Cannabis vaporizers come in different shapes and sizes. However, they usually operate under the same mechanism. The idea behind a cannabis vaporizer is to atomize cannabis’ active ingredients without burning the cannabis plant.
As what you are after are the cannabis plant’s cannabinoids and terpenes, consuming byproducts that you would get from burning your cannabis flowers or buds should be avoided. Traditional smoking methods like joints and pipes carry a high risk of consuming tar and carcinogens due to ash combustion.
As cannabis licenses throughout the nation expand cannabis market legality, many believe that vaporizing cannabis is a much cleaner method of taking in cannabinoids. Here, we take a closer look at how different cannabis vaporizing machines work to give you an idea of why this method of consuming cannabis has become popular.
Tabletop Cannabis Vaporizers
Tabletop vaporizers are the types of cannabis consumption devices you might find in a healthcare institution that performs medical marijuana treatments. These machines heat-dry cannabis products to release the active ingredients without burning the cannabis plant itself. When you heat cannabis products enough to vaporize only the cannabinoids and terpenes, you limit the amount of smoke you inhale.
There are different brands that sell tabletop cannabis vaporizers, and these devices operate on a similar system. A tabletop vaporizer contains heating elements and a fan. Once you turn the machine on, it heats up to a pre-set temperature that is hot enough to vaporize the dry cannabis’s active ingredients. Most devices allow you to control the temperature so you can leave out certain cannabinoids or terpenes when vaporizing your product (although further research may be needed to expound on the effects of different heating temperatures on cannabis plants).
The machine contains a basket compartment where your ground cannabis product is to be placed. This basket essentially acts as a filter that accepts the heat from the device. Once the basket is placed in its designated position (usually at the top of the machine), a bag is then equipped on top of the basket.
Once the fan is turned on, the machine will blow hot air through the basket, heating the cannabis and vaporizing the active ingredients. The vaporized contents then travel into the bag, which typically fills up in about a minute. Once it’s full of vapor, you take the bag off of the machine, equip a mouthpiece, and then inhale the vaporized cannabinoids.
Portable Cannabis Vaporizers
These machines are discreet versions of tabletop cannabis vaporizers. They have a chamber instead of a basket for your cannabis flower or concentrate products, a heating mechanism, and a battery. Additionally, you would directly inhale the vaporized product through a mouthpiece attached to the chamber since this device does not blow the vaporized product into a bag.
Portable cannabis vaporizers may not heat cannabis products with the same precision as a tabletop vaporizer. As portable vaporizers are more discreet machines that you can easily transport between places, they must have smaller heating mechanisms than tabletop versions. Additionally, not all portable cannabis vaporizers have variable temperature controlling devices that you can use to adjust to an ideal temperature for vaporizing your dry weed product or concentrates.
Furthermore, not all portable cannabis vaporizers are ideal for vaporizing both dry and concentrated products. If you are looking to buy a portable cannabis vaporizer, be sure to look into the machine’s make and model to confirm whether it is the ideal method for how you intend to consume your vaporized cannabis product.
Compact Cannabis Vaporizers
You may know this type of gadget as vape pens or weed pens. These devices are compact vaporizers that resemble pens designed for vaporizing cannabis oils and distillate products. However, unlike the larger cannabis vaporizers, these gadgets use cartridges containing cannabis oil products instead of dry cannabis products.
Compact cannabis vaporizers come with batteries and cartridges. You may find a dispensary selling “reusable” vape pens, but the only reusable parts of these devices are the batteries. You would normally discard empty cannabis oil cartridges once you have used up all the product.
Besides a cartridge filled with a cannabis oil product, compact cannabis vaporizers also have a mouthpiece, chamber, and heating element. The battery activates the cartridge’s heating element, heating the cannabis oil or distillate within the chamber so that you can inhale the vaporized cannabinoids and terpenes through the mouthpiece.
Conclusion: How Does a Cannabis Vaporizer Work?
Cannabis vaporizers essentially work by heating cannabis products to the point of ionizing the cannabis product’s cannabinoids or naturally occurring active ingredients. By vaporizing these compounds, you avoid burning the product and consuming harmful byproducts from combustion.
These machines have become popular because of the increasing legality surrounding cannabis in the U.S., making any marijuana business grow. Keep up with the latest cannabis industry news to learn which products are increasingly becoming more available throughout the United States. At TNM News, we cover marijuana news ranging from state legality to tax rates where cannabis is legal.