Smoking vs Vaping?

While there are many methods available for experiencing cannabis, smoking and vaping remain among the most popular ways of consuming cannabis. Whether you're a seasoned cannabis consumer or brand new to the world of weed, it's important to understand the differences between smoking a joint and using a vaporizer, as they can lead to distinctly different highs.

What is smoking?

Without a doubt, the most popular method of consuming cannabis is smoking. When you smoke cannabis, you burn the flower and inhale the combusted materials into your lungs, allowing cannabinoids quick access to your bloodstream. This leads to immediate physical and psychological effects, which can vary depending on the strain or THC content. The effects of smoking typically last around two to three hours.

Smoking is a widely popular method of cannabis consumption because it's convenient as well as sharable. But while smoking weed will undoubtedly get you high, the combustion that occurs when burning cannabis actually destroys a significant portion of the strains cannabinoid content, wasting valuable cannabinoids and terpenes.

That’s where vaping comes in.

What is vaping?

Vaping (or vaporizing) has become an increasingly popular alternative to smoking cannabis. A ‘vape’ refers to a device that heats the cannabis flower or concentrate to just below the temperature of combustion, transforming it into a cannabinoid and terpene-rich vapor that can be inhaled. Both cannabis flower and concentrates can be vaped. While there is a need for more research, vaping tends to be considered a healthier and stronger alternative to smoking.

And, while everyone experiences cannabis differently, anecdotal evidence suggests that the psychoactive effects of vaping feel different than the effects of smoking. This might be because of the more controlled method of inhalation in comparison to smoking. As well, depending on the vape device you're using, you can often adjust the temperature at which you want the flower or concentrate to be heated, which can impact its potential therapeutic effects. Since essential compounds don't burn away as they do with combustion, you can often taste the nuanced flavor of the strain better with vaping, which can lead to an elevated experience.

There are so many different vape products on the market these days, from the Blue Rocket Disposable Vape Pen to the Utillian 5 Wax Vaporizer Vaporizers.

Never tried vaping before and curious about it? Chat with one of our knowledgeable budtenders and see what might be a good product for you.