Cannabis Vape Guide: Everything You Need To Know

Quick Facts About Cannabis and Vaping

Around 14% of Canadians have used cannabis in the past 3 months. Learn how to choose a weed vape pen like a boss. All you need to be familiar with as a beginner cannabis vape user is included in this cannabis vape guide

Out of the 4.2 million Canadians who admit to smoking weed, 56% of them are daily cannabis users. Vaping weed lets you experience the benefits of marijuana without the negative health effects of smoking.

You, too, can enjoy a smooth hit of vapour instead of a cloud of smoke. Your lungs will thank you for it. The high alone is worth it. Here’s some helpful information to keep in mind when you’re choosing a vape pen.

What is vaporizing?

Vaping cannabis means heating flower or concentrate to the temperature required to release its active ingredients, but before it combusts. The active ingredients—mainly cannabinoids and terpenes—are released in the form of vapour, which is inhaled.

Since combustion does not occur, smoke is not created, which is why vaporizing flower is considered healthier than smoking. Vaping concentrates (such as rosin, shatter, and wax) may also be healthier than smoking, although this is a matter of scientific debate, and depends very much on how the concentrate and its associated vape was made.

If you only need to remember one thing, it should be this: legal, regulated cannabis products and vaporizing devices are always the safest bets. This cannabis vape guide will instruct you on how to consume it safely, just keep scrolling

Is vaping safe?

According to two recent survey studies, people who vape cannabis perceive it to have health benefits and find it to be safer and less harmful to their health than smoking. Furthermore, cannabis vaporizers are specifically designed for inhalation without harmful smoke toxins.

But what do researchers say? Does vaporizing reduce ingestion of potentially harmful toxins like tar, ammonia, and carcinogens found in cannabis smoke? While there is very little research on cannabis vaporizing, studies over the years have shown that vaporizing does produce fewer carcinogenic compounds than smoking marijuana because it is heated but not combusted.

Although cannabis smoke is less toxic than cigarette smoke, inhalation of any combustion product is less than desirable. Any type of smoke still contains gases and particulates that can create lung irritation and respiratory problems. In fact, over 100 toxins and compounds are released when cannabis is burned.

The effects of cannabis vaporization

Many medical patients have problematic respiratory systems and their lungs may be highly irritated by smoke, so they often find relief in vapour inhalation.

Some consumers say vaporizers produce a more clear-headed high because smoke is not inhaled, but there are few studies that research whether vaping and smoking indeed create different types of highs. In an early study of 18 subjects, each subject either smoked or vaped one of three different strengths of THC (1.7, 3.4 of 6.8 percent), followed by measurements of delta-9-THC in blood and carbon monoxide in expired air. While blood levels were not significantly different, expired carbon monoxide was greatly reduced when vaporization was used.

In a recent 2014 study of about 100 subjects who both smoked and vaporized, consumers reported several benefits of vaporizing over smoking, including the lack of smoke smell and better taste. They also reported that the same amount of cannabis product produced more effect with vaping. After the study, nearly all participants planned to continue vaporizer use.

Novice consumers also tend to prefer vaporizing because the vapour can be inhaled in short puffs rather than deep breaths. Additionally, people appreciate the added benefit that it is more discreet to use a vaporizer.

Vaping 101

In a nutshell, When you vape weed, you don’t have to worry about smoke, or smelling up the place. That’s why vape pens are perfect for discrete use. Learning the nitty gritty about vape pens is part of vaping for beginners.

Vape pens are usually loaded with cartridges full of cannabis oil. However, other vapes out there can also turn wax and dry herb into vapour.

The atomizer is what heats up the cartridge’s contents. Heating coils increase the temperature whenever you take a hit. This converts the oil into vapour.

A vape pen’s battery is what powers the device.

One of the main types of vape pens you should be familiar with is open source “5/10-thread” vape pens.

Disposable vs. Reusable

There are several types of vaporizers you can choose from when you start looking – but the most popular are the pen style vapes that look like an e-cig. These are preferred because they are more discrete than bulkier vapes, are generally cost effective, and some come prefilled from dispensaries. However, even once you decide on a pen vape you will still need to decide if you would prefer a disposable or reusable one.

There are pros and cons to both – and it really all comes down to your personal needs.

