The Cannabis Vaporizing Thread
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All threads related to vaporzing will be merged into this thread.*
illegal_smiles: 8/23/08
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-- More DETAILED information on vaporizers and the VaporBros/VaporWarez/VaporDoc vaporizer CLICK HERE*Only exception is the volcano vaporizer which has a VERY large thread already,
click HERE to see the Volcano Vaporizer thread
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Vaporizer Medical implicationsThe shortcomings of smoking as a delivery medium for cannabis have been widely viewed as a major obstacle for the approval of medical marijuana. In response, several scientific studies have tried to establish whether vaporizers could offer a clinically reliable and safe method of cannabis use. Though vaporizers show great variations of performance, model to model, such studies have consistently found vaporization superior to smoking. When using high-end vaporizers along with high grade cannabis (containing elevated levels of THC),
all undesired compounds are found to be eliminated, in a manner consistent enough for clinical trials. In comparison to other THC delivery methods such as ingestion,
vaporization offers the advantages of: rapid onset, direct delivery into the bloodstream (via the lungs), and the possibility of gradually increasing delivery until the desired level is reached, enabling more effective self-dosage.
Health and medical useRegardless of the benefits of medical cannabis, the widely perceived health risks of smoking as a route of administration have been viewed as a major obstacle for the legal approval of cannabis for medical uses, though some studies indicate that the expectorant activity of THC may help the lungs remove much of the inhaled tar through coughing. In response to the concerns, several studies have aimed to establish whether or not vaporizers could offer a clinically reliable and safe route of administration for cannabis. Though vaporizers show great variations in performance, such studies have consistently found vaporization superior to smoking and with best case (high-end vaporizers used with potent cannabis) results showing an elimination of undesired compounds suitable for clinical trials. In comparison to other routes of administering cannabis such as eating, vaporization offers the advantages of inhalation - immediate delivery into the bloodstream, rapid onset of effect, and more precise titration, the ability to more accurately control the dosage to produce a desired effect
Vaporization of CannabisA vaporizer heats herbal cannabis to approximately 365°F (185°C), which causes the active ingredients (cannabinoids: THC, CBD, etc) to evaporate into a gas without burning the plant material. So no combustion is involved like with smoking cannabis. A lower proportion of toxic chemicals are released than by smoking, although this may vary depending on the design of the vaporizer and the temperature at which it is set. A MAPS-NORML study using a Volcano vaporizer reported 95% THC and no toxins delivered in the vapor. However, an older study using less sophisticated vaporizers found some of the toxins from smoking were detected. The effects obtained from a vaporizer are noticeably different to that of smoking cannabis.
Scientific StudiesAll Studies have found the release of harmful constituents
dramatically reduced or completely eliminated. Substantial reductions were also found for the M1-volatizer. However, a 1996 study including two simple vaporizers still found ten times more tar in the vapor than THC, although this was nevertheless up to a 30% improvement compared to the best alternative smoking method.
The most recent study, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology in May 2008, investigated the acceptability and usefulness of intrapulmonary THC administration using a Volcano Vaporizer and pure THC instead of cannabis. Rising doses of THC (2, 4, 6 and 8 mg) were administered with 90 minutes intervals to twelve healthy males. Very low between-subject variability was observed in THC plasma concentrations,
characterising the Volcano Vaporizer as a suitable method for the administration of THC.In 2007, a study by University of California, San Francisco published in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Neurology examined the effectiveness of a vaporizer that heats cannabis to a temperature between 180°C (356°F) and 200°C (392°F) degrees and found:
“Using CO as an indicator,
there was virtually no exposure to harmful combustion products using the vaporizing device. Since it replicates smoking's efficiency at producing the desired THC effect using smaller amounts of the active ingredient as opposed to pill forms, this device has great potential for improving the therapeutic utility of THC.”
In 2006, a study performed by researchers at Leiden University, tested a Volcano Vaporizer with preparations of pure THC and found that:
“Our results show that a safe and effective cannabinoid delivery system seems to be available to patients. The final pulmonal uptake of THC is comparable to the smoking of cannabis, while avoiding the respiratory disadvantages of smoking.”
