Prefilled oil cartridges vs. dry vaping…which is better?

We aren’t here to tell you what to do and we aren’t medical professionals – let’s get that straight right from the word GO.  But we are curious about the differences between using a vape pen with a cartridge versus a dry vape for flower and we assume you are too.  With the recent vaping crisis taking the country by storm, people are leery of cartridges to a certain extent, but in all fairness, many of those incidents were a result of counterfeit cartridges and shady sellers.  We’re fortunate in Missouri that our state’s program includes rigorous testing of products to ensure patients are safe from toxic materials.

That said, vape cartridges are darned convenient, relatively inexpensive, and will be widely available in Missouri dispensaries.  There’s no skill involved, no need to have a stash box or jar, no need for a grinder, etc.  I’ll play devil’s advocate and mention the short term use of cartridges, once they’re empty, they’re destined for a landfill, and batteries are a consideration as they don’t last forever either.  The contents of the cartridges include THC concentrate, terpenes, and other agents that make for easy vaporization.  For convenience, there’s very little argument that using a cartridge is an easy peasy solution.

Dry vapes have their share of benefits and pitfalls too.  Dry vapes use flower, which means you avoid any kind of chemical agents, and again, with Missouri’s standards for lab testing you can be certain that your dispensary is carrying flower that isn’t loaded with pesticides or e coli (Oklahoma, we’re looking at some of you).  Dry vapes can be battery operated (again – consider these as an ongoing cost) or battery-less and some devices like desktop vaporizers, might even plug into a wall outlet.  If you choose to dry vape and are on the go frequently, you’ll need a solution to travel with your medicine and you certainly can’t pull out a dry vape in the middle of Target like you might with a cartridge pen.  On the plus side, you can also reuse your AVB (after-vaped-bud) in edibles or tinctures or topicals, so you get some additional use after consumption.

Both options offer patients the availability of their medicine via inhalation, and both have pros and cons.  If you’re trying to make a decision about whether or not vaping is for you, consider some of the above when you’re shopping and make the best choice for what your needs and priorities are.