If you’re living in one of the states that has legalized marijuana for medical or recreational use, you’ve probably noticed that the stereotype of the “Cheech-and-Chong-lazy-stoner” is proving to be the exception rather than the rule. In addition to it’s many medical uses, more and more people are using marijuana as a safer alternative to alcohol for rest and recreation. There have been ZERO reported deaths due to marijuana overdose, while alcohol claims nearly 88,000 lives annually in the US alone. Now while marijuana may prove to be safer than alcohol in the moment, there are still dangers that come along with inhaling any type of smoke. This is why vaping dry herbs is such an attractive new option.
The most common form of marijuana consumption is arguably burning. Whether rolled into a joint or smoked from an elegant piece of glass, most marijuana consumers are burning the plant and breathing in plumes of smoke. Not everyone is comfortable with this process so the industry is constantly coming up with new ways for users to consume the plant. Long before legalization was even a pipe dream, smokers were already looking for new and inventive uses for marijuana. Cannabis has been used in cooking as far back as 2500 BC, although I’m assuming they didn’t have brownies back then.
Sometime in the mid 90’s, marijuana enthusiasts began to tinker further and soon discovered the method of vaping. While burning the plant is a combustion activity, vaping is a convection or conduction activity, meaning that it’s not burning at all. So where does the smoke come from? That’s a trick question. There is no smoke. What you’re inhaling and exhaling may look like the familiar cloud you get from burning the plant, but it’s actually vapor. Think of vaporizing like boiling the plant, and only inhaling the steam from the active ingredients. When smoking from a pipe or papers, your weed is burning at around 2000℉, whoa that’s hot! (Especially when you consider the average temperature of a house fire is only 1100℉.) While vaping dry herbs, the optimal temperature is around 340-375℉, just enough to turn the active ingredients to a potent vapor while not producing the harmful carcinogens found in traditional smoke. Odor will also be substantially lighter and less persistent.
In addition to being a healthier alternative to smoking, vaporizing causes the user to experience more powerful effects while consuming less plant matter. The money you save by conserving your weed will easily pay for the vaporizer in no time! Another benefit to vaping is that instead of being left with a bowl full of ashes, you now have a chamber full of weed still loaded with cannabinoids. Most vapors double up and use this already vaped bud, or AVB, to cook with.
So to summarize, vaping your herb is safer, eliminating many harmful carcinogens. It’s also a good move financially, since less bud can provide an even better experience. The fact that you can also cook down your AVB to enjoy a second time is just the icing on the Space Cake. It’s no wonder vaping dry herbs is becoming more and more popular with today’s marijuana enthusiasts. Don’t you think it’s time to make the switch?
