Yes, it is.
First, I want to start by debunking the bullshit when it comes to how dangerous cannabis is. I’ve written a few blog posts on this. When I was a kid, I remember an urban legend that smoking one joint was the equivalent of smoking five cigarettes. After understanding just how dangerous tobacco is relative to cannabis, it is just crazy that this noise was ever floating around.
I run high, exclusively. Sure, I could run without smoking, but why? Cannabis acts as an expectorant and bronchodilator, so it actually helps with lung function. Runner’s high is actually caused by our endocannabinoid system, so smoking before running has an even greater runner’s high effect. No one smokes cigarettes and then goes for a run. Okay, maybe a couple people do, but I don’t think it’s common. So smoking cannabis is not dangerous to the extent that it will cause lung cancer, emphysema, or even COPD. At least at this current juncture, no one to date has been unequivocally diagnosed with any of the aforementioned diseases due to cannabis use alone.
Combusting Anything Causes Toxins
As an example, raw tobacco contains several hundred carcinogens, but that number is multiplied to thousands once it is combusted. Even sitting around a campfire, you inevitably will inhale some toxins. So while I believe cannabis is always medicine, there are safer and more dangerous ways to consume it.
Edibles
One might think that ingesting it is the safest way. I believe that is true from the perspective of toxins being released into the body because when you eat it, obviously, there is no combustion. However, if you have been paying attention to the news when it comes to emergency room visits for people who have eaten too many edibles, you can see there is an inherent danger to eating edibles if people aren’t careful with the dosing. People can freak out and do some stupid shit, like go to the hospital and incriminate themselves if they live in a prohibited state, when they should have just Googled the fact that you cannot actually OD on cannabis. Also, edibles can be very unpredictable because while personal physiology is always a factor with cannabis consumption, this is particularly true of edibles due to the chemical processes that occur during ingestion.
How Do Edibles Work?
When you ingest cannabis, the Delta-9 THC goes through a chemical conversion in your liver, which converts the Delta-9 THC to 11-hydroxy-THC, which, depending on your personal physiology, can have up to a 10x multiplier effect. I can tell you from personal experience after eating 1 ml of RSO that too much cannabis ingested can be a nightmare, and it can also cause hallucinogenic and psychedelic effects.
So Why Is Vaping Flower Safer?
According to Dr. Riley D. Kirk—and other cannabis research scientists—vaping cannabis removes up to 99% of toxins as compared to smoking it. She’s also doing sponsored content for PAX vaporizers. I happen to have the PAX Mini, and I’ve been a fan of PAX for some time. When you vape flower, you are getting it just hot enough to decarboxylate and vaporize THC and other phytocannabinoids from the flower so that your ECS can then absorb those compounds and get you high. By not getting the flower hot enough to combust, you are essentially extracting the processes that create many more toxins.
Other Reasons to Vape
I honestly love vaping for a few reasons. The health aspect is probably the most important, but frankly, I think it’s generally a better experience. I’ve talked about how cannabis isn’t really “legal” hardly anywhere in the US because you really cannot consume cannabis in public outside of New York without the risk of running afoul of the law. Generally, there is some provision in state legislation about not being able to consume in public. Think of it as the cannabis equivalent of public intoxication for alcohol. When you vape flower, it is not nearly as “loud” (doesn’t smell nearly as much) as smoking, so doing it in public is extremely discreet, and PAX, for instance—along with other vapes—allows you to adjust how hot your vape runs, allowing you to be even more discreet for public consumption. I like to go to a bar and grill and do a little day drinking mixed with some vaping, and no one is generally the wiser. At the very least, no one has ever said anything to me.
Also, vaping is a more consistent high. What I mean by this is, when you smoke cannabis, it kind of hits you like a ton of bricks and then dissipates relatively quickly. Whereas vaping is more of a gradual onset, and the high tends to be more consistent over time, lasting a little bit longer. If you are new to consuming, I would say to start with vaping, as it’s not as intense of a high for beginners. Now, don’t get me wrong, you can still get plenty stoned vaping. It’s a very effective method, but it does typically ease you into it more.
The Taste!
I feel very confident in saying, as a cannabis farmer and connoisseur, that the taste of your flower is far superior when vaping as opposed to smoking. When you smoke cannabis, it’s hard to distinguish the taste from one strain to another, in my opinion. This is certainly not the case when smelling a jar of freshly cured cannabis. The smells are very distinct. I would not say vaping is as distinct as just smelling raw cannabis, but it is certainly more distinct than smoking it. The very first time I vaped cannabis, the way I described it at the time is: it tastes the way the raw version smelled. So it’s definitely this connoisseur’s preferred method of consumption.
I also believe that when you vape flower from a dispensary—as a grower—that the processes they use to bastardize the product, from fast drying, to pesticides, to mold, are more evident when you vape the flower. So it’s a better barometer of of the quality of your cannabis when you vaporize as well. One love.
Related Articles:
The Number One Factor Determining Your Experience With Cannabis
Plant Growth Regulators. What are They and How do They Affect Cannabis Consumers?
The Difference Between Recreational and Medical Cannabis
What Cannabis Strains Are Best For
The Herb Reveals Yourself to Yourself
