Vaporization includes the heating cannabis plant material to release aerosolized cannabinoids. This includes tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol, and the various other 400+ chemical compounds like cannabinoids and terpenes.
Cannabis vaporization devices can range from fairly large tabletop units to simple and small portable pen-shaped devices. There are also vaporizer devices that can enable you to consume highly concentrated marijuana extracts referred to as “dabs,” “ice,” “budder,” “shatter”, and various other names. Cannabis vaporizers are designed to let users inhale active cannabinoids while avoiding harmful smoke toxins.
Vaporizers use a method of heating just below the point of combustion where smoke is produced. This is where THC and other medically active cannabinoids are carried by vapor with little or none of the carcinogenic tars and noxious gases found in smoke.
Vaping cannabis can increase the amount of cannabis compounds that are activated, which has been found to preserve and enhance health benefits for medical marijuana patients.
In contrast, a lighter is an open flame that can reach more than 600 degrees Fahrenheit, or 315 degrees Celsius, which is an extremely high temperature and will most certainly boil away and destroy a substantial amount of cannabinoids and terpenes before the cannabis is even consumed.