Vape Tips

Vape temp usage:

I follow the guidelines set out by Health Canada, who in turn used the Dutch Government's medical recommendation of 185 degrees Celsius, which was determined to be the the least harmful temperature with the least amount of byproducts that still provides a significant dose of THC and CBD. I personally also recommend using a modified version Foltin Puff Procedure, which is a 5 second inhalation, followed by 3 seconds of holding ones breath, and fully exhaling while waiting 45 seconds for the next hit, for a range of 4 to 8 inhalations, at least a 20 minute break between each session (1 hour recommended), with a max of 0.45-0.6g per day (this is about 8-10 Storz and Bickel dosing capsules, or 4-6 Arizer stems.) My range is around 180-195 Celsius on the Mighty and 185-190 Celsius on the Solo II. Temperatures up to 200 Celsius (some up to 230!) are given in other guidelines as the best temperature for cannabinoid extraction, but I find these have burned tastes and trigger asthma attacks more frequently. I've found that it's healthier to vape at a low or mid range temp for the high, and consume the rest for the stone effect via capsules or edibles from the decarbed left overs, giving more control and a way more intense sedative effect without compromising my lungs any further. Water tools are also highly recommended if you have asthma or don't like the harshness of the higher temperatures.


Joint vs. Vaping:

The case made against vaping is that the "high isn't the same" or "I don't get that instant head rush that a joint gives me." The head-rush part from combustion is not from the plant matter itself, but of the carbon monoxide entering your bloodstream. It's basically like saying that you can't drink coffee without sugar in it, which is bad for you in itself. You can vape and auto-asphyxiate yourself to get a comparable analogue. In addition, you can get higher doses of THC from vaping at higher temperatures. For me, it took me several attempts until I succumbed to buying a high-end vaporizer that I noticed a big difference in effect and don't miss the harshness of joint smoke at all. As new technology and vapourization methods become available, those who didn't like it will hopefully try it out again and enjoy the health benefits that vaping provides over smoke inhalation.


Can you become addicted to marijuana?:

Updated November 24th, 2018: YES, you can. It was one of the top 10 worst experiences I've went through, though I seem to be in the minority of people who have extreme physical symptoms. If you are a chronic, heavy user for a long period of time you will likely go through withdrawal with both psychologically and physiologically. Having used it for over a decade and deciding to take a break, the withdrawal symptoms were very bad: Out of control asthmatic attacks, coughing, sore throat, anxiety, intense nightmares every night, excessive sweating, hot and cold flashes, severe irritable bowel syndrome and depression. After three weeks, these slowly went away and symptoms became a lot more manageable. It can take anywhere from two weeks to three months for your body and mind to return to baseline sobriety. Make sure you drink lots and lots of water and don't be tempted to retreat back to using again if you can't stand the effects.

The timeline for me went as follows:

  • Day 1: Sweating at night in bed, grogginess, dreams begin to return after years of having none
  • Days 2-3: Hot and cold flashes with more sweating at night, less severe but more frequent asthma attacks to where I was having to use my rescue inhaler 4 times a day, nightmares every time I went to bed and diarrhea
  • Days 4-7: Insomnia, hot and cold flashes and sweating went away, asthma still pretty bad, stomach pains and IBS, headaches and anxiety. Zero appetite.
  • Week 2: Breathing became difficult and coughing up a lot of mucus. Had a sore throat begin to manifest. Depression and restlessness began to take hold, and up and down anxiety levels. Areas of chronic pain also increased due to no more cannabinoids. Night sweats returned and sleep was near impossible without melatonin pills. This was probably the worst week.
  • Week 3: Asthma reduced down to an itchy chin, cough and mild wheeze at night. Diarrhea turned into constipation. Insomnia, anxiety and depression are at their highest levels yet but dreams are less intense. Chronic pain is lessened during the day time but returns at night. Still having occasional night sweats.
  • Week 4: Fatigue and constant Brain Fog set in. Corticosteroid inhaler dosage cut in half with no problems (1 puff twice a day instead of 2). Sleeping a lot (12+ hours a day), and dizzy episodes. Occasional bout of diarrhea. Anxiety and depression lessened. Night sweats are lessened. Also had some acne flareups.
  • Week 5: Still have all symptoms but way more manageable and episodic rather than constant. Sleep is getting better. Went through an entire week without having to use the rescue inhaler. Have some periods during the day of clear-mindedness and razor-sharp focus. Usually in the evening I will have a sore throat, brain fog and phlegmatic coughing, but again it's mild and manageable. Chronic pain is 75% better. I lost about 15 lbs but my appetite returned around this time.
  • Week 6: Asthma attacks are gone. Sleep is normal. Quitters cough and phlegm are still persistent but manageable. Minor bouts of brain fog and fatigue but nothing debilitating. Bowel movements have somewhat normalized. More or less recovered with the cannabis having exited my body.


