Guides
Smoking Vs. Vaping: What are the Differences?
More and more, the question of how to consume weed boils down to one question: Smoking vs. vaping? Here’s everything you need to know so you can figure out what’s best for you.
There are many different ways to consume weed today. Each method can vary in effect. The quickest way to feel the effects is by inhaling cannabis. Many people choose to vaporize over smoking weed because they believe vaping is safer. On the other hand, smokers may not feel they’re getting the effects they want when vaping. When it comes to smoking vs. vaping weed what are the differences? We’ll go over the pros and cons of each to find out.
Benefits of Smoking Weed
The classic way to consume cannabis is by smoking it. But how exactly does smoke stack up against vapor? Here’s what smoke has going for it.
Small Initial Investment
Unlike a vaporizer, all you need to smoke weed is the herb itself and something to burn it through. Fortunately, there are tons of affordable ways to go about it. Papers, one hitters, bowls, chillums, and other simple pipes are all inexpensive ways to smoke your weed. You can even make your own pipe out of fruit if you really don’t want to spend any extra cash.
Smokers Are More Social
Smoking is the most social way to consume cannabis. There’s a culture to it. Puff, puff, and pass it to the left. You’ll probably meet more people smoking vs. vaping. It’s a lot easier to smoke a joint with a group of people than it is to teach everyone to use a vaporizer.
Downsides to Smoking Weed
When you compare it to vaporizing, smoking definitely comes with a set of downsides.
More Harmful
It doesn’t matter if it’s weed causing the smoke. All smoke is harmful to your overall lung health. The American Lung Association found that cannabis smoke contains “many of the same toxins, irritants, and carcinogens as tobacco smoke.”
Burning
It’s easy to burn through a large amount of weed. An eighth can be demolished in one night of smoking. A long night of smoking with friends can see the end of an ounce. When it comes to smoking vs. vaping weed, your stash goes a long way with the vape.
Benefits of Vaping Weed
If there were no benefits to vaporizing, weed vaporizers wouldn’t be flying off the shelves. There are lots of benefits to vaping vs. smoking cannabis, and there’s research to back it up.
Healthier
Vaping weed is better for your health than smoking it. Cannabis doesn’t have any carcinogens until it is burned. Carcinogens are released during the combustion process. They are harmful to the throat and lungs. In fact, one study confirmed cannabis users who vaporize had decreased respiratory symptoms. So, if you’re a heavy cannabis user, you should pick up a vaporizer.
Cost Effective
A good vaporizer makes more efficient use of your weed’s THC than a joint would. In fact, “a collaborative study conducted by California NORML and MAPS found that vaporizers could convert 46 percent of available THC into vapor, whereas the average marijuana joint converted less than 25 percent of THC. Likewise, patients ranked vaporizers as the most efficient method of marijuana intake—requiring a lower dose than smoking, edibles, and tea—in a recent study published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.”
So you get nearly twice as much THC from the same amount of bud using a vaporizer instead of a joint. That being said, the large initial cost of a vaporizer should pay for itself with the amount of cannabis you save.
Stealthier
One of the main appeals to vaporization is the lack of a scent. It isn’t completely odorless. However, vapor doesn’t linger or stick to things as much as smoke does. We equate it to farting in a car with the windows up. Yeah, it’s going to stink. However, a minute or two of driving with the windows down will make it safe to take your nose out from under your shirt collar. If discretion is your concern or you just don’t want to stink of weed all the time, consider investing in a vaporizer.
Downsides to Vaping Weed
Clearly, there are plenty of reasons to buy a vaporizer. But we also know there are a few good reasons people might want to avoid it.
Large Initial Investment
Not everyone has hundreds of dollars to spend on a vaporizer. If you ever break or lose it, you’ll have to pay to replace it. Fortunately, there are companies that provide warranties for devices that stop working. Magic Flight is one of the few vaporizer brands that replace their devices for life, even if it’s your fault that it broke.
Hard To Share
Depending on your vaporizer, one pack may only satisfy one user. So, you’ll be stuck repacking the vape constantly. You may even run out of battery before everyone is as high as they want to be. Not to mention, some vaporizers come with a learning curve. So you’ll be stuck trying to teach everyone how to hit it properly. In social settings, you’re definitely better off with a joint. Having a vaporizer in the smoke circle is kind of a hassle.
Final Hit: Smoking Vs. Vaping
So, there are a lot of differences between smoking and vaping. If you’re not a heavy cannabis user and you want to keep things simple, smoking is probably best for you. On the other hand, medical patients or anyone concerned with their health will find vaping to be the better choice. You can also save money in the long run by using one of the best vaporizers.
