Exploring why you should make the switch from smoking to vaping for a safer way to enjoy your favorite botanicals.
Vaping is a clean, flavorful way to quickly and effectively use dry herbs and extracts, including vape liquids, making it popular among those who used to prefer to smoke. Here we take a close look at why you may consider vaping over smoking, including how vaping is safer than smoking and the effects of vaping on your health.
What is Vaping?
You may have heard about its advantages or spoken to someone who switched from smoking to vaping and want to try vaping for yourself, but do you know how vaping works?
In order to vape, you need a vaporizer – an electrically powered piece of hardware that turns your vape material into vapor. When vaping, vaporizers use a heating source, usually called an atomizer, to turn electrical power into heat, bringing your vape material to a temperature below the point when combustion occurs but hot enough to turn the active ingredients into a vapor you can inhale.
Using a vaporizer allows you to take advantage of the active ingredients in your vape material without burning it, avoiding many of the toxins and carcinogens that are released by combustion when smoking. Keep reading to learn more about why vaping is seen as safer than smoking.
Why is Vaping Better Than Smoking?
Vaping has grown in popularity, largely due to the fact that vaping is seen as safer to long term health than smoking. In fact, many consumers begin vaping to avoid the dangers of smoking. That is because smoking burns botanical material to release its active ingredients. Smoking also produces carbon monoxide and other dangerous byproducts that can negatively affect your health when the smoke is inhaled.
According to one study, “Smoking-related diseases are pathophysiologically attributed to oxidative stress, activation of inflammatory pathways and the toxic effect of more than 4000 chemicals and carcinogens present in… smoke.”
By avoiding combustion, vapes do not create the same high levels of harmful byproducts created by smoking. Researchers comparing vaping to smoking concluded that “vaporization… is a safe and effective mode of delivery,” after they found that vaporizers deliver the same levels of active compounds to the bloodstream as smoking while minimizing carbon monoxide and other byproducts that are adverse to your health.
If you currently smoke, you may want to consider vaping instead. In 2010, researchers found that previous smokers experienced “meaningful improvements in respiratory function” after only a month of switching to using a vaporizer.
Is Vaping Safe?
In general, vaping is a safe method for consuming your favorite botanicals. However, with some considerations, you can help ensure that every vape session is as safe and enjoyable as possible.
The safety of your vaping sessions will be affected greatly by the quality of the materials that you vape. Not all dry herbs, waxes, oils, and vape liquids are created equal. You will absorb the compounds within the materials that you vape, so you want to make sure to only use high-quality products made with ingredients that are “GRAS” or generally regarded as safe.
The best vape products are tested for residual solvents and other chemicals that might make their way into finished products, ensuring they are safe to use. All Medical Marijuana, Inc. CBD products, including our vape oil and liquid, is held to our strict Triple Lab Tested™ standard.
When looking at concentrates like waxes, oils, and liquids, choose products that are made with non-toxic solvents like CO2. Any dry herb you vape should be cultivated without chemicals that can then transfer toxic components to the vapor you inhale. This will further protect you against potential contamination of your vapor by residual chemicals.
The temperature that you use when vaping also affects the quality of your vapor. Harmful toxins enter your vapor when higher temperatures are reached – starting at trace amounts at 392°F and continue in higher amounts as temperatures increase to combustion. Using lower temperature settings on your vaporizer can help keep your vapor clear of harmful compounds.
Even though it is safer than smoking, those with respiratory issues like asthma may find vaping too irritating to the lungs and throat and may be better off choosing a different consumption method.
What Types of Vaporizers are Available?
Vapes comes in a wide variety of sizes, with many different features available. Typically, vapes are categorized by the material with which they are compatible: dry herb, botanical extracts, and liquids/oils. Some versatile vapes work with more than one type of vape material.
The size of a vape is also something to consider. Some vapes are large tabletop units that require an electrical outlet. Others use battery power, making them portable for use on the go. There are even discreet mini vapes that slide easily into your pocket.
While no one type of vape is safer than others, features like variable temperature options and the use of high quality materials like ceramic, quartz, and titanium can reduce the risk of potential toxins entering your vapor.
Want to Learn More About Vaping?
Want to know more? Visit our Vaping 101 guide or our complete beginner’s guide to vaping for everything you need to know about vaping, including the benefits of vaping, your choice in vaporizers, and of course, how to vape.
Need a new vape? Visit the Medical Marijuana, Inc. store to shop our full line of vaporizers.
