Why the Dry Herb Vaporizer Revolution is Real - Nectar Platinum Review
What is a dry herb vaporizer?
A dry herb vaporizer is an alternative to smoking herbs. It is an electric device which heats up dry herb, weed and/or concentrates in an oven chamber, subsequently creating a vapour which can be inhaled. The oven chamber heats up the dry herb using convection or conduction, very similar to that of a kitchen oven, heating the weed, rather than setting it on fire. Dry herb vaporizers are very easy to use, portable, and maintain a lot of the strength and flavour of the dry herb.
How is dry herb vaporizing different from “smoking weed”?
To put it honestly, a dry herb vaporizer is just a healthier way of consuming weed. Smoking anything, whether it be tobacco or weed, is a process which involves combustion. Combustion is the process of lighting something, at usually around 900C (1652F), and setting it alight. This releases dangerous and damaging toxins and carcinogens. It also can leave a harsh, painful feeling on the throat when someone inhales. The difference with a dry herb vaporizer is that you’re not smoking weed, you’re vaporizing it. Heating up dry herbs in a dry herb vape does not exceed temperatures of 240C (464F), and is thus a lot less damaging on the body. The vapour is not as hot or toxic as the smoke. In addition, vaping weed actually maintains a lot of the weed’s flavour and intensity, which can be usually lost when it's burned at such a high temperature. Therefore, vaping weed does seem to trump smoking weed in a lot of ways.
Why is dry herb vaporizing better for you than smoking weed or vaping oil?
Dry herb vaporizing isn’t necessarily better than vaping oil although you will likely get a different potency in both methods. So there’s a number of ways of consuming cannabinoids BUT there’s only one way to make sure you consume it without any toxins and that’s by not combusting it.
Essentially, whether you’re consuming cannabinoids, cooking a BBQ, smoking a cigarette, making toast or anything else that requires heat, if you heat something to the point of combustion which happens at 240C (464F) then you’ll start releasing toxins and more times than not, the carcinogenic compounds linked to cancer. Most dry herb vaporizers you find should have an upper maximum temperature of 240C (464F) or less to avoid combustion and this is the whole purpose of a dry herb vaporizer. Coincidentally the highest melting point of the weed compounds is CBC (Cannabichromene) which is at 220C. Meaning you don’t actually need to burn weed in a spliff to activate or benefit from any of the compounds. When you’re lighting weed with a lighter, you’re burning it at around 900C (1652F). So everything from 240C (464F) to 900C (1652F) is not only pointless but also toxic.
So going back to the question, since both dry herb vaping and vaping oil both avoid combustion, in other words don’t burn past 240C (464F), then they both avoid releasing toxins. Since toxins are out of the equation, now we’re left with the actual herbs and oils you use in them. With herbs it’s a little easier to determine their quality without being a connoisseur. When it comes to oils, they need to be mixed with other liquids such as vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol in order for them to be vaporized so as long as those liquids are safe to be consumed then there wouldn’t be anything to worry about.
Smoking on the other hand heats well over 240C (464F), meaning you’re well and truly releasing those unwanted compounds and toxins.
What was the moment that made you want to get into the cannabis space?
There wasn’t one particular moment but I’ve been involved in the cannabis space to a certain extent for as long as I can remember but of course it’s still not legalized in the UK so it's hard to get involved whilst staying on the side of the law.
About 8 years ago, I started getting issues with my lungs caused by smoking and I heard about dry herb vaporizers for the first time. I ended up going through about 10 of them in a couple of years and kept switching to find a better one, and that was the lightbulb moment to start our own brand. We’ve come a long way since then and our understanding as an industry of what makes a great vaporizer has too, but in the grand scheme of things they’re still a new concept and there’s still a lot more work to be done.
What advice would you give someone just starting out in the cannabis space right now?
I have a couple of answers to this. Firstly, it depends on where in the world you’re located whilst starting out and what part of the industry you’re getting involved in (it’s a shame we don’t all abide by the same relaxed rules but unfortunately that's the way the cookie crumbles). In general I would recommend keeping up with all the laws and policies, not just in your country/state but as many as possible. Things are now moving quicker than ever and there’s been plenty of changes to laws and policies affecting everyone in the industry. I think if you’re in touch with what’s going on you have yourself a headstart in the industry.
Secondly, my advice would be to actually ‘start’! We’ve all been there when you want to start something up and you end up doing all the research in the world, reading all sorts of blogs, watching videos etc. and before you know it you’ve given up because you haven’t seen instant development - so my advice would be ‘rush to start’ and ‘be patient to grow’. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t got the best plan in the world, just start by making action. For example, if you want to start a blog, then just buy a domain and start writing, once you actually start, everything else tends to fall into place.
Biggest mistake you made while you were starting your vaporizer company?