When using plant material (crude flower tops), besides THC, several other cannabinoids as well as a range of other plant components including terpenoids were detected in the plant material. However, using pure THC in the Volcano Vaporizer, no degradation products (delta-8-THC (D8-THC), cannabinol (CBN), or unknown compounds) were detected by HPLC analysis. Also, a substantially larger fraction of the THC was delivered to the vapor by using pure THC.
Analysis of the vapor from the Volcano Vaporizer found that using multiple passes it delivered 36% - 61% of the THC in the sample. A more recent study using pure cannabinoid preparations achieved a maximum of 54%. For comparison, studies of cannabis cigarettes smoked via a smoking machine under varying conditions of puff duration and air speed found very similar efficiencies of 34% to 61%. Consequently, users can achieve the desired effect with a similar amount of material as when smoking.
In a 2001 study testing a device called the M1 Volatizer, the researchers found that "it is possible to vaporize medically active THC by heating marijuana to a temperature short of the point of combustion, thereby eliminating or substantially reducing harmful smoke toxins that are normally present in marijuana smoke." The M1 Volatizer, produced THC at a temperature of 185°C (365°F), while eliminating three measured combustion products, benzene, toluene and naphthalene. Carbon monoxide and smoke tars were also reduced, but not quantified.
These positive results are in contrast to MAPS/NORML's previous studies into vaporizers which found less encouraging results, leading one to the conclusion that the effectiveness of vaporization varies greatly from vaporizer to vaporizer.
A 1996 MAPS study tested two simple vaporizer models against water pipes and filtered and unfiltered cannabis cigarettes (joints). The smoke produced by each was analyzed for solid particulates (tars) and 3 major cannabinoids. The various smoking methods were then rated based on their cannabinoid-to-tar ratio. The two tested vaporizers performed up to 25% better than unfiltered cannabis cigarettes (second best) in terms of tar delivery. However, both vaporizers produced more than ten times more tars than cannabinoids, which may partly be attributable to the low potency (2.3%) of the NIDA-supplied cannabis used in the study. Surprisingly, the same study found that water pipes (bongs) and filtered cigarettes performed 30% worse than regular, unfiltered joints. The reason was that waterpipes and filters filter out psychoactive THC with the tars, thereby requiring users to smoke more to reach their desired effect. The study did not, however, rule out the possibility that waterpipes could have other benefits, such as filtering out harmful gases such as carbon monoxide.
These studies have not measured the presence of toxic gases, such as ammonia, hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide, though previous studies have indicated unquantified decreases in carbon monoxide with vaporization.
Although vaporizers produce cleaner vapors than smoking, they do not completely eliminate respiratory irritation. A puff of strong vaporized cannabis will occasionally cause coughing. This however, could be due to THC itself, which is known to have a strong expectorant effect.
Byproducts of vaporized cannabis
Cannabis after vaporization
Unlike the black ashes produced by burning plants, the byproducts of vaporization are usually brown. Cannabis trichomes containing very high concentrations of active compounds burst during vaporization and appear flattened afterwards under a microscope. The vaporized remains of cannabis may still contain THC or any number of the other 60 cannabinoids found in the plant. It is possible to extract these cannabinoids using a number of methods, including cooking, making a tincture, or revaporizing. It is also possible to smoke these remains and gain a possibly strong psychoactive effect, but the negative health effects typically leave this option as a last resort. Some of the slang terms used to refer to the vaporized remains of cannabis include:
Cached, ReBurn, Spent, Redope, Duff, Revap, Post Roast, Snizap, Gak, Browns, Floyd Tibbs, Eva Brown, Mary Brown, Vapoo, Vapor poo, No, Toasties, Vapor-leavin's, Cashums, Vented, Vapeweed, Vapedoof, Vaped Chron, or
Vaped Bud. When scraped off, the resin buildup within a vaporizer, known as Scrapings, can also be re-vaporized for a potent effect.
Vaporization is a technique for avoiding irritating respiratory toxins in marijuana smoke by heating cannabis to a temperature where the psychoactive ingredients evaporate without causing combustion.
