Vape

Definition

There are many different ways to consume the herb. But what is a vape, exactly?

A vape is another word for vaporizer. It's commonly known as a vape although don't get this confused with vape wielding smokers whose vapes are filled with nicotine juice. I would say that the two main types of vaporizer are disposable and the non-disposable. Within these two headings there are definitely other types of vaporizer (Electric, combustion, pen, portable, volcano vapes etc) however, we are going to focus on these two.

A disposable vape is usually one which is strain specific. For example, you buy a Heavy Hitters vape cartridge and the concentrate you smoke is made by Heavy Hitters. This saves you from having to make the concentrate yourself which can be dangerous. You do also need a battery and normally companies have their own batteries which they recommend you use with their cartridges. It is possible to use other batteries with vapes. These vapes are very popular in places like California and they're a great way to get started with vaping.

The other type of vape is, of course, the non-disposable vaporizer. These are the ones which I have always used, mainly because concentrates etc aren't legal in the UK. The non-disposable vapes are used with your own choice of herb, hash or concentrate. You buy the vaporizer separately from the marijuana. You pack the vaporizer just like you pack a pipe or a bong and then you either press the button if it's electric or use a lighter if it's a combustion vaporizer.

Why use a vape?

So why would you use a vaporizer over smoking your herb? The main positive when it comes to using a vape is that it's much healthier. As there's no combustion of plant material then there are nowhere near as many harmful things produced (if any at all). This is why using a vape is so common in MMJ patients because they're normally treating an illness which smoking would simply make worse. As the weed is heated up to a point which is high enough to make the components active, but not too high that they burn, it is arguably the safest way to take your medicine (except maybe eating it). I've often found that vaping weed actually produces much stronger and longer-lasting effects. It's also a creeping high.