Leaving aside the discussion about the risks of inhaling smoke of any kind — whether is a cannabis or tobacco related substance — and the limited research about the consequences of inhaling vapour; I am going to write about the good and bad of both of these modalities of consuming cannabis.
Let’s start with understanding the big difference between vaping and smoking.
Vaping refers to a vaporization process. Meaning, heating weed, buds or concentrates to specific temperatures below the point of combustion in a vaporizer.
Smoking, on the other hand, relies on combustion. Combustion is the process of burning something.
With that clarity out of the way, let’s review the powerful pros and cons of each one.
Vaping Cannabis - Pros
Efficiency. Vaping produces a stream of clouds thanks to a complex process that helps transition a liquidish substance to vapour. That only allows you to taste the strains in detail, and usually gets you multiple sessions from a single load.
Temperature. The technology behind the devices gives you control over temperature and lets you manage the full terpenes experience. (Feel free to visit my blog post about temperature settings!)
Materials. High-quality vape pens, like SLASH, vapourize cannabis only on materials that are well known for their reliability and preservation of the purest flavour, like ceramic, stainless steel, quartz, among others.
No flame, no worries. Because vaporizers don’t require an external heat source, you will never be in the muddle of having weed and no lighter.
Aestethics. To round things up, vape pens are generally more convenient and discreet.
Vaping Cannabis - Cons
Battery. You need an electronic device, which means you need to plug it in and charge it. Not a big deal, but a hussle any way compared to just light your blunt up –more on that later.
Learning curve. Yes, you need to learn how to use your device. Again, this is not rocket science, but the number of questions related to “how to use X vape pen” found online, tells a lot about how tricky the process can get for a bunch of stoners.
Maintenance. As mentioned before, these are high-tech devices manufactured with heating resistant materials. This combination makes them amazing for getting high fast and enjoying every step of the trip. But it also demands some time to get it clean and keep it efficient.
Money. I only bring this up because I strongly recommend you to only sticking with trusted devices and the best vape pens brands. There are still legitimate concerns about various devices on the market that explode, materials melt and infuse the cannabis with toxins, and more crazy stuff. High-quality devices are not cheap, but honestly, there are many amazing personal vape pens, like SLASH, in excellent price ranges.
Smoking Cannabis - Pros
Cheap. The price of a joint is unbeatable. So, it’s clear that smoking doesn’t require much of an investment.
Ritual. Old school has its ways to hook you. Rolling up a joint, manually “grinding” the herb, and so on offers a magic difficult to compete.
No brainer. Smoking doesn’t take a lot of practice. Grab a joint, light it up, when you can’t hold it anymore, your business is over.
Maintenance. There is fairly no maintenance involved. Just don’t break it –and even if you do, you still will smoke it!
Smoking Cannabis - Cons
Control. The straight combustion provides you with less control over the effects.
Odour. It’s not a secret that smoking weed leaves a much stronger smell on you and everything with you!
Flavour and efficiency. Because combustion is in the middle of the process, the burning makes it harder to discern the different strains. Plus, the firing consumes your stash way quicker.
Now, it’s up to you to decide how best to consume cannabis. Let me know what you prefer on social media @avid_dabber. Meanwhile, I will stay with my portable vape.
Stay high.
-The Avid Dabber 🤤🌬️🍃🙃
