Why vape your weed instead of smoking it?
There are lots of reasons why switching to a weed vape is a great idea:
- Vaporized marijuana is heated, not burned, so there’s almost no carcinogens going to your lungs—vape “smoke” is about 95% pure vapor
- Vaporized pot is way more powerful than smoke from a joint—it’s full of cannabinoids like THC
- Less smoke from a burning joint means less chance of lung cancer, emphysema, and other nasty things
- Vaping is safer for your mouth, too, so you avoid mouth cancers and dental problems from smoking
- Vape smoke doesn’t smell like a burning blunt so you can keep it on the down low, and some users says it tastes a lot better
- If you vape buds instead of wax or oil, you can reuse the bud to make brownies and other goodies
- Vaping costs less than smoking
So what kind of vaporizer is best for enjoying marijuana? Although there are many kinds for tobacco, not all of those work well for pot. But we’ve come a long way from needing those big, bulky tabletop models. You can review our recommended portable vaporizors here and some other options here.
More reasons why vaping beats smoking
- Hack hack cough cough phlegm. Aren’t you tired of that?
- Running around with Glade or Febreeze or lighting candles before your parents come home.
- Not having a match or a lighter when you need one.
- Worrying about lung cancer and other health problems.
- Not being able to smoke when you want because you’re in the wrong place.
In short, it cuts out the little annoyances. And even though there’s a lot of noise about vaping, it’s medically proven to be safer than smoking.
In 2010, twenty weed smokers who toked on a frequent basis switched to vaping for one month. What happened? They got healthier. Every pot smoker in this government-sponsored medical study was able to breathe easier by the end of the month of vaping instead of smoking.
Famous vapers
There’s a whole lot of them! Whoopi Goldberg vapes weed to help control her glaucoma and headaches. Another famous vaper is Leonardo DiCaprio, caught in the act of vaping at the Oscars. You may also see Miley Cyrus, Robert Pattinson, Rihanna, Matt Damon, George Clooney, and possibly Morgan Freeman.
Photo credit: The Nominant.
Make edibles with already-vaped weed
Use the weed you just vaporized to make a base ingredient for treats to continue the high. You’ll need the following ingredients and tools:
- ½-ounce weed from your vaporizer
- ½-cup of oil (olive, coconut, or canola) or ½-cup of unsalted butter
- Medium-size sauce pan
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Cheesecloth for straining, or a coffee filter
- Container for storing what you’ve made
Make a sort of tea bag with the weed inside the cheesecloth or coffee filter. Put the oil or butter in the sauce pan with the bag.
Heat this mixture on low until it starts to simmer or bubble just a little bit. Keep it going while you stir it off and on for 20 minutes.
Let it cool a bit and squeeze all the oil or butter out of the bag. Pour your new special oil into a container.
Now, go make brownies or cookies or whatever you like, using your new cannabis oil to add a zing to your meal.
How to use a pen vaporizer
Plug it in
All of our top selections have rechargeable batteries. Yes, they arrive with some charge in them, enough for a few hits, but please do take the time to put them on the charger for a few hours. On the bright side, any vaporizer pen that uses lithium-ion batteries can be topped off at any time. You don’t need to run down the battery first.
Read the directions
Just to be sure you’re not doing it wrong, check out the quick start guide. Read it twice if you’re already buzzed.
Burn out the factory leftovers
Take your fully-charged pen outside and let it rip, empty, on the highest heat setting for about a minute. That should clear out any residue from the factory.
Load it up
Fill your new vaporizer with ground-up herb or pop in a cartridge.
Heat it up
Depending on the model you bought, you might have to wait three to thirty seconds for your first hit. Your vaporizer will let you know with a light or a vibration when it’s ready to smoke.
Inhale
This isn’t a joint, this is a much more powerful delivery system. Puff gently a few times if you’ve never used one before. The vapor is almost pure cannabis “smoke” and will get you higher faster than smoking does. You don’t need to hold it in to get the most from it.
Clean it up
Every pen pulls apart for cleaning, some better than others. Check the directions that you read back in step 2.
