When it comes to medical marijuana, there are a variety of ways in which patients can use their medicine, whether it is smoking, vaporizing or ingesting edible items such as cannabis oil. However, not all routes of administration have the same effects. Keeping that in mind, here are some benefits of vaporizing medical marijuana as opposed to smoking it:
1. Vaporizing eliminates harmful toxins
Vaporizing avoids burning of plant matter, keeping your lungs clear of harmful by-products such as tar and carbon monoxide while providing all the benefits of cannabinoids such as THC. By heating cannabis to a temperature that is below the combustion point, the cannabinoids present on the trichome heads of the dried marijuana are extracted into a concentrated vapor. This provides a much cleaner effect while producing no measurable amounts of benzene, toluene, and naphthalene, which are generated when medical marijuana is smoked.
2. Vaporizing is more efficient than combustion
Vaporizers offer a much more efficient method of extracting active cannabinoids from dried marijuana, requiring far less material to achieve the same therapeutic effect. When medical marijuana is smoked, a large portion of the active ingredients such as THC and CBD are lost in sidestream smoke and combustion, hence resulting in a maximum of 30% of the total active ingredients being absorbed through the patient’s lungs. Vaporization, on the other hand, is much more efficient as there is no loss of cannabinoids due to pyrolysis. It is estimated that up to 60% of the THC is delivered by a vaporizer.
3. Vaporizing is discreet
Vaporizing marijuana is much simpler and more discreet as compared to combustion, as the vapor is relatively odorless and dissipates much quicker than smoke. There is also no ash to be left behind since combustion is not involved in the process.
4. Vaporizing allows you to select temperature-dependent effects
The range of temperatures in which all cannabinoids evaporate lies between 157 and 220 degrees Celsius. Using a vaporizer with various temperature settings such as the Zeus Smite, you can decide what temperature is used to heat your marijuana, and therefore which cannabinoids and terpenoids are released into your vapor. Typically, using lower temperatures delivers a more cerebral and energetic effect, useful for the daytime. Higher temperatures can be used at night for a more sedative effect.
As you can see, vaporizing offers several clear benefits over the alternative of smoking. By providing all the cannabinoids without any harmful by-products, vaporizers are ideal for the consumption of medical marijuana.