Smoking had been around since 5000 BCE and primarily used for rituals and inhaling the incense. Ancient civilizations such as the Chinese, Indians, and Israelites burn incense for rituals (read more), and at a later date, it is adopted as a tool for pleasure. Cannabis is known to be one of the ingredients in the incense, making the practice of smoking the plant an old practice. Despite cannabis having useful medicinal effects, most of the countries in the world banned it from being manufactured today.
However, back in 2018, the use of cannabis for manufacturing has been lifted in many states in America. As happy as it sounds like, the use of this plant is still limited to only 0.3% or below levels of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC for short. But there is another good news, THC has a sister compound and is legal to use with many benefits! The sister compound is called Cannabidiol.
Cannabidiol, as you may have guessed, can be used for smoking too. But we all know that many of us don’t like smoking at all, and so, with the help of technology, we developed a new device used for pleasure, vapes. Vapes are also known as e-cigarettes, and it is used in place of smoking. Just like smoking cannabidiol, vapes could also vaporize juices mixed with compounds and inhale the vapor by the user.
In this article, we will compare the two mediums in consuming cannabidiol. It would include their individual beneficial effects, and method of use between the two mediums. But first, let us have a short review of what cannabidiol is all about.
A Short Review Of Cannabidiol
The cannabidiol, or CBD for short, is a phytocannabinoid compound that is found in cannabis plants just like its sister compound, the THC. But unlike THC, CBD is legal to manufacture because it does not have psychoactive properties that make users “high” and addicted. It can be extracted from the cannabis plant’s leaves, stems, and flowers, and it accounts for about 40% of the plant.
The mechanism of action in our body involves the use of our endocannabinoid system (ECS). The phytocannabinoid turns into endocannabinoids, which are cannabinoids naturally produced by our body, then binds to receptors of our tissues, maintaining equilibrium. This primarily affects our nervous and digestive systems, enhancing their functions.
Manufacturers today have produced many forms of CBD designed for different ways of consuming them. One example of these manufacturers is cheefbotanicals, which sells top-class organic CBDs in mediums like gummy bears, oils, and pastes. The shelves are always stocked and there are products for your pets too.
An Overlook Of CBD Flower Used In Smoking
CBD flowers can either be Cannabis Sativa, Indica, or a hybrid of both. These flowers are also called Hemp flowers that contain about 0.3% THC level, making them legal for production. Hemps and cannabis are the same species of plants, the difference between the two is their THC level, and both have different dominant cannabinoids.
8 major cannabinoids could be bred to make them dominant. These cannabinoids include cannabidiol, cannabinol, cannabigerol, etc. each has its effects on our body. The flowers contain 8 cannabinoids, and that is what makes users choose to smoke. The flowers are mainly used to be smoked through different instruments such as bongs and pipes.
Benefits Of Consuming CBD Flower Includes The Following:
1. You Can Select Between Sativa, Indica, Or Their Hybrid
To further improve your experience when using the flower, the three selections allow you to feel different effects. Sativa contains lower levels of THC, while Indica contains the latter but is only limited to 0.3% levels of TCH. The hybrid is the combination of both, making you experience their effects, at a given ratio.
2. Entourage Effect
It is a phenomenon where the cannabinoids synergize their effects with each other, improving their effects that go beyond their attributes. This phenomenon only exists if two or more cannabinoids exist in products like CBD and THC. Products such as Isolates are a great example of products that do not have this effect.
Now Let The Comparing Begin!
Cigarettes and e-cigarettes have many similarities with one another. One is that their vapor is absorbed through the lungs through inhaling, the second is their fast onset effects. Thirdly, they also contain some similar substances like nicotine and can be addictive. So what are the differences you may ask? Well, just like their similarities, there are a lot of differences as well!
Methods Of Using CBD In Both Mediums And Benefits!
Smoking CBD involves the use of flowers as I stated above, along with its benefits. It can be consumed using pipes, bongs, or rolls. On the other hand, vapes use CBD cartridges that contain the juice infused with the phytocannabinoid.
It is then heated up into a vapor (link: https://www.articlecity.com/blog/how-to-use-a-vape-the-right-way-a-basic-guide/), ready to be inhaled. When it comes to their ease of consumption, puffing out a cigarette is more convenient than using vapes, since vapes have a lot of things to be considered, like the cartridge, battery charging, etc.
Puffing the CBD flowers or cigarettes have some good effects as stated above, but let us not ignore that smoking is still in the bad spotlight, mainly because negative effects outweigh the good ones. Vapes can omit the use of substances found in cigarettes, and also have lower amounts of those substances. Vapes may look safer to use than the cigarettes, but it has its negative effects.
Conclusion
Both are highly competitive with their similarities, however, in terms of benefits, smoking CBD takes the cake since it has many benefits. But in terms of safety, vaping beats the opponent into a pulp with its safer features and substances. But despite all this, the user is the one that truly dictates the winner, so don’t be afraid to try those out for yourselves!
