Two things have become popular at national and international cannabis festivals. Even cannabis purists cannot deny that vaporizing dry herbs and cannabis concentrates, as well as dab rigs, has taken the place of straight smoking in the cannabis community. With both vaporization and dabbing, there is something that everyone who chooses these methods of ingestion should know about: temperature. It can affect your high and there are temperatures for releasing both cannabinoids and the terpenes.
So, if you’ve already bought your cannabis seeds and harvested your strains, before you fire up your portable vaporizer or that Volcano Vaporizer sitting on your desk, read on to find out what temperature is best.
Why Temperature is Important
At certain temperatures, vaporization ceases and carbonization begins. This means that you are producing carcinogens. Is smoking cannabis healthier than smoking cigarettes? Many people believe that yes, it is healthier, but only if you stay below the temperature at which combustion begins: 365 degrees Fahrenheit.
One carcinogen is benzene. It’s quite common and is found in everything from soda to car exhaust. However, combusted cannabis contains less benzene than combusted tobacco. This is another reason to consider switching to a vaporizer over analog cigarettes and combusted cannabis.
Vaporization vs Dabbing
The main difference between vaporization and dabbing is that most people generally think of vaporization in terms of e-juices or oils or dry herbs. Dabbing involves concentrated cannabis products called wax, shatter, or dabs. The concentrated cannabis oil or wax can be composed of THC or CBD, two of the primary cannabinoids found in cannabis.
While dabbing may be healthier than smoking cannabis, it is still not as healthy as vaporizing. Why? The answer lies in convective versus conductive heat.
Convective vs Conductive Heat
Many vaporizers and dab rigs rely on conductive heat. This simply means that heat is applied directly to the oil, wax, or dry herb. This is a form of combustion, even though you may be inhaling with a vapor mod, the heat used to release that vapor can get higher than a frying pan used for cooking.
While not necessarily bad per se, it is not as healthy as the other method of heating: convective heating. In convective heating, the air around the dry herb, oil, or concentrate is heated until the cannabis or concentrate is warm enough to begin releasing a vapor. Convection avoids releasing those harmful carcinogens, including benzene. This means that you are inhaling the purest form of uncharred cannabinoids.
Find a Quality Vaporizer
While many vaporizers do rely on conductive heating, there are a few vaporizers and dab rigs that rely on convective heating. When you go to purchase your next vaporizer, ask the salesperson what method of heating is used. There are some nifty 3-in-1 devices that can vaporize it all: dry herb, cannabis oils, and cannabis concentrates. Some just need a change of cartridge or atomizer to switch between the various forms of cannabis.
When considering switching to vaporizing over combustion, you’ll want to ensure that your vaporizer has a temperature setting that is kept below 365 degrees Fahrenheit. This will ensure that you are, indeed, inhaling vapor and not smoke.
We’re so happy to welcome Michael to our blog today, to tell us all about vaporizing with cannabis! Michael is a marketing and creative content specialist at GotVape.com with a primary focus on customer satisfaction. Technology and fitness combined with a healthy lifestyle obsession are his main talking points. Take it away, Michael!
