For my first few years of shopping at the cannabis dispensary, I strictly purchased smokable flower and pre-rolls. I am experienced and comfortable with the effects of traditional smoking. I like the process. I know how to determine good quality weed and am quite skilled at rolling up a decent joint. However, there are some drawbacks to smoking as a consumption method. It requires having access to gear such as rolling papers, a rolling tray, lighter and ashtray. The process creates smoke, ash and odors. There’s mess and waste involved. If I light up a joint, everyone in the vicinity knows that I’m smoking weed. Because of this, I got interested in vapes. This modern smoking method offers lots of unique advantages. It’s also super popular, which means there’s incredible variety. I have my pick of all different flavors and potency of indicas, hybrids and sativas. The dispensary carries refillable and portable pens, different styles of carts and batteries. Some of the options allow me to control temperature and dosage. Some are so simple that all I need to do is push a button and inhale. Vapes are wonderfully easy, portable and discreet. I can carry the pen in my pocket and consume without drawing attention to myself. The vaping process doesn’t create ash, smoke or odors. Because it doesn’t heat the cannabis to the point of combustion, more of the cannabinoids and terpenes remain intact. This method offers better flavor and avoids the concentrations of carcinogens that are a problem with traditional smoking. While I still like to light up a joint now and then, I’ve gotten where I choose to vape most often.