful, it is essential to encourage more experimental research on vaporizing as a way to deliver cannabis.