Best Ways To Vape Weed When You Have Asthma

If you have asthma, you can vape weed in the safest possible way by following these tips:

(taken from https://vapemonstercity.co.uk/blogs/news/vaping-weed-for-asthma-sufferers)

  • Choose a good quality vaporizer – although a small portable vape pen is handy for vaping weed while out and about, a better choice for asthma suffers is a desktop vaporizer such as the Volcano from Storz and Bickel.
  • Vaporize in the right way – if you have asthma you need to inhale in such a way that you won't cause further lung irritation or coughing fits. Try taking small hits and develop a calm rhythm, by taking a single hit lasting between 3 and 5 seconds, holding in the vapor for a few seconds and then slowly exhaling before taking 3 normal breaths through your nose.
  • Take regularly sips of water while vaping.
  • Vape at a low temperature of around 180 degrees Celsius.
  • Keep all vaping equipment clean by using lint free clothes and alcohol.
  • Connect your vaporizer to a water pipe and vape weed through warm water as this will help your lungs.

Personal Experience Vape tips:

  • If you have severe anxiety or a psychoactive mental illness, I cannot advocate cannabis use for you; it might make your symptoms worse or interfere with any medications you are on.
  • For recreational use, avoid addiction by either reducing usage down to twice a week or follow the 4/20 rule: 4 days off for every 20 days on (or 1 week off per 3 weeks on)
  • Don't vape and drive.
  • Don't vape anywhere where children are, and a block away from parks and schools. Municipalities in Canada have maps that show where cannabis consumption is allowed and prohibited.
  • Drink a glass of water with vaping. Even if you are using a water tool.
  • Vape dosage should be about 1-2 decigrams (0.1-0.2 of a gram) per session, with a max range of up to 3 grams per day. Average is about 1 gram per day.
  • If you are using a water pipe or bubbler, clean out the water frequently as it builds up bacteria, yeasts and moulds which can lead to respiratory problems and pathogens entering your body. Daily replacing, if possible. Clean mouthpieces and glass with isopropyl alcohol baths and salt (rock salt works best) and the vaporizer units with an isopropyl alcohol-soaked cotton swab. Cleaning them daily will only take a minute or two in a 99% iso bath (70% will work but no lower than that) and rock salt. If you clean them once a week, it shouldn't take more than 5 minutes of soaking. Irregular cleaning will probably take a couple of hours and worse cases may require overnight.
  • For the sedative properties, save your already-vaporized cannabis and then grind it with a coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle into a powder. You can consume it raw with a fatty substance, like peanut butter, or have it simmer in butter or coconut oil for an hour or two (or four) and run it through a mesh strainer to get the flower bits out. Finally, you can purchase gelatin-formed capsules from the internet or a pharmacy and make your own ABV capsules!
  • If you are on a budget ($100-$200), Dynavap's butane-powered vape pens and Flowermate vapes are very good vaporizers. Mid-range ($200-$300) tier vapes are anything made by Arizer (Extreme Q, Air and Solo series, ArGo), Da Vinci or Pax Vapor. High range (>$300) include VapeXhale Cloud Evo, Storz and Bickel Mighty portable and Volcano desktop vapes. Out of all of these, I recommend the Arizer Solo II for a beginner: Least amount of maintenance, easiest to learn, greatest amount of cannibinoid extraction and best tasting vapour for the price. I also recommend getting two vapourizers in case one of them craps out and you have to send it back to the factory (I have two Solo II's now after this happened.)