Vaporizer

A vaporizer (or vapouriser) is a device used to release the active ingredients of plant material, commonly cannabis, or tobacco, or to release therapeutic compounds from herbs (phyto-inhalation; see also: aromatherapy). Vaporizing is an alternative to smoking. Rather than burning the herb, which produces numerous harmful by-products, a vaporizer heats the material, ideally to 180°C (356°F), so that the active compounds contained in the plant melt and phase into an aromatic vapor, not smoke. This vapor ideally contains virtually zero particulate matter (tar) and reduced noxious gases such as carbon monoxide. Vapors may be filtered and cooled further using a water pipe or an inline water/ice attachment. Then the vapors are inhaled or stored for subsequent inhalations in a “dome” or “balloon”. With little to no smoke produced, cooler temperatures, and less material required to achieve the same effect, the irritating/harmful effects of smoking are greatly reduced or eliminated along with second hand smoke by using a vaporizer. This makes vaporizers useful in places where there are public bans on smoking.

The shortcomings of smoked cannabis have been widely viewed as a major obstacle for approval of medical marijuana; in response to the concerns 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 in performance, such studies have always found vaporization superior to smoking, and high-end vaporizers used with High Grade Hybrid Cannabis strains containing elevated levels of THC (the medicinal and psychoactive ingredient in cannabis) have been found to entirely eliminate inhalation of undesired compounds in a manner consistent enough for clinical trials. In comparison to cannabis use methods such as eating, vaporization offers the advantages of inhaling THC: rapid onset, direct delivery into the bloodstream, and the possibility to gradually increase delivery until the desired level is reached, in this manner enabling more effective self-dosage.

Types of vaporizers

Vaporizers are available in many varieties.

Simple vaporizers use a lighter as heat source. They are inexpensive and have expanded awareness of safer smoking alternatives.

Precise vaporizers use an electric heating element often featuring a temperature control. Some vaporizers even have a dynamic temperature control as seen with systems that use thermo coupled hot air guns. High-end models may cost several hundred dollars.

Broadly, vaporizers can be classified by how they heat the substance:

• By conduction
• By convection

With conduction heating, the substance is placed on a metal plate that is then heated to release the active constituents. The direct contact between hot metal and the herbs can cause them to burn; thus this is not a preferred approach and is rarely used in modern vaporizer designs.

With convection heating, the substance itself never touches a heating element. Instead, hot air passes through it heating it rapidly and allowing the release of the active constituents. This method of heating releases far more active constituents than conduction heating, especially if the extraction chamber utilizes Venturi effect design.

Many vaporizers use a tube (called a “whip”) that is held to the heat source, and through which the user inhales the vapors. Some vaporizers have a bag or balloon attachment: vapor is blown into the bag, and the user detaches the bag and inhales the contents. Others are direct extraction and delivery, such as the modular Vaporization “Tools” or “System” approach put forth by VripTech Int. with their VripMaster line which uses a direct venturi or sequential venturi chamber based extraction and delivery for maximum potency with delivery via a water pipe or, specialized “Vaporization Water Tool” which is basically a vapor specific water pipe that also holds ice for cooling and condensing the vapor, whilst minimizing oxidation, prior to delivery.

Perhaps the most important classifications for vaporizers include the type of materials used in the heating element, the extraction chambers, and delivery means. Most common “wood box and whip” type vaporizers use a ceramic element with a glass extraction chamber and a vinyl hose for delivery. This is a very effective approach; however, there are concerns about off-gassing of mercury gas from the solder that is present in wiring of the box. The Silver Surfer Vaporizers utilizes a unique heating chamber completely seperated from all electronics. Some companies, such as VaporBrothers, are now using a higher-grade plastic hose while the makers of the higher end Vapezilla have opted for a silicone hose. The high end Volcano vaporizer uses an aluminum element that works quite well and a metallic extraction chamber with a food grade plastic bag for storage and delivery. Although the FDA considers aluminum heating elements that have not been anodized with a pigment to be compliant, there are concerns about using aluminum in any thermally sensitive application for long durations. The use of metal, a highly conductive material, in the extraction chamber means that to get consistent subsequent vapor extractions one must incrementally dial down the heat to compensate for the heat that is collected in the metal; the upside is that it is very durable. High end thermo coupled heat guns used for vaporization, such as those made by the German company Steinel and sold with the VripTech systems use a medical grade nichrome element encapsulated in ceramic and enclosed in stainless steel.

Health and Medical Use

Regardless 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.