420 Warrior
Well-Known Member
We all know that cigarettes are bad for your health – one only needs to buy a box to see the horrific messages/warnings/images to prove it.
But tobacco has been around since the test of time, with many cultures using the plant for medicinal purposes.
In our highly stressful and busy environments, one of our guilty pleasures is puffing on a cig for that instant stress-release, right? But with the times, we’re also becoming a more conscious society, specifically relating to our health.
Inhaling smoke of any kind can be detrimental to your lung health, but lucky for some, our world has seen alternatives popping up in the market, with the likes of e-cigarettes and vape pens being introduced – thanks technology!
Not only have we seen different types of tobacco accessories, but in recent years, more natural alternatives seem to be making a name for themselves, offering a herbal stress-relieving alternative, that actually has health benefits, such as cannabis and dried herbal flower smokes (made from dried flowers such as Blue Lotus, Mugwort, rose petals, etc.). Let’s explore!
Trying to jump off the tobacco train, have you ever considered Cannabis?
You mean, weed? Well, yes, but before you jump to any conclusions, it’s important to understand why the Cannabis plant could work for you.
If you simply cannot give up the actual habit of smoking – a lot of times people battle to give up smoking because they are so familiar with the actual act/ritual, you know, you wake up and have your first-morning coffee with a ciggie as the sun rises…Or you lead an extremely stressful lifestyle thanks to your job and your smoke break is how you relieve some of it (one of your guilty pleasures) …have you at least considered the health benefits of weed?
So let’s look at some of the benefits of smoking Cannabis. It is known to help with the following:
- Stress and anxiety
- Insomnia
- Nausea
- Pain and inflammation
- Hormonal balancing (helps with mood swings)
- Helps balance your immune system
- It’s a great natural alternative with fewer chemicals than tobacco smoke
Tobacco is a plant and its leaves are used for smoking. We all know tobacco is addictive, and that’s because out of the somewhat 500 chemicals that tobacco contains, one of these being nicotine.
This is actually a psychoactive (meaning it alters the brain slightly) and it increases our dopamine levels in the brain (Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that influences our mood, motivation, and feelings of being rewarded.)
But because we humans love to feel good all.the.time. when your body stops taking in that nicotine, the result is BIG withdrawal symptoms.
Cannabis, on the other hand, is a little more complex. It too is a plant, but the actual plant and its parts are used for many different purposes e.g. for smoking, or to create hemp fibres and building materials.
When smoking cannabis, you need to know that there are two different cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant, being THC and CBD (much the same as nicotine is found in the Tobacco plant).
THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is psychoactive, working with the brain, however, unlike Nicotine, it is not addictive. But it too is psychoactive.
CBD (Cannabidiol) is also derived from the Cannabis plant, but pure CBD should contain 0% THC, meaning no traces of the THC compounds in it. CBD is used for its many medicinal and health benefits.
So now you’re off the nicotine and onto the cannabis, what are some of your different smoking options?
You can either keep it old-school and choose to smoke a joint (think of it as a herbal cigarette) or you have the option of smoking cannabis through a vape pen.
What’s the catch? Firstly, often times when smoking a joint, the cannabis is mixed with tobacco in order for it to smoke smoothly, so this defeats the whole I’ve given up tobacco thing.
The difference between smoking and vaping weed
Smoking uses the dried flower which is rolled into a joint using thin papers, or you can also use a pipe or a bong to inhale the smoke instead of rolling it with a paper.
Vaping uses concentrated extracts (or ground dry herb but we’ll touch on that later) to form the CBD liquid – remember the ‘vape juice’ isn’t actually an oil, because it’s usually alcohol-based.
What are the benefits of vaping vs smoking cannabis?
Vaping contrarily doesn’t actually involve the inhaling of any smoke, instead you are inhaling vapour!
