Are you curious about the world of cannabis vapes? Do you wonder how long the high lasts after taking a few puffs or if the method of consumption matters? If you’re new to vaping, you might wonder if it’s worth the hype. Well, wonder no more!
In this article, we’ll explore the effects and duration of the high you get from cannabis vapes. From dab pens to various dosages, we’ll cover everything you need to know to make an informed decision about your next vaping experience. So sit back, relax, and let’s dive into the world of cannabis vapes!
How Long Does a Vape Keep You High?
What Is a Dab Pen?
Battery-powered, simple, refillable, and with just a few components, dab pens are much like your standard vapes or vape pens and an excellent alternative to gummies and rolling joints. The way they work is as follows:
There tends to be a cartridge. You fill this with bite-sized concentrations of cannabis. These concentrations come in a few different forms.
The most typical ones are wax, oil, budder, and shatter. Once you have any of these, place a bit of it in the chamber. Once the little button is pressed, it heats up the cannabis until it becomes vapor.
What are the benefits of this? You get to carry all your weed in your pocket, ready to go. Forget grinding it up and rolling it; it’s on the spot. It makes cannabis incredibly more transportable and accessible, and you don’t have to use a cigarette for tobacco either.
However, the effects of dab pens can vary based on your tolerance and frequency of cannabis use. If you consume too much, you may experience a bad high with symptoms such as increased heart rate, panic, and hyperventilation.
It is crucial that your marijuana is in the form of wax, oil, or any of the other mentioned concentrations. If you just put a bit of raw cannabis in your vapes, they will get damaged. You do not want that happening to your only puff-and-go weed fix!
Traditional Highs: How Does It Differ?
The most traditional way of getting high is a joint.
Smokers have said before that it is similar since it is THC. However, there is quite a difference in how it actually feels. This has a lot to do with the fact that the weed used in joints is often combusted or cut up with other substances/chemicals. In contrast, the concentrations you put in a dab pen are relatively pure.
Users have compared them side-by-side. The consensus seems to be that a few hits from a dab pen can get you high, whereas six or more puffs can keep you high for quite a while.
When concentrations of cannabis (sometimes referred to as a hash) are used instead of a normal bud, many users often experience a much “clearer” high.
They report feeling a lot less foggy and more composed. While this can be attributed to the placebo effect, it actually does have some basis in reality. The less stuff your flower is cut up with, the clearer your high is going to be.
Also, you can expect a more potent high since you are using heavily concentrated extracts. Think of it like drinking a few shots instead of a few sips from a bottle.
Of course, good, strong brownies or cookies will likely still be an alternative for many long-term. How fast it hits depends on individual metabolism.
Does It Hit Better Than Joints?
The answer is yes. This form of consumption provides a faster high due to its strength and dosage, and it’s also convenient to carry and refill. You’ve likely heard all of these benefits, but here’s the best part:
You have to smoke an incredible amount to get a heavy-body high from joints. Whether you are smoking Indica or Sativa, most users need to light up more than two to that point. Tolerances only grow higher the more you do this.
With dab pens, it isn’t like that. A few puffs just put you in that zone, so you get a really good high, which is what every cannabis user is looking for.
Vaping is more comparable to sniffing fresh buds rather than burning weed. This makes it easier to be discreet when vaping.
As you smoke more, joint highs tend to fade faster, while a dab pen high lasts well into the night. Typically, users can expect to reach their high peak around the half-hour mark.
Factors Influence the Duration of A Vape High
1. The Potency and Doses
Knowing the potency of the concentrate is crucial when it comes to dabbing. This will help you determine the amount you should dab and how frequently. Failure to control the dose and potency can make you far too high, which can be an unpleasant experience.
Most dabs contain THC or CBD in the 60-90% range. However, some cannabinoid concentrates contain even higher amounts of these compounds, exceeding 90%. Note that the potency of each concentrate can vary depending on the manufacturer and the extraction process.
Typically, you will find most dab containers around 1 gram and around 800 mg of cannabis. However, it’s always best to read the product labels to find the exact composition.
Remember that solventless cannabis products may have lower concentrations of THC or CBD, usually around 50%. However, this is not the norm; enough solvent concentrates can contain THC content ranging from 70-90%. Some even exceed this level of potency.
2. Tolerance Level
For fresh users starting, consuming between 5-10mg of THC or CBD is recommended. This is a great place to start because it allows you to test your tolerance level. If you want to test your tolerance, you should consider micro-dabbing. This involves getting the tiniest dab possible and inhaling it before gradually increasing the amount. This will help you determine how much is enough for you and prevent you from getting too high.
It is worth noting that most users, regardless of the amount they consume, tend to experience similar effects. Therefore, starting small and gradually increasing the amount is essential until you find the perfect dosage.
3. Various Strains of Cannabis
To understand how many strains there are, you must first know a bit about how a strain is made. Cultivators pick between various traits, which all spur different effects in a person to create a particular strain.
The three main strains are Indica, Sativa, and Hybrid. The third one combines the first two with different hybrids having diverse effects.
Typically, kush or afghan, Hindu, or green kush is known to be incredibly pure indica. Due to how many hybrids have taken off, the number of strains by now is in the hundreds.
The high you get will be different depending on the strain you use. Indica is typically known as a relaxing strain. However, keep in mind that each user’s body is different, and we still do not understand how cannabis reacts to this individuality.
There are compounds in the cannabis plant that can cause sedation, which is responsible for the relaxing feeling. There are also ones that have psychoactive properties.
How Does Your System Break This Down?
The most important things that affect how your body breaks down your cannabis consumption and the effects of THC are:
- Your physiology and ECS
- The delivery method
An ECS refers to an endocannabinoid system. Every human has one, and each one has a unique physiology.
Besides that, your physical chemistry, metabolism, mental state, the amount of sleep, food, and water you have had, as well as how tired you are, stress levels, and various other things can make a difference in how your system breaks down the cannabis and how the high is.
Vaping is a form of delivery known as inhalation. This is one of the fastest ways to get high because it enters your lungs, and from there on, it goes directly into your bloodstream. It’s also why edibles take much longer to kick in; your liver cannot metabolize THC quickly.
Your body breaks down these cannabinoids almost instantaneously. You will feel the effects of a dab pen in minutes, whereas an edible can take anywhere from an hour to a couple more, depending on personal metabolism.
50-60% of the THC passes the blood-brain barrier when you feel high. The peak effects happen after the first 15-20 minutes or a bit more, but because this process is so fast, dabs often feel stronger than the last one.
With edibles, it is different. That gets broken down into 11-hydroxy-THC, which has a psychedelic high rather than a bodily one. This is why users often experience feeling different on an edible.
Final Thoughts
The duration of a vape high depends on several factors, including dosage, THC potency, and personal tolerance levels. While the effects of vaping THC can last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours, ultimately, everyone’s experience differs.
If you’re new to vaping, we recommend starting with a low dose and gradually increasing it until you find your sweet spot. You should also consider the quality and potency of the product you’re using.
With that said, we hope this guide has helped answer your questions about how long a vape high lasts, and if you have any more or would like to share your experiences, let us know in the comments below!
Happy vaping!
