Vaping VS Smoking: Does Vaping Change the Potency of Your Flower?
In the last decade vaping has become an increasingly popular way to consume cannabis. This is mostly because of the versatile nature of vaping when compared to smoking. Vaping doesn't only allow you to consume cannabis discretely. Studies have also found that vaping can change the potency of your flower. When it comes down to it, getting more bang for your buck is one of the reasons people choose vaping vs smoking for their cannabis flower.
Vaping VS Smoking – What do Consumers Prefer?
There are many ways you can consume marijuana, but for generations the most popular choice has been smoking. Whether in the form of a joint, out of a pipe or bong, even now, smoking remains the favored way to use cannabis.
A 2020 survey found that for 59 percent of consumers, smoking was still their only method of consumption. On the other hand, nearly 20 percent reported that they vaped often, with only about 2 percent saying they exclusively chose vaping.
When it comes down to it, consumers still prefer smoking vs vaping, but vaping is steadily growing in popularity. One of the reasons for this is vaping seems to provide a cleaner and smoother inhale that hits harder using less bud.
Studies Found Vaping Increased the Potency of Cannabis Flower
Does vaping really increase the potency of your cannabis flower? The answer is sort of yes, and sort of no. Obviously vaping cannot change the potency of the strain you’ve chosen. If the strain has 21 percent THC, then it will still have that same 20 percent whether it is loaded into a bowl or a vape.
However, vaping gives you more control over which cannabinoids, terpenes, fland flavonoids you release in your hit. The reason for this is that unlike smoking, which combusts the flower at a single heat and releases harmful carcinogens, vaping heats the plant matter to the boiling point of the specific cannabinoids you are looking to benefit from.
A 2018 study out of Johns Hopkins found that for infrequent cannabis users, that vaping increased the effects experienced. Published in the JAMA Network Open, the study found that self-reported, those who vaped reported an average of 77.5 on the overall strength of the drug, compared to an average of 66.4 reported by those smoking the same dose.
There experience was further confirmed by blood tests. Researchers found that those the concentration of THC was higher in those who were vaping vs smoking. At 25 milligrams of THC, blood levels reached an average of 14.4 nanograms per milliliter when vaped and 10.2 nanograms per milliliter when smoked.
How Temperature Control Makes a Difference in Potency
As mentioned earlier, vaping cannabis gives you more control over the specific cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids you are inhaling. That’s because each of these compounds has their own heat at which they hit a boiling point – some as low as 360 degrees Fahrenheit and some as high as 420 degrees or more.
Most vaporizers, especially ones designed for use with flower instead of concentrates, will include a temperature control option. Not only will this allow you to control what is in your vapor, but it will also likely stretch the life of your cannabis flower.
You’re also more likely to get benefits from additional compounds, like terpenes and flavonoids. These compounds are often lost in combustion when the plant material is smoked. This temperature control and ability to preserve terpenes is why cannabis flower is more potent when vaped rather than smoked.
Is Vaping Cannabis a Safe Alternative to Smoking?
One of the reasons new consumers shy away from smoking and vaping for alternatives like edibles and tinctures is because of health concerns. There are always going to be health risks involved with inhaling smoke or vapor of any kind. But there are many benefits to doing so (like fast-acting relief) that leave smoking the preferred method of consumption.
Rightfully so, after a slew of hospitalizations related to vaping in recent years might have you concerned as well. The good news is, the CDC found that most cases of EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping use – associated lung injury) were related to THC cartridges bought off the black market. Only 1.7 cases per million people were in states where cannabis is recreationally legal. Compare that to 8.8 and 8.1 in states with only medical marijuana laws, or where prohibition is still in full swing.
Even better news – we’re not talking about vaping concentrates here, we’re talking about your regular old marijuana flower. When it comes down to it, the health benefits of vaping vs smoking weed are numerous.
For example, vaping means…
A cooler and smoother hit to inhale.
The ability to get more out of your bud with temperature control.
More consistent dosage with near instant effects.
More discrete with less odor.
There are many reasons that you might consider vaping vs smoking cannabis flower. These are some of the reasons commonly given by consumers. You’ll also likely find that switching to vaping extends the life of your flower. This is because it won’t take as much to reach the desired effect. Overall, there are definite benefits to vaping, even if more traditional smoking remains the preferred consumption method for now.
Why Choose Fleur Brand Cannabis for Your Vaporizer
Fleur Brand cannabis flower is 100 percent organically grown and is Clean Green Certified. We never use synthetic fertilizers or toxic additives. Our cannabis is completely natural, unlike others who use pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, and other toxins in the cultivation process. Our talented team of scientists and cannabis experts have helped us bring our vision of a truly organic cannabis to dispensaries near you.