Known to users by different names like wax vaporizer pens, dab pens or concentrate pens, these all refer to a small device with a specific design that can vaporize cannabis concentrates or simply dabs. Although similar in concept, wax vaporizer pens are different from regular vape devices in that the former have specific components that enable them handle thicker yet smaller amounts of cannabis liquids and turn it into vapor.
Even at first glance, it is easy to understand why using a wax vaporizer pen is more convenient for medical marijuana users or even recreational dabbers. For one, the device can save you the hassles of rolling a joint, blunt or spliff. You may also use a dab rig instead for cannabis waxes, but this can also mean that you’ll have to work with a hand torch, which can get extremely dangerous once you’re buzzed.
Apart from these obvious advantages, however, are there more compelling reasons why you should switch to wax vaporizer pens?
Wax Vaporizer Pens vs. Joints, Blunts and Spliffs
Studies on the use of marijuana show proof consistently of its ability to manage certain physical and neurological conditions because of its calming effects. Some doctors, for example, prescribe marijuana to Crohn’s disease patients to help them cope with their symptoms, which include nausea, vomiting and inflammation. Videos on YouTube also appear to show how using marijuana can dramatically reduce dyskinesia (uncontrolled body movements) in patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
Smoking marijuana, however, is not without its own serious drawbacks. The presence of tobacco in blunts and spliffs means that they pose the same, if not worse, health risks as cigarettes. Even without tobacco, rolled-up joints and marijuana smoked with pipes and bongs can likewise be harmful because of the smoke. Initially, it can cause irritation in your airway. Prolonged use can lead to serious medical conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis and pneumothorax. Marijuana smoke also contains carcinogens and harmful chemicals that cause tumor growth.
This is where wax vaporizer pens hold a huge advantage over joints, blunts and spliffs. With these devices, you are essentially inhaling vapor rather than smoke. Vapors will not cause any irritation in your lungs, unless your lungs are extremely sensitive, in which case you’ll want to look at alternative ways to self-administer marijuana. Minus the marijuana smoke, it will also be less likely for you to develop respiratory conditions that may result from inhaling it like COPD and bronchitis.
Easy to Use
A wax vaporizer pen likewise provides you with a more convenient means to administer condition-specific treatments. Recent studies have shown that cannabidiol (CBD), a chemical component of marijuana, is helpful in the treating and managing a variety of ailments including chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and the side-effects of chemotherapy. What makes CBD even more interesting is that it doesn’t have the same psychoactive effects as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the component that gives you a high. Those who want to manage or treat their disease using marijuana, without the high and the hazy effects of it can simply load up their wax vaporizer pen with a high CBD and minimal THC strain concentrate, and then self-administer as needed.
It is also a popular belief among many marijuana users that smoking it can relieve anxiety. Studies, however, show that this is not entirely true. While CBD is very effective in helping people manage their anxiety disorders, the opposite is true with THC. Some studies suggest that THC can induce and even worsen anxiety.
Another advantage of using CBD for the treatment of anxiety disorders is that it has a low likelihood of abuse unlike traditional anxiety medicines such as benzodiazepines. Those who have been self-administering CBD via a wax vaporizer pen also attest that it is one of the quickest ways to enjoy its calming effects. You also need not worry about failing a drug test when using a high-CBD low-THC strain as the amount of THC in these oils are negligible.
Selecting the Right Wax Vaporizer Pen
Wax vaporizer pens come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so you’ll need to address several considerations in choosing the right one for you. If you need to use it often, it will be a good idea to consider one with a longer battery life. Since you will need to carry it with you all the time, you will also need to choose one that is very portable. Among the other issues that you may need to consider when buying a wax vaporizer pen are durability, vapor quality, features and price.
More studies are underway to see the long-term and lasting effects of using wax vaporizer pens, especially with cannabis concentrates. If the initial small-scale studies and the statements from users were to be an indication, however, things are looking up for this device as a viable method of self-administering cannabis concentrates.