Pros and Cons of a Disposable Vape Pen:

Pros:

• Comes prefilled
• Will not need charged between uses
• Inexpensive

Cons:

• When it runs out, it’s out
• Can be more expensive if you used it regularly
• Only one choice in strain per pen

Pros and Cons of a Reusable Vape Pen:

Pros:

• Can be recharged for frequent use
• Interchangeable cartridges mean more strain options
• Pre-filled cartridges available (usually less expensive than disposable pens)

Cons:

• Requires charging before use
• More expensive right out of the gate (less expensive over the long-term)
• Batteries can die, and pen may need to be replaced

If you are looking into a vape pen because you think you will use it frequently while going about your day-to-day activities, then you may want to consider a reusable vape pen. It will save you money in the long-run to buy cartridges – and you can mix and match strains, giving your more options. Wake and bake vaping with a sativa and wind down at the end of the night with an indica – your options are limitless.

However, if you’re looking for something that will be just what you need in the short-term either because you don’t consume cannabis very often, or because you are visiting a legal state – then you may want to consider a disposable vape pen. If you want variety in strains, consider more than one – but then you won’t be stuck with something you hardly ever use or cannot keep when you go home. When the pen runs out, simply toss it – if you need another one you can always go back to the dispensary.

ARCannabis Stores offers a variety of reusable and disposable vape pens and prefilled cartridges. Oil cartridges come as an indica or sativa strain, with either 250 or 500 milligrams of THC. No matter what your needs – medicinal or recreational – ARCannabis has a vape that will fit the bill.

Open Source

Open source vape pens are the most common type of weed vape pen. They’re called “510 thread pens” because of the threading they use.

The threads connect the batteries to the vape cartridges. In 510 pens, the threading has 10 screw threads. The cartridges are also 5 millimetres long, hence where the term “5/10” comes from.

510 thread pens are considered the “default” pen for cartridges. Think of an open source vape pen as your safest bet.

Plus, open source vape pens come in a variety of colours and designs. Let your freak flag fly and get an open source vape pen that matches your personality.

The major drawback of this kind of device is that temperature control is usually limited. Keep scrolling to learn more on that.

Temperature Control

The best vape pen to buy gives you accurate control over the temperature. Ideally, you should vape at the lowest possible temperature (which is somewhere below 580 degrees Fahrenheit).

Cannabinoids start vaporizing at 285 degrees Fahrenheit. Around 338 degrees Fahrenheit is a good temperature to start with.

Typical 510 vape pens usually let you control the temperature in “zones” like low, medium, and high. If you’re not sure about how to work a vape pen, read the instructions or consult the vendor you bought it from.

Vaping at the right temperature enhances the taste of the vapour. It’s also better for your health. At high temperatures, certain compounds in cannabis like terpenes can combust and degrade into the kinds of compounds that harm you.

At too high of a temperature, the vapour will also taste burnt and whittle away at those precious cannabinoids.

Not All Is Sunshine & Vapour Blows

Vapes have been linked, nevertheless, with multiple health cases in the US and Canada for detrimental lung conditions and, in some cases, death.  The only death linked to THC vapes bought at legal shops occurred in Oregon, where health officials on Thursday, December 12th, 2019 announced a second fatality and urged people to stop vaping.

Amid the health scare, the amount of the legal pot industry’s revenue that comes from vape products has dropped by 15% nationwide, with some states seeing decreases of more than 60%

The symptoms typically include shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, weakness, and tiredness.

Scientists have coined the term EVALI, which stands for “e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury,” to refer to the syndrome. Leafly, ARCannabis sand others refer to “vaping-associated pulmonary illness” as VAPI.

Early research indicated that a single ingredient may be the cause of the problems. This ingredient is called vitamin E acetate, and it is typically used as a thickener in cannabis-containing vape cartridges.

However, in an Oct. 18, 2019 release, the CDC insisted that the cause of VAPI has not yet been determined.

“No single compound or ingredient has emerged as the cause of these injuries to date, and there might be more than one cause. Available data suggest THC-containing products play a role in this outbreak, but the specific chemical or chemicals responsible for [VAPI] have not yet been identified, and nicotine-containing products have not been excluded as a possible cause.”

Health Care Specialists

Conclusion

By now, you’ve hopefully learned something new about how to purchase your cannabis vape that matches your needs and consumption through this cannabis vape guide. Let us know in the comments if there is a topic you would specifically love to learn about and we promise to deliver. Make sure to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments, we would love to hear what you have to say!