What You Need to Know about Using Medical Cannabis Flower in a Vaporiser in NZ

New Zealand is following through with its plan to roll out the country’s legal medicinal cannabis program, and the industry has evolved significantly since the initial law change. Medicinal cannabis has been available on prescription in New Zealand since 2018, and since then an ever-growing number of our patients have been able to access these medicines. 

A big milestone occurred in December 2021, when the very first legal medical cannabis flower was verified as meeting the quality standards in New Zealand, but this was only for use when brewed as a tea. Following on from this, medicinal cannabis flower was verified for inhalation via a vaporiser in June 2022. 

There is now a wider variety of medical cannabis products available for doctors to prescribe for a range of complex health conditions. Depending on your condition and medical needs, you may now be prescribed medicinal cannabis in the form of oils, as well as medical cannabis flower for tea and vaporising.

Vaporisation vs tea – which flower administration method is best?

This is a decision that must be discussed with your doctor in a consultation. There are a few important differences between the two methods of medical cannabis administration including onset, estimated duration effect, absorption and bioavailability.

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. We’ve put together a helpful article for you below.

Types of vaporisers

A medical cannabis vaporiser is a medical-grade specialist device used to consume the cannabis flower. Vaporisers are believed to be less harmful and harsh than smoking cannabis, which remains illegal in New Zealand.

There are two main ‘formats’ of vaporising devices or vapes to consider; portable or tabletop (stationary). We recommend the option between three legal medical devices for our patients, known as the Storz & Bickel Mighty Medic, the Mighty Medic+ and the Volcano.

All three devices use the same process of heating combining both convection and conduction methods, ensuring an efficient vaporisation effect from the first draw. However, aside from both being suitable for dried flowers, the Volcano also allows users to insert liquid cannabinoids.

When being prescribed medicinal flower products by one of our doctors, talk to us to help you decide which vaporiser is better suited for you. Simply follow the device instructions on how to use the product. A detailed video on how to use the Mighty Medic can be found here.

How does a vaporiser work? 

Vaporiser devices heat the inserted cannabis flower to a temperature hot enough to decarboxylate and evaporate the cannabinoid compounds. This allows the user to inhale the products, and the effects are felt within a couple of minutes. The medically approved vaporisers from Storz and Bickel will heat the cannabis flower to the correct temperature (without burning and harmful by-products) to achieve the greatest effect. 

At lower temperatures, the vapor will be lower in cannabinoids and will be dominated by terpenes which can be helpful for stress, anxiety, and sleep. At higher temperatures, the cannabinoids (THC & CBD) become more dominant, allowing the user to experience the medicinal effects of the flower.

Here are the evaporation temperatures of the primary cannabinoids:

• Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) = 157℃
• Cannabidiol (CBD) = 180℃ 

Advantages of medicinal cannabis vaporisation

Vaporising medical cannabis has numerous advantages over the traditional methods of smoking. The temperature required to vaporise heats the cannabis flower to the point at which cannabinoids and terpenes are released without combustion, creating a considerably less harmful byproduct in the process. These studies further indicate that vaporising reduces respiratory problems like bronchitis and chronic cough associated with smoking.

Besides, vaporisation is more efficient and allows patients to use less cannabis to achieve the desired therapeutic effect.

Is vaping better than smoking?

It is essential to understand that smoking cannabis remains illegal in the New Zealand and is not encouraged. 

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 (which is described in more detail below).

Step-by-step instructions for using medical cannabis flower in a vaporiser

Preparation: Grind the cannabis flower to a consistent texture. This will ensure that it gets adequately heated and vaporises appropriately.

Loading the Device: Refer to your vaporiser’s instructions. Typically, this is as simple as placing the ground cannabis bud into the chamber.

Temperature Setting: Set the temperature on the vaporiser to your desired degree. Lower temperatures, about 160-180°C, release more terpenes and fewer cannabinoids. This might benefit anxiety or even sleep. Higher temperatures, from 180 to 220°C, release more significant levels of psychoactive cannabinoids like THC and CBD, which provide considerable therapeutic effects.

Inhalation: After reaching the set temperature, inhale the vapour through the mouthpiece. Start with small dosages and gradually increase as needed.

Cleanliness and maintenance: As the manufacturer recommends, clean your vaporiser frequently to ensure perfect performance and durability​.

Understanding the bioavailability and effects of vaporisation vs. other methods

Bioavailability means the percentage of cannabinoids available to be assimilated into the circulatory system and subsequently into therapeutic action. Vaporisation provides higher bioavailability compared to oral ingestion methods. When cannabis is vaporised, cannabinoids get easily absorbed through the lungs, leading to rapid onset of effects—usually within minutes.

A study was published in 2007 which compared cannabis smoking against cannabis vaporising with a Volcano. It demonstrated that the bioavailability of vaporised cannabinoids using the Volcano and Mighty Medic devices is between 29% and 35%. This is significant because the bioavailability of orally ingested cannabinoids is thought to be less than 15%.

Conclusion

We hope that you have learnt more about vaporising medicinal cannabis flower. Book an appointment with one of our experienced doctors to discuss whether cannabis flower and vaporising is right for your medical journey. 

REFERENCES

Van Dam, N. T., & Earleywine, M. (2010). Pulmonary function in cannabis users: support for a clinical trial of the vaporizer. International Journal of Drug Policy, 21(6), 511-513.

Sheehan, T. J., Hamnett, H. J., Beasley, R., & Fitzmaurice, P. S. (2018). Chemical and physical variations of cannabis smoke from a variety of cannabis samples in New Zealand. Forensic Sciences Research, 1-11.

Hazekamp, A., Ruhaak, R., Zuurman, L., van Gerven, J., & Verpoorte, R. (2006). Evaluation of a vaporizing device (Volcano®) for the pulmonary administration of tetrahydrocannabinol. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 95(6), 1308-1317.

Lanz, C., Mattsson, J., Soydaner, U., & Brenneisen, R. (2016). Medicinal cannabis: in vitro validation of vaporizers for the smoke-free inhalation of cannabis. PLoS One, 11(1), e0147286.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11366582/ 

https://ascpt.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1038/sj.clpt.6100200 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4718604/ 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6737940/