Budtenders are heroes of the dispensary retail experience. It’s up to you to make your customers and patients feel welcome in your store, to educate about the myriad benefits of cannabis, and to be experts in the products that are on your shelves. Well-informed budtenders are armed with the knowledge to help customers by listening and offering guidance on cannabis products that best suit each customer’s needs and lifestyle preferences.
As the legal cannabis market matures, new methods of consumption are becoming available regularly (who would have thought that there’d be canna-infused corn chips or ice cream?).
Despite the multitude of options available, many consumers still prefer to inhale their cannabis (as has been done for many years). Flower vaping (the process of vaporizing the plant) is a great user-friendly method for consumers seeking to enhance their lives with a full-spectrum cannabis experience in its most natural form without burning the plant. Our team at HUUE™ put together this flower vaporizer guide to provide some education about this tech and to answer any questions that you might have about this popular method of consumption. If we missed any, let us know!
About Flower Vaporizers
Flower vaporizers are distinctly different from other cannabis “vapes” on the market that heat oil or distillate to create vapor. Flower vaporizers, in contrast, are devices powered by rechargeable batteries that heat the cannabis flower in its most whole and natural form.
Oil vapes that can look like e-cigarettes have been the target of some negative PR lately due to the controversial ingredient Vitamin E-acetate that was being used as an additive by tobacco companies to improve the viscosity of nicotine-based vape oil. Though strict guidelines and quality control standards that govern tobacco have also been carried through to the cannabis industry, health-conscious consumers may still prefer to inhale flower over cannabis distillates that have been processed. After all, consuming whole flower seems to be the most natural way to consume the plant's goodness.
Learn more about plant-based vaping
So, how do plant-based vaporizers work?
Traditional smoking methods (e.g., joints, blunts, bongs, pipes, etc.) actually combust (a.k.a., incinerate) the plant material to release the cannabinoids in the flower. Vaporizing, on the other hand, involves gently heating the flower until the terpenes and cannabinoids boil off to become a vapor. The gentle vapor produced by flower vapes makes inhaling cannabis a smoother, more pleasurable experience.
The conduction method of vaporizing involves utilizing direct contact with a heat source to bring the cannabis flower to the optimal temperature for vaping. With this method, the flower comes in direct contact with the heating element (usually ceramic or stainless steel) to produce vapor.
The convection method, on the other hand, relies on warmed air or oil moving through the chamber to heat the dry cannabis flower. With convection, the cannabis is not making direct contact with the heating element.
What are the benefits of plant-based vapes?
1. They’re Easier On the Lungs
Traditional smoking methods that burn and combust cannabis can be hard on the lungs. When flame (combustion) is used to heat cannabis flower, you’re not just inhaling those sweet terpenes and cannabinoids. You’re also inhaling other less-than-tasty bi-products, such as tar from the burned flower and material from your lighter or papers (hello harsh-city!).
For decades, people have been willing to take the good with the bad when it came to smoking because they wanted to experience the full effect and terpene profile of the cannabis flower in its most natural form. Now, thanks to the amazing advancements in vape technology, cannabis consumers have access to cleaner, healthier ways of inhaling their cannabis, without sacrificing the full spectrum effects or the taste and aroma that they are seeking.
2. They’re Discreet & User-Friendly
Even though the recreational and medical use of cannabis is quickly becoming a socially acceptable norm, you may find that some of your customers prefer to keep things discreet.
These users may often find themselves in situations where lighting a joint or sparking a bowl isn’t socially appropriate or accessible. While edibles are certainly an even more discreet option than smoking, it can be difficult for users to customize and control their experience (we’ve all got our stories about that one time we overdid it with our edible dose and ended up couch locked, at best!).
That’s why flower vaporizers are a great option for busy, wellness-minded consumers who want full control over their experience in a portable, user-friendly format. Flower vapes are easily loadable and fit discreetly into a purse, pocket, or even the palm of your hand.
With vaping, the high-performance user can unwind, get a good night’s sleep, or check items off their to-do list without the anxiety or stigma of smelling like the good stuff while they move about their day. The lack of that signature burning cannabis odor is because the vapor produced from flower vaporizers is minimal, light, and carries less of a smell than traditional cannabis smoke.
3. Vaporizers Use Unprocessed Cannabis Flower
Plant-based vaping is a way of consuming cannabis flower in its most natural and unaltered form. Known widely for its THC, Cannabis flower has all sorts of other naturally occurring compounds that enhance the benefits of the plant: other cannabinoids such as CBD, terpenoids, fatty acids, and phenols all work together to produce that groovy sensation you get from really good buds.
These compounds may sound like something straight out of a science lab, but there’s actually a growing body of research to support the therapeutic effect of the collaboration between these compounds and THC. A study conducted by Dr. Ethan Russo with the National Library of Medicine concluded that:
“The data supporting the existence of Cannabis synergy and the astounding plasticity of the Cannabis genome suggests a reality that obviates the need for alternative hosts, or even genetic engineering of Cannabis sativa, thus proving that, “The plant does it better.”
In other words, despite our growing ability to use modern science to isolate compounds found within the cannabis plant to be adapted for use in other products, mother nature still knows best!
Edibles, tinctures, concentrates, and oil vapes are all produced with cannabis flower that has been processed. While there are definitely high-quality products on the market, it can be difficult to maintain the complete and natural terpene profile of the plant when processing cannabis flower.
Every method of cannabis consumption has its place and application, but plant-based vaping is a great consumption option for customers who prefer using unprocessed cannabis flower.
4. Plant-Based Vapes Give You More Control
One of the greatest benefits to the widespread legalization of cannabis is that this amazing plant is now becoming accessible to more people every day. The mainstream is finally waking up to what longtime users have always known--cannabis is a great tool to help people lead full and productive lives. From high-performance executives to busy moms and retirement-age professionals, people are flocking to cannabis in record numbers as a way to unwind, socialize, and show up as their best selves.
Every user is unique in how they choose to integrate cannabis into their daily lives; users want control over their experience. Some users are afraid to accidentally overdo it with their cannabis dose and feel the psychoactive effects too strongly. Some people may have even had a negative experience in the past that affected how they functioned during their day.
With plant-based vaporizers, users can load their desired amount of flower, turn on their device, and consume just enough to get their desired effect. Once they’ve achieved that just-right feeling, they can power down their device and save the rest for later. Thanks to advancements in vape technology, this whole process can be done in a matter of minutes which allows for a really quick and user-friendly experience.
Great budtenders are those who are passionate and knowledgeable about both their products and the well-being of their customers. Our hope is that this guide has been able to help you answer any questions that your customers may have about flower vaporizers.
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