Vaping vs. Smoking: Is Vaping Really Better Than Smoking?

With recent legislation favoring vaporization in states like Ohio and Florida, many people have wondered if it is really that far superior and different from smoking. The short answer is yes, and there are plenty of reasons why. Whether you prefer vaping or smoking is a decision of preference, and hopefully this article allows you to make an informed decision. We will explore some of the health, social and legal advantages of vaping over smoking.

Many years ago, smoking was widely accepted and was also extremely common in most social situations. However, as its popularity grew, public concerns arose over the effects of smoking. Medical professionals began to do research and conduct long term experiments on the effects of smoking. Once knowledge of the health risks became known and began to spread, public opinion of smoking became increasingly more negative. This led to campaigns to end smoking of any kind by anti-tobacco organizations. In time, legislation began to change and “we the people” voted to pass laws making smoking far less convenient in multiple ways.

Much of what makes smoking unhealthy is the fact that when you are smoking, you are essentially inhaling the smoke from crude combustion which is full of carcinogens. Carcinogens are simply any chemical that is probable to cause cancer. Smoking is also unhealthy because of the heat from combustion and the particulate matter in the smoke. With so many people still smoking and refusing to stop despite knowing this, it was only natural that alternatives were soon created. One of the best and most popular alternatives is vaporization, also known as vaping.

Vapor is similar to smoke in appearance, however, the way it is created is much different. Vapor is produced when a substance is heated to a point in which the liquids or easily liquidized compounds contained in that substance turn into vapor. This makes it much healthier due to the fact that the large majority of the carcinogens in smoking come from the crude combustion of the plant material that is happening. 

Vaporization is typically done with one of two different types of end product when it comes to modern vaping. The first, is the vaporization of liquids. The vaporization of liquids, like e-juice, oils and waxes, is normally done with a coil that is heated with electricity to a point which the liquid is turned into vapor, which the chemical reaction is different than that of ingesting smoke. This is accomplished with oil and wax concentrate pens but it can also be accomplished with a dab rig or nectar collector. 

The second is vaporization of plant materials, like dried tobacco leaves, dried smoking blends and flowers. This is a process that is temperature controlled to avoid combustion. In this method, typically some sort of specialized oven which vaporizes dry materials is used. This method is used to release the active ingredients in the plant in an efficient and healthier way to the consumer. It is effectively using the plant to its fullest potential. This is best accomplished with dry herb vaporizers.

Vaping is by no means healthy. But it is definitely less unhealthy than smoking. While we have focused on tobacco, that has lead to a clearly favored position in recent legislation as some states like Florida and Ohio begin to roll out medical legislation. In Florida this affects the selection of products sold to patients at the new medical dispensaries and even the marketing on the packages of those products. The laws only contemplate a way to purchase products to be vaped legally and don't give that same freedom to smoking. Although, a recent Florida court case has found the prohibition on smoking in private unconstitutional. 

Smoking has cost the United States and many other countries a significant amount of money from increased health problems and incidence of cancer. The fact that many of the health risks associated with smoking are either lessened or negated by vaping has led vaping to become not only more socially acceptable but also politically acceptable. This is likely the probable cause for why many states have laws allowing the vaporization of substances they have banned for smoking. Further, vaping is far more discrete and doesn't produce nearly as strong of a smell. Overall, this is why vaping is more socially and politically acceptable.

In the future, we will see whether vaping begins to receive a more negative halo due to increased public scrutiny surrounding the increased use of Juul and other e-cig products. There are questions whether the fruity fun flavors and popularity are leading it to reignite young smokers under the age of 21 or even 18. In fact, Juul recently stopped selling flavored e-cig products and ceased promoting products on their social media accounts. People under legal age should not smoke and under 21 laws should be enforced by merchants rigorously. I believe that this is an isolated case and this argument should not be carried over to all vaping, but we will see how this plays out over time. 

Ultimately, vaping is far healthier than smoking and vaping will continue to advance and grow in popularity. We are constantly getting more technologically advanced vaporizers and vape pens that show continuous improvements that make vaping more convenient and effective. I love this healthier way to consume. 

At Waterbeds ‘n’ Stuff we have the best prices on a massive selection of vapes. Whether you are looking for concentrates vape pens or dry herb vaporizers, we have you covered. So visit waterbedsnstuff.com or come to one of our 13 retail locations throughout Central Ohio and let us help find the best vaporization products for you.

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*These statements have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

**The beliefs and opinions expressed in this blog are not those of Waterbeds ‘n’ Stuff.

1 Fla. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 381.986 (j)(2) - [Medical use...does not include]...use, or administration of...in a form for smoking...

2 Oh. Rev. Code Ann. § 3796.06 (B)(1) - The smoking or combustion of...is prohibited.

Oh. Rev. Code Ann. § 3796.06 (B)(2) - The vaporization of...is permitted;