Vape Pens

What is a Vape pens in USA?

A vape pens in USA is a portable device that typically consists of a battery and a cartridge filled with cannabis concentrate. Instead of burning the cannabis, vape pens vaporize it, resulting in vapor rather than smoke. Many cannabis consumers in the state prefer vaping over smoking due to the lack of smoke and the convenience of using a handheld vape pen.

Vaping may seem like a modern trend, but it actually has ancient origins. In ancient Egypt, hot stones were used to inhale vapors from heated herbs, and the shisha, which is now commonly known as a hookah or water pipe, has been used in India for thousands of years.

Moving ahead to the 21st century, the concept of vaping evolved significantly. In 2003, a Chinese pharmacist named Hon Lik, who was trying to quit heavy tobacco smoking, successfully developed a method to vaporize nicotine liquid using high-frequency ultrasonic vibration and incorporated it into a device resembling a cigarette. This invention marked the introduction of the first e-cigarette vaporizer to the United States in 2007.

Today’s vape pens in Texas utilize a small heater for vaporization, and cannabis consumers typically use cannabis concentrate instead of nicotine liquid.

Advantages of Vape Pen:

Vape pens offer several advantages over smoking cannabis flower, especially for new consumers in USA.

1. Convenience: Vape cartridges are small, portable, and come pre-filled with distillate or concentrate. Carrying multiple cartridges is much easier than carrying different types of flower, and swapping them in and out of the pen is a simple process.

2. Discreetness: Vape pens are often used by tobacco smokers, making them less noticeable in USA. The vapor they produce also has a less pungent smell compared to burning cannabis flower, adding to their discreet nature.

3. Potential for reduced harm: Unlike combusted cannabis, which releases at least 100 toxins, including those linked to cancer, vaporizers do not heat marijuana to the point of combustion. This means users are not exposed to the same toxins. While long-term research on vaping is limited, a 2010 study on daily cannabis smokers with lung conditions showed “meaningful improvements” in their lung health after just one month of using a vaporizer instead of smoking.

4. Cleanliness: Vape cartridges are disposable, eliminating the need to clean up sticky resin. Additionally, the only byproduct of vaping is water vapor, resulting in no smoke, ash, or mess.

Despite these benefits, there are several disadvantages to choosing vape pens over smoking cannabis flower, including higher prices, limited strain varieties, environmental impact, and potential health risks associated with cutting agents.

What goes in a vape pen in USA:

The contents of vape pens typically consist of cannabis oil, which is specifically formulated for efficient vaporization using a portable battery. In the distillation process, the raw cannabis oil may undergo a procedure that removes all flavor and aromatic compounds. Following this, terpenes are added to reintroduce flavors, and the oil is infused with a type of glycol – such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), propylene glycol (PG), or vegetable glycerin (VG) to enhance the mouthfeel of the vapor, resulting in variations from thin to thick, smooth to chalky, dry to buttery.

While all legally approved, lab-tested vape pens contain cannabinoids, not all cartridges contain terpenes. Terpenes are natural organic compounds responsible for the characteristic aroma and flavor of plants. Cartridges without any additional cutting agent or terpenes, only containing pure cannabis oil, are termed as raw cartridges.

The reintroduction of terpenes is a common practice in distillate-filled cartridges, as the distillation process removes the plant’s natural terpenes, leaving the liquid odorless and flavorless. Some extractors have developed a technique to remove the terpenes during distillation and later reintroduce them before filing the vape cartridges. These cartridges, known as strain-specific vape cartridges, utilize cannabis-derived terpenes to preserve the original aroma and flavor of the plant from which the oil was derived.

It’s also typical for cartridges to be combined with naturally derived terpenes to create distinctive flavors reminiscent of fruits and candies. The reintroduction of terpenes after extraction enables manufacturers to produce numerous cannabinoid and terpene combinations to cater to various preferences. Additionally, these terpenes may alter the viscosity and color of the distillate within the cartridge.