There are said to be 7000 chemicals in cigarette smoke. These chemicals were created from the burning of the estimated 600 chemicals in the cigarette. This is a fearsome recognition to the consumer of today. Thoughts of healthcare costs and benefits are always gnawing on our minds. As more evidence of potential health hazards in consumer products has been unveiled, some people have become savvier. They’ve had to if they wanted to lead healthier lifestyles.
The cannabis consumer of today has metamorphosized from the stereotype cast in the past. As some of the medical benefits of cannabis have been exhumed, as much as has been possible, anyway, consumers have begun to seek out healthier methods for the inhalation of cannabinoid- and terpene-rich vapor. Fading are the nostalgic decarboxylation techniques that charred the plant matter and the paper wrapping. Although cannabis smoke has been said to be less carcinogenic than tobacco smoke [1], is frequent inhalation of combustion products really worth any risk?
The extraction of cannabinoids and terpenes into an extract or concentrate form is a way of cleaning up the product by getting rid of lots of undesired chemical constituents. While oils, and snap n’ pull, or pull n’ snap, or taffy, or diamonds, or sugar, or honey, or terp milk might be flavors of the week, true cannabis plant flavors can also be ingested by vaporizing flower. All right, terp milk isn’t real, I made it up. But then again today is not yesterday, and so this may have changed.
E-cigarettes have been said to be less lethal than regular cigarettes, in part due to the fact that they don’t produce the tar and toxic vapors from the combustion of plant matter. Thus, vaporization is already a cleaner technique. But unlike e-cigarettes, where other excipients can be inhaled, vaporizing contaminant-free dry flower provides chemical compounds native to the plant.
Cloudious9 has illustrated that today is not yesterday by designing a revolutionary dry-flower vaporizer called the Hydrology9. As the ideas for the Hydrology9 were being cultivated, those planning its creation considered other liquid-filtration vaporizers on the market, and felt that some hadn’t been specifically designed for containing water to filter the vapor. This device is a symbol of how far cannabis equipment manufacturers have journeyed in providing cannabis users with a cleaner method for extracting cannabinoids from plant matter, without bringing along undesirable by-products concomitant with combustion. The mission of Cloudious9 was to create a liquid-filtration vaporizer that allowed the generated vapor to freely flow, while ensuring that the vaporizer wouldn’t leak, all in a seamless design.
The level of detail that the engineers of this device have implemented is impressive. The vaporizer demonstrates elegance, with its sleek, clean, borosilicate glass body. On top of that body, rests a ¼ inch borosilicate glass, bong-style mouthpiece, designed with a curvature that provides a comfortable fit. A ball-valve, inside the mouthpiece allows the vaporizer to be turned 360° without spilling.
Vaporization is achieved by a food-grade porcelain chamber, and the temperature that the device heats to is controlled by a microprocessor that enables users to change between heating levels.An equivalent distribution of heat is possible through Cloudious9’s patent-pending technology. The “tunnel-tube” water filtration system (also patent pending) aids in reducing carcinogens, and cools the vapor for a smoother inhalation.
Users can set one of five different temperature levels and experiment with ease as they hone in on what level of vaporization works best for them, or for a given cultivar. Each level is color-coded so the user doesn’t lose track of where they are in the cycle of pressing the operational button. When the chosen color LED turns green, the vaporized cannabis is ready for inhalation.
We spoke with Melana Smith about her use of the Hydrology9. Melana, who like so many others, found cannabis through a medical condition. The stunning thing about Melana, though, is that her doctors said she had just two years to live, since she had a brain tumor. That two years was with radiation and chemotherapy treatments. A friend provided her with Rick Simpson oil, and Melana found immediate relief. She could get some rest again, and could tolerate eating. After eight months, Melana stopped all taking all pharmaceuticals, and was declared cancer free!
Today, Melana helps people get cannabis medicine. She especially tries to help those who haven’t much money, but still, require cannabis to get relief. And it goes without saying, (but here it is anyway): when Melana ingests cannabis, she is looking for the healthiest ingestion methods available. “The Hydrology is the most top-of-the-line vaporizer I’ve used. It’s designed to be very high quality and high class,” Melana discussed. “It reminds me of some other, larger vaporizers, like the Volcano, but those came with lots of extra accessories. The Hydrology9 provides an easy, simple, yet elegant design.”
“Unless you spend your money wisely, the quality just might not be there,” Melana advised. A lesser quality, and perhaps lower cost alternative might require the consistent addition of new flower. “A little bit of product went a long way for me when using the Hydrology9.”
We discussed how many consumers are looking for healthier alternatives to combusting plant matter. Cloudious9 was obviously thinking about this when they designed the Hydrology9. “If you’re in to smoking cannabis, it’s definitely a cleaner way to extract the medicine. The ergonomic design made me want to use it more.”
Some vaporizers work by pressing the only button on the device 44 times quickly. The Hydrology9 designers recognized that in the days of augmented reality, social media, and selfie sticks, people want technologically advanced and simple. (And let me tell you how I cringe every time I look at those two cursed words…selfie sticks). This vaporizer truly is designed with the modern, health-conscious, technologically savvy consumer of today.
Reference
[1] Melamede, R., “Cannabis and tobacco smoke are not equally carcinogenic”, Harm Reduction Journal, 2005; 2: 21.
