Cannabis vaporization came into popularity when users began to realize the benefits of vaping weed versus smoking. Traditionally cannabis has always been combusted but now we have the technology to vaporize. In fact, there are portable, desktop and oil pen vaporizers for added stealth on the market now. When comparing the differences between smoking and vaping we’ll focus on dry herb vaporizers.
Smoke vs. Vapor: What Are You Inhaling?
The greatest distinction between smoking and vaping is combustion. If any combustion occurs, you’ll be inhaling more than just cannabinoids.
In fact, a study that was designed to evaluate the efficacy of herbal vaporizers illustrated it. The study used the same type of cannabis to both vaporize and smoke. What they found was the vaporized cannabis consisted of mostly cannabinoids with a trace of three other compounds. On the other hand, combusted smoke had over 111 compounds including a wide range of toxins.
One of the only advantages to smoking over vaping is it won’t cost you much up front. However, a vaporizer used over a long-term will save you weed and money. Another advantage of smoking is simplicity. To many packing a bowl or rolling a joint comes easier than packing a vaporizer.
Another study found that cannabis users who vaporize were less likely to report respiratory symptoms. So what are the benefits of vaping? Users can still get the benefits of cannabinoids without the pyrolytic smoke compounds.
Finally, research from Leiden University found that the effects of using a vaporizer gave similar results to smoking with less harmful side effects. “The final pulmonal uptake of THC is comparable to the smoking of cannabis while avoiding the respiratory disadvantages of smoking.”
Avoiding combustion also drastically reduces the lingering smell