When you vape your Mary-jane, as you inhale the cannabis liquid – or vape juice, it’s heated inside the vaporising device. You do so by pressing a button that triggers an atomizer (this heats up the vape liquid).
Instead of smoke, vaping produces more like what looks like steam, and the vapour smoke is also free from carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
We also know that some other benefits of vaping weed include:
- Flavour – if you have a good quality vape and you enjoy the taste among the different strains (hello terpenes), a vape has a much more pronounced and precise taste.
- It’s less harsh on the throat and lungs – remember you’re inhaling vapour and not direct smoke.
- Less susceptible to things such as bud rot, mildew, etc. – if your greens are long forgotten/sitting there for about a year and you decided to mull and smoke one up, your bud may have gained some unwanted bacteria which could be harmful to the immune system
- The effects of vaping are more intense than when smoking cannabis, as proven in a 2018 study among healthy adults who infrequently use Cannabis.
If you’re vaping vs smoking Cannabis to treat any sort of medical condition or reason, such as anxiety or insomnia, consider the benefits of vaping weed.
Although both smoking and vaping ensure a fast-reacting release and effect, as quick as 2-5 minutes, vaping is believed to deliver a much more potent effect, so if you’re suffering from severe anxiety or depression, this could be your alternative.
According to a study by the Harm Reduction Journal; Vaporizers heat cannabis to release active cannabinoids, but remain cool enough to avoid the smoke and toxins associated with combustion.
So whilst nothing has been proven 100% scientifically, the chances when vaping VS smoking cannabis involves taking in a lower number of chemicals.
Get to know your vapes – Liquid and Dry Herb Cartridges
Did you know, you can actually now buy Vape pens that have a bud cartridge instead of a liquid one?! And it works in the exact same way as a liquid cartridge.
Part of your vape includes a cartridge compartment which is where you’ll insert your cannabis oil cartridge. Now instead of a compartment made for a liquid oil cartridge, space is made for a dry herb cartridge which takes dry herb instead of oil.
Here, you’re inhaling unprocessed flower i.e. the plant material hasn’t been turned into oil yet and is still in its pure form.
This can be handy to have because you may run out of your oil, plus it can be a lot more inexpensive.
Not convinced? Five more vaping pros to consider…
- You can control the temperature. Most vaporizers have a heat setting which allows you to control and adjust the heat whilst smoking. One of the negatives about smoking is that direct high heat isn’t always good for our gums.
- More bargain for your buck – When smoking, the herb is burning at a rapid pace, ultimately turning to ash. And if you’re in the wind, well we all know how that goes. Vaporising allows total control and burns the herb/vape juice slowly when you want. You can also use your vape throughout the entire day, instead of needing to mull and roll multiple joints.
- Realistically, it’s more discreet. If you’re in the workplace and vaping CBD for anxiety or stress, this could be an option.
- YOU WON’T EVER NEED TO FIND A LIGHTER!
- No tobacco is needed, and well we all know the health benefits there.
Just like with smoking tobacco, smoking cannabis can lead to some potential negative effects such as lung damage or lung cancer. When smokers inhale cannabis, they also usually tend to hold the smoke in for longer before blowing it out, which could lead to more exposure to the dreaded toxin, tar (released in smoke).
(However, vape vapour does not contain any tar!)
But if you can’t drop the habit completely, the health benefits of vaping VS smoking weed could be potentially something to consider, at least even if slightly so, because you’re taking in fewer chemicals.
It’s also valuable to remember to always buy an excellent quality vape, even if you have to fork out a bit more for it.
The general benefits of smoking weed also far outweigh its negatives and do consider the health benefits of vaping and smoking cannabis.
We can also say for certain that nowhere has scientists and medical doctors looked at using tobacco for medical treatments and illnesses such as epilepsy or cancer. Cannabis on the other hand, well the proof is in the pudding and you’ll only need to take a quick search on Google to prove it.
But remember everything in moderation.
CBD NEWS TODAY
5 September 2020
