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A Touch of the Vapors
For the majority of cannabis patients, smoking is the most common and easiest way to medicate. Herb, pipe and fire are all that is needed. Some people however, are unable to handle the smoke delivery method. There are those with weakened pulmonary systems, or are prone to infection. There are many other ways of bringing cannabinoids into the body. Today a patient can get edibles, tinctures, or use a vaporizer. These marvels of modern technology are capable of delivering all of the good chemicals from cannabis, without any of the junk that comes with smoking.
Vaporizers, as the name says, brings the chemicals to their just below their flashpoint (when a chemical ignites) without combustion. That means that tar, CO, CO2 and other toxic compounds are neither produced, nor inhaled. Only the desired chemicals, THC, CBD, CBN and other cannabinoids, are delivered to the lungs and absorbed into the body. So, it’s a purer delivery and safer for the user. While on the topic of safety, no combustion means no fire. And no fire means no accidentally burning down the house. Most vaporizers operate best between 170°C and 190°C. THC vaporizes at 150°C and other cannabinoids at slightly higher temperatures. Cannabis and its component chemicals have flashpoints just above 200°C, so try to avoid any machines that operate at that temperature, or else it will be just like smoking.
There are numerous machines are the market, from little portable devices, such as the iolite, to the king of them all, the Volcano. Some are activate and inhale, while others have a variety of settings allowing the user to customize to their preference. The more complex devices allow users the choice of setting the temperature so they can use it for other herbs such as sage and clove (which have their own therapeutic benefits). Iolite‘s portable devices are very easy to operate; they require only herbs and butane as a fuel. Volcano Vaporizers have require a little bit more work. They have adjustable temperature settings and numerous attachments. Theirs is an interesting setup. The machine works by vaporizing the herbs and expelling the vapor into a big plastic bag (similar in size to bags on the Sunday newspaper), which stores the gas and can be inhaled through a valve. That’s very convenient because the bag is portable, and can be passed around. However, the longer the vapor sits, the lower the quality is. As it cools, the cannabinoids condense onto the lining of the bag so potency will decrease over time.
There are a few rules that people should know about vaporizers. First of all, herbs must be broken up finely, preferably ground up, to maximize surface area for a clean burn (well, not really burning but don’t drop a whole nug into the chamber) Second, herbs should be properly dried. If it is still moist than water will vaporize to steam and that can damage sinus, esophageal and lung tissue. Nobody wants to medicate only to find themselves the victim of a steam burn. Also, higher moisture contents lead to stickier remains and more difficulty while cleaning the equipment.
Most of these devices are not cheap. Some users prefer to spend the same amount of money on a large pipe or a classy bong, but they won’t deliver the medication as kindly to the body. Third, remember to clean the device after use.
There are lots of vaporizers on the market so take time to look into your own requirements, whether for ease of use or level build quality. Some can be costly but well worth it so make sure it fits your needs. You can also check out vapornation for an excellent selection and prices on quality products.