There are a wide range of CBD products available for purchase. Most people who get started with CBD begin with edibles due to their accessibility and innocuous nature. It’s also possible that people who use CBD for pain or anxiety relief may also feel more comfortable eating CBD-infused products as they seem the most similar to prescription medicine and the least similar to “illicit” drug use. But there are a whole host of options for consuming CBD, one of which is vaping, a much more direct way of getting CBD into your system.
But vaping can be a bit intimidating. There are so many different methods and to the newcomer, the culture of vaping might seem overwhelming. Which devices should you buy? What exactly should you put in them? Do they all work the same? In the face of these uncertainties, many people simply default to edibles. But given the proper chance, vaping may prove to be the preferable option for a lot of people.
What is CBD?
Before we go further with the various CBD vaping options, let’s backtrack a bit and establish what CBD even is. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a cannabinoid found in (you guessed it) cannabis. It is most often compared to tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, as they are the most common and well-understood cannabinoids. However, they are far from the same compound. There are several key differences between the two.
- Hemp versus Marijuana
CBD and THC are present throughout all cannabis plants, however THC dominates marijuana and CBD is at its highest concentration in hemp. As a result, each plant has been specifically grown over the years with an aim towards maximizing the amount of each respective cannabinoid. For example, THC levels in marijuana have increased, on average, to about 12 percent. - Non-psychoactive versus psychoactive
The most important difference to consider between CBD and THC is that THC is psychoactive. Put simply, it gets you high. CBD does not have the same mind-altering psychoactive effects and is therefore more praised as a valid medical option for people dealing with stress, anxiety, or chronic pain. - Legal versus illegal
To put it bluntly, THC and marijuana in general are illicit substances. Both are mentioned specifically in the United States federal drug code, making them both federally illegal. Various states have enacted local laws to make medicinal or recreational marijuana legal, but they remain illegal at the federal level. Hemp or hemp plant and CBD, however, are not subject to nearly the same restrictions and are widely available without fear of legal repercussions. - How can you consume CBD?
People have gotten pretty creative with THC in recent years. Time was that if you weren’t smoking marijuana, you were eating contaminated brownies. But walking into a marijuana shop today is like visiting an adult candy store. There are bath bombs, candies, soft drinks, and all manner or vape devices and pipes. CBD has seen a similar expansion of possibilities. You can get CBD-infused lotions and bath bombs as well as vaping products and edibles. Basically if you can imagine it, you can find it infused with CBD. - Vaping CBD
Like nicotine and THC, CBD can also be consumed by vaping. Many people choose vaping as their primary method of CBD consumption because of its immediacy. Since CBD is often used to combat chronic pain or anxiety, waiting for edibles or topicals to start working isn’t always an option. Most people who vape CBD report an almost immediate effect.
If you want to vape CBD without being arrested for looking like an illicit drug user, then you’ll want to go with a vape pen or a tank. Pens are smaller and more discreet, but also less customizable. If you’re looking to have more control over flavors or the metal used in the vaping coil, then a reusable tank device is the to go. The other main difference between the two is that tanks require e-Juice and pens require concentrate. It usually takes significantly more e-Juice to get the desired effects from CBD.
The feel of vaping CBD is different from that of THC. This is mostly due to the lack of any psychoactive element. While THC will impair your cognitive abilities and get your high when taken in large enough quantities, CBD will have no such side effect. With CBD you may feel a calming sensation or pain relief, but there will be no memory impairment, paranoia, or loss of motor control.
Getting started vaping CBD can be daunting, but just take your time and figure out what cbd works for you. Start by outlining your priorities and then trying the method that caters the most to your needs. And there’s no rule against mixing methods. If you want to take your vape pen with you in public but prefer CBD candies at home, then go for it.