Medicinal cannabis has been available on prescription in NZ since 2018, and since then an ever-growing number of patients have been able to access these medicines. We recently told you that the very first medical cannabis flower was verified as meeting the quality standards in New Zealand but, at the time, this was only for use when brewed as a tea. Well, good news! Medicinal cannabis flower has now also been verified for inhalation via a vaporiser.
New Zealand is following through with its plan to roll out the country’s medicinal cannabis program, and the industry has evolved significantly since the initial law change. There is now a wider variety of medical cannabis products available for doctors to prescribe for a range of complex health conditions.
Depending on their condition and medical needs, patients may now be prescribed medicinal cannabis in the form of oils, as well as medical cannabis flower for tea and vaporising.
How does a vaporiser work?
Vaporiser devices heat the inserted cannabis flower to a temperature hot enough to evaporate the cannabinoid compounds. This allows the user to inhale the products and the effects are felt within a couple of minutes. A quality vaporiser will heat the cannabis flower to the correct temperature (without burning) to achieve the greatest effect.
Is vaping better than smoking?
Vaporising cannabis may be a great option for patients needing quick, short-term symptom relief. Although only a small number of studies have been conducted on vaporising cannabis, these studies have shown that it is healthier compared to smoking the flower.
One study suggested that frequent cannabis users who reported respiratory problems after smoking the substance, described that their symptoms improved after just a month of switching to a vaporiser. Another study tested the difference in compounds that is inhaled between a vaporiser and smoking. The vapor produced from a high-quality medically approved vaporiser mostly contained therapeutic compounds. In comparison, cannabis smoke contained some toxic compounds, specifically pyrene and other polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Another benefit of vaporising cannabis is that it is far more efficient and uses less flower compared to smoking. Only a small percentage of the plant’s medicinal compounds are made available when a user smokes cannabis as a lot of the cannabinoids are burnt up when the flower is lit on fire. In contrast, a high-quality vaporiser typically makes over 50% of the flower’s medicinal compounds available to the user. Users can also vape the same batch of flower more than once and at varying temperatures. – www.fenixvapes.co.nz