Laboratory studies by California NORML and MAPS have found that vaporizers can efficiently deliver cannabinoids while eliminating or drastically reducing other smoke toxins.
Like tobacco, marijuana smoke contains toxins that are known to be hazardous to the respiratory system. Among them are the highly carcinogenic polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, a prime suspect in cigarette-related cancers. These toxins are essentially a byproduct of combustion, separate from the pharmaceutically active components of marijuana, known as cannabinoids, which include THC. Although there is no proof that marijuana smoking causes cancer, chronic pot smokers have been shown to suffer an elevated risk of bronchitis and respiratory infections. Respiratory disease due to smoking may therefore rightly be regarded as the primary physiological hazard of marijuana.
Cannabis vaporizers are designed to let users inhale active cannabinoids while avoiding harmful smoke toxins. They do so by heating cannabis to a temperature of 180 - 200° C (356° - 392° F), just below the point of combustion where smoke is produced. At this point, THC and other medically active cannabinoids are emitted with little or none of the carcinogenic tars and noxious gases found in smoke. Many medical marijuana patients who find smoked marijuana highly irritating report effective relief inhaling through vaporizers. Users who are concerned about the respiratory hazards of smoking are strongly advised to use vaporizers. Alternative devices, such as waterpipes, have been shown to be ineffective at reducing the tars in marijuana smoke (Report).
Many models of vaporizer are currently on the market. A review of the various types can be find at
www.vaporinfo.com. Following is a list of some products currently advertised on the Internet:
Vaporizers available: *
Volcano - State-of-the-art medical grade vaporizer from Germany tested by California NORML and MAPS, found to eliminate over 100 chemicals, delivering 95% pure cannabinoids in vapor. Unique collection system avoids wastage by collecting vapor in a balloon.
* New high-tech
handheld Model VM3 available from Chiro-tec, makers of M-1 Volatizer electric radiant heater that was tested in the first California NORML/MAPS study and found to completely eliminate benzene, toluene and naphtalene in the vapor.
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The Vriptech - A popular design consisting of a hot air gun blowing into a bong
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Vapolution.com - Glass vaporizer, w/ car adapter
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Vaporlight - new design from Colorado
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Herballoon - Based on design of Volcano, uses balloon to collect vapor.
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Smoke-Right - "Ubie" glass tube holds sample, you heat it with a lighter - portable and inexpensive
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HappyVappy - Compact streamlined design.
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VaperWarez - Wooden chassis with tube insert.
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The Vapie - Higher tech model from Portland, Oregon
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Aromazap - Armotherapy convection-type oil diffuser.
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The Vapouriser - Affordable British model heats cannabis in a closed chamber.
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"Vapir" Air-2 Digital Air - with portable battery pack
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Aromed - German system with automatic digital temperature control
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Eterra - Wooden classic and new Tulip model (Emeryville CA)
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Vapomizer - Inexpensive glass tube works with cigarette lighter
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Pot Cooker - Inexpensive model
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VaporTech - High Times award winner, Miami FL
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Herbalizer - British Columbian model
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MarijuanaVaporizer.com (Australian)
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"The original" (Canadian)
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The "Ultimate" Vaporizer - Air gun model
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Hugegrins.com - Basic economical vaporizer
Vaporizer Vendors: * VaporWarehouse (portion of sales donated to Cal NORML)
* The Coop Store - 1733 Broadway, Oakland CA (510) 832-5346
Details on vaporizer study: D. Gieringer, "Cannabis 'Vaporization': A Promising Strategy for Smoke Harm Reduction," Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics Vol 1 #3-4: 153-170 (2001). Reprints available for $5 from California NORML, 2215-R Market St. #278, San Francisco CA 94114.
Retail Sales:Co-Op Store, 1733 Broadway, Oakland CA (510) 832-5346
Hemp BC, 199 W. Hastings St, Vancouver BC (604) 669-9069
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after going through a great deal of bud i have decided to return to vaporizing in an effort to conseve weed. i must admit that the high from vaporizing is very very enjoyable, and i don't miss smoking as much as i thought i would. i'm using a vaporwarez vaporizer, same as vaporbros. highly recommend it! anyone else here vape?
