Whether you’re a CBD flower smoker or you press your steam over any other method, you’ve probably weighed the pros and cons of each at some point. Both smoking and vaporizing CBD can offer advantages over other ways of consuming CBD, from activation time to bioavailability.
You shouldn’t put them both in the same camp, but below the surface, the difference between the two is bigger than you think. As science progresses, vaping has gone from a technical curiosity to a staple of many CBD users. Smoking CBD may still be extremely popular, but lung health concerns have found it put under the microscope, both figuratively and literally.
In this article we want to take a look at the two methods and reflect on the question: CBD vaporizing versus CBD smoking: what’s the difference?
Bioavailability
What is bioavailability? When you consume CBD, bioavailability is the proportion of CBD that enters your circulation and can interact with your body. The higher the bioavailability, the more efficient your CBD can be.
Both smoking and vaporizing CBD have a higher bioavailability than other methods, around 30%. This may not sound like much, but compare it to oral CBD as low as 6%, and puts things in perspective. Inhaling CBD into the lungs is known as pulmonary administration, which is considered to have a bioavailability equal to intravenous CBD administration. So, with smoking and vaporization tied to the pole position, what other factors can affect bioavailability?
In a word, fire! One big difference between vaporizing and smoking is the way heat is applied. During the process of lighting your blunt, you are warming your CBD flower in a much more aggressive way. This leads to the loss of some of your CBD: you literally smoke. Vaping has high ground here, with a constant, manageable temperature and no significant loss of vaporized CBD.
Both smoking and vaping CBD may have high bioavailability, but vaping manages to deliver this CBD more efficiently.
Start of effects
When CBD is atomized and inhaled into the lungs, it is not only processed in larger amounts, but also has an effect more quickly. Both smoking and spraying CBD can cause effects in as little as 15 minutes.
Again, there is little to judge by each method based solely on the speed of the effects of your CBD flower. However, like bioavailability, vaporization has the added benefit of retaining more cannabinoids when heated. The stand-alone chamber or oven doesn’t let anything escape and you don’t have to look at your CBD floating in the air.
Health implications
Let’s be clear: both smoking and spraying CBD have the potential to affect your health. Poor quality equipment, questionable CBD products, and unscrupulous sellers aggravate the problem, but the simple fact is that neither method is 100% risk-free. With that in mind, there is still a difference between smoking and vaporizing CBD.
The downside to smoking is that produces by-products of combustion which can irritate and, in some cases, damage the lungs. These include fluorene, pyrene, acrylonitrile and acrylamide. It is not ideal, to any extent. Other possible side effects may include an increased risk of lower respiratory tract infections and a weakened immune system.
This does not mean that the vaporizer comes out of a cleaning. recent consultations have been created to investigate the links between vaping and lung disease. The jury is still pending the exact damage, however, if any. Research seems to focus on CBD oil instead of CBD flower, but new studies are always being published, so it’s best to stay informed.
Speed or ceremony?
Personal preference is an important part of using CBD, from the method of consumption to the strains you prefer. The CBD industry provides both CBD smokers and CBD vaporizers with all the equipment they will need, from high quality vaporizers like Crafty + to blunt windmills and wrappers.
This means that at least part of the difference between smoking and vaporizing CBD depends on you and your relationship with CBD. Do you prefer a quick recharge to compensate for your anxiety or do you want to relax on the couch and build an elephant leg from a rum?
The CBD vaporizer is usually comfortable and unobtrusive. With a little forethought and preparation, you can be ready for a busy day while still meeting your CBD needs. A few short strokes on the way to work won’t raise your eyebrows the same way you try to avoid hotboxing your car in the parking lot.
On the other hand, the ritual nature of rolling a portion or rum of CBD has its own set of intangible qualities. Your favorite grinder, your well-used film tray, your filming papers. It’s a brief moment between daily chaos and stress where you can focus on yourself and the magnificent joint you’re about to create. The familiarity and convenience of the process can be almost as soothing as the CBD itself.
Final thoughts
Partly science, partly in personal preferences: smoking CBD and vaporizing CBD have their ups and downs. Current tips lean towards vaping as a slightly healthier option, but studies are still in their infancy. A short online search will give you a thousand different answers to the same question, and everyone has their own opinion on the subject. The final choice must be yours, and it doesn’t have to be in stone!
Regardless of your decision, you will need a high quality CBD flower to test your chosen method. Take a look at the full range of CBD flowers in our online store and choose a bud that suits both your needs and your bank account. Read what others are sayingExamine terpene profiles and lab results and see why our CBD flower is considered one of the best in the business.
