As vaping has become a more acceptable way to take medical marijuana, a lively debate has sprung up around the various pros and cons. The traditionalists prefer smoking, turning flower into prerolls, using a pipe, bong, or bowl. But the more modern and discrete have embraced vaping. The convenience of a 510 pen is undeniable. Of course, there’s many an argument for and against either.
Vaping vs. Smoking: Potency
Other than the above another point in favor of vaping is the higher potency obtained through this method. Fans of vaping have long argued that the “high” obtained from vaping THC is more intense and the onset more immediate than smokable flower. Recent studies appear to bear this out. Biometric measurements of subjects who either smoked flower or vaped distillate or rosin of a specific quantity of marijuana show a more rapid onset and a more potent effect with vape.
This isn’t always a good point for everyone, however. Someone accustomed to smoking marijuana may find the more intense effects of vaping unpleasant or inconvenient and possibly struggle with finding the correct dosage. It’s also worth noting that highs produced by vaping may be of shorter duration.
Dollars and Cents
Another argument put forward in favor of vape is that it’s more cost-effective, essentially more bang for your buck. It’s argued by fans of vaping that the cost of cannabis oil cartridges is lower and they last longer than a comparable amount of cannabis in the form of flower along with there being less waste. For their part, users argue that a distillate cart will last longer, meaning that they spend less money in the same period of time.
Whether or not this is accurate will depend mainly on the individual smoker. The cost of marijuana and THC cartridges cost is very similar, if you’re considering the amount of THC derived from each. Because doses are more controlled with a vape device, it may work out as more cost-effective.
On the other hand, the simple convenience of a vape pen may work against cost-effectiveness. When someone doesn’t have to go through rolling a joint, they may tend to use their THC vape more frequently than they might smoke flower. Conveniently using that vape all day will have you burn through it quickly. No pun intended.
Health Effects
Perhaps the most persuasive argument made by users of cartridge vape devices is that this form of cannabis is less harmful to the body. At least now that we’ve gotten through the vape scare of 2019 when kids were buying cheap Chinese vape carts from convenience stores and having negative reactions. Now that hardware has improved vastly this would indeed be an essential point in favor of vaping. While smoking cannabis is far less harmful than smoking tobacco, it’s still smoking. When you inhale the smoke from a preroll or pipe, you breathe in burned plant material along with the active ingredients. Vapor, in contrast, is smoke-free.
The best solution is that if you don’t get your carts from One Plant that you do get them from a dispensary you can trust. Faulty cartridges or black-market cartridges are far more likely to contain contaminants or unsafe ingredients.
Overall, the choice to smoke or vape will come down to your personal preference. While Florida medical cannabis smokers are unlikely to want to part with their prerolls any time soon, vape carts do have some clear advantages over smoking, especially in terms of convenience and discretion. You can’t show up to your daughter’s piano recital smelling like a reggae concert. With more choice, broader availability, and higher quality carts containing rosin vape will no doubt continue to gain popularity. Plus in medicinal states like Florida you use up much less on your monthly rec with carts than traditional flower.
