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Canadians interested in discovering less traditional ways to consume cannabis can find edibles, vape pens, and other cannabis derivative items available on store shelves. While some Canadians may be curious, there are a lot of unanswered questions when it comes to vapes.
Eric Goulet, brand director at Foray Cannabis – a signature brand from Auxly Cannabis Group, alongside Kolab Project and Dosecann – responds to five questions he’s most frequently asked about vape products.
1. How does vaping cannabis compare to smoking it?
At the top of the list for many is the absence of smoke. Vapes generate enough heat to release the active ingredients of cannabis but not enough to burn it, so consumers can enjoy cannabinoids and terpenes (naturally occurring substances responsible for aroma and flavour) without inhaling smoke.
Vaping is also more discreet than smoking. The smell from a vape pen does not really linger compared to smoke, nor is it anywhere near as strong.
2. How do I know how much vape to consume?
For all Foray vapes, we have developed an approximate estimate for THC serving size, based on a three-second draw. It’s important to note that each individual THC serving size may vary, depending on the strength of draw, temperature and exact THC formulation, and whether it is a consecutive draw or not. Use the guidelines below as a guide, but as with all cannabis products, start low and go slow.
- for products with 800mg/g THC, a 3 second draw should provide roughly 3mg THC;
- for products with 400mg/g, a 3 second draw should provide roughly 1.5mg THC;
Everyone’s experience is entirely his or her own. To figure out the amount that works best for you, pull a small draw initially. Then, if the result is not what you desire, gradually increase the amount in your next session, but aim for no more than three seconds per draw.
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3. What type of vape product is right for me?
The type of product you want will depend on the experience you’re looking for. Most of the THC vapes on the market are sativa or indica, though Foray carries both profiles. As a general rule, sativa-dominant cannabis products are thought of by consumers as a daytime sort of product, while indica products are more associated with nighttime.
There are also vapes that provide a balanced formulation with equal parts CBD and THC, the psychoactive and non-psychoactive compounds found in cannabis. Balanced cannabis products, like the Foray Balanced formulation, contain equal amounts of both, which offers a more stable experience.
Finally, there are CBD-dominant cannabis vape products, currently only provided by Foray and a few other brands, which primarily contain CBD with minimal amounts of THC. CBD is the compound found in cannabis that is primarily responsible for the non-psychoactive effects experienced with cannabis use. It does not cause a “high” and there is some evidence that CBD may block or lower some of the effects of THC on the mind, which may occur when the amount of CBD in the cannabis is the same or higher than the amount of THC.
4. What are the “botanical terpenes” found in many vape formulas?
Terpenes are a large and diverse class of organic compounds found in all plants, which play a significant role in producing their distinct aroma and flavour. To create the unique profile of each Foray vape, we use botanically derived terpenes, extracted from natural sources other than cannabis. The terpenes in our vapes are inspired by the following strains: Blackberry Cream for our Indica vapes, Strawberry Ice for our Sativa vapes and Mango Haze for the Balanced and CBD vapes. The strain names do not describe the flavour of our vapes. In addition to those strains, we will be coming out with Grape Ape, Maui Wowie and Goji OG later this summer.
A common misconception is that botanical terpenes are different from cannabis terpenes. A terpene molecule, whether derived from a cannabis plant or another plant, is the same, and the taste, aroma and sensation will be the same. When vapes claim they are full spectrum, it means they purport to use the same terpenes in their vapes as the ones in the flower.
All in all, botanical terpenes allow for a more consistent and reliable vape product because there is no terpene variability from flower to flower. To be extra safe, Foray tests all of its terpenes for contaminants, just as it does with its cannabis distillate.
5. What kind of testing is done on vapes?
Last year, vapes were in the news as it came to light that illicit vape products, mostly in the U.S., contained harmful additives. As a consumer, you have the right to know what is in the things you consume, and what the manufacturer has done to evaluate them.
Foray vapes contain two ingredients: high-quality cannabis distillate and steam-distilled botanical terpenes. In addition to that, our vape fluid formulations have been meticulously tested for contaminants. Separately, before we decided to sell vaping products, we wanted to give ourselves comfort that we were doing whatever we could to earn the trust of our consumers. To do that, we voluntarily tested our vape hardware for heavy metals leaching and voluntarily sent our filled vapes to have their emissions voluntarily tested by a third-party lab. This was done to understand what is going into our consumers’ lungs when they inhale our products. Suffice to say, the results of all of our testing met our high standards.
These questions were compiled from some of the frequently asked questions Foray receives from consumers. We hope that this has provided some helpful information for your journey into cannabis, wherever that may be. If you have any additional questions, please reach out to us via questions@myforay.com.
This content was produced by an advertiser. The Globe and Mail was not involved in its creation.