Good question and a very tough one to answer. There’s nothing standing out here as the biggest mistake and I don’t think there have been any big mistakes otherwise we wouldn’t be where we are now. If I could go back in time I guess I would have put more effort into our brand away from e-commerce platforms, focussed on social media more than we did and avoided companies like PayPal which I once thought we needed but have ended up being a pain in the back. I think time is the most valuable resource in our universe and you need to use it wisely in every aspect of life including when building a brand. Things like social media tend to grow exponentially so just adding an extra year onto what we already have could have ended up in a lot more brand awareness at a much earlier stage.
When do you think we will see full legalization of cannabis?
The question of weed legalization is a tricky business. The truth is, there has been a slow but gradual movement towards cannabis legalization throughout the world in the last decade. Whilst the latter stages of the 1900s brought about laws which mostly made weed illegal and criminalized, the 21st century has been slightly different.
Weed legalization is split up into different sections. You have medicinal marijuana, which allows for weed to be used for medical purposes. And then you have recreational use, which allows for weed to be enjoyed for personal reasons. Some countries - such as the Netherlands, Canada and Jamaica - allow for both types of marijuana use legally. However, other countries - like parts of America, the UK to an extent and Spain - allow for primarily medicinal marijuana.
Each country has its own view on weed legalization, but the general consensus amongst the world seems to be a slow understanding that marijuana has some health benefits and should be made legal for those who require it for that purpose. The UK have just brought out the Cancard, which acts as a legal ID for people to be able to prove they are using weed medicinally. This stops any unfair prosecutions. Once medicinal marijuana becomes the norm, it seems to be the trend that recreational use follows. In California, this is what happened and weed is now allowed for both purposes.
However, this step is still a big one to make for most countries. Some countries are contempt allowing for weed to be an underground activity which has no inclusion in the legal system. For example, both Colombia and Nigeria produce great amounts of weed, however it is still technically illegal to use it recreationally or medicinally. For them, perhaps it’s easier to just ease off on prosecutions on the streets rather than make it officially legal. It is precisely this approach that will probably be the main reason why full weed legalization will still take some time.
Many countries believe the wrong precedent will be set for future drug laws if weed becomes fully legal. And, for them, it’s easier to turn a blind eye to the use of it, rather than make a huge statement by legalizing it entirely. This approach will need to be changed globally if weed is to become fully legalized.
In regards to the UK, medicinal marijuana is becoming more mainstream. Since 2018 it has been legal but very hard to get your hands on, unless you have the money for private prescriptions. But with the Cancard, people who are unable to afford medicinal marijuana are beginning to be accepted by society and not criminalized. Hopefully the UK are slowly moving towards a more open approach to marijuana. However, full legalization in the UK may still be some time but we have a good article on where weed is legal in the world.
What is the best way for people to contact you or order a dry herb vaporizer? Email? Website?
There’s a few ways of contacting us: telephone, email, website chatbot, social media and whatsapp. Whatever method a customer chooses is completely up to them but I would recommend either calling or sending a message via WhatsApp (+447732415188) for urgent queries. We provide 24/7 customer service on WhatsApp with an average response time of 15 minutes. However, if a customer would rather discuss something in detail then I would say stick to a phone call. Otherwise if you’re already on the website and just have a question about a product then the website chatbot would be best.
Since the start of Covid, we’ve restructured the business to online sales only, so the best way to order a product would either directly from our online vaporizer shop or Amazon. We’ve improved our delivery time via our website to 48 hours within the UK and up to 5 days to the rest of the world.
What is your favorite dry herb strain that you pack your vaporizer with?
The UK has some amazing strains of dry herb going around, mostly prominent in and around the London area. Surprisingly, 75% of the weed in the UK is grown and produced right here in the UK. Not something you’d have thought but it’s true. This allows for producers to create the most popular strains for UK residents right here.
It’s important to remember that flavour is enhanced when using a dry herb vaporizer to inhale your dry herb. That’s because the combustion doesn’t dilute the flavour. Therefore, flavour is key when thinking about favourite strains. It’s hard to pick a top 1 dry herb strain so we’ll put it into a top 3. The top 3 dry herb strains to pack your vaporizer with, in our opinion, is…
This one has a moderate 19% THC level so won’t destroy you instantly. It allows for you to get on with your day. It also has genetics which add a mouth watering oregon blueberry blend flavour. It was this cheese lineage of weed that helped make UK weed producers more popular globally.
OG Kush is definitely for a more powerful high. It can knock you for six if you don’t moderate it. It’s a famous strain and is often spoken about in cinema and tv. A favourite of weed-enthusiast Seth Rogen. This strain originates from the West Coast and makes you feel a million dollars.
Lemon Haze is an old favourite. It was a common dry herb strain when I was in my teens. It’s a mix between lemon skunk, and silver haze, and leaves you with an incredible zesty taste. Almost makes your mouth water.
Thanks for your time and speaking with Cannabis.net!
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