The process of burning something. When a flame is put to cannabis flower, it will combust, and cannabinoids and terpenes will enter the body when inhaled. Combustion differs from vaporization, which involves a phase shift of a substance.
“You can’t smoke cannabis without combusting it.”
“Vaporization offers more temperature control than combustion.”
What is combustion?
Combustion occurs when a flame is put to cannabis flower or hash, whether in a bowl, joint, or other rolled product. Combustion decarboxylates cannabis, allowing cannabinoids, terpenes, and other compounds of the plant to be available for the body to use.
Combustion is one of the most accessible ways to consume cannabis, but it also has some drawbacks. Lighting plant material can cause some cannabinoids and terpenes to burn away and become lost. Also, for people with respiratory conditions, combustion is a harsher way to consume flower.
Combustion vs. vaporization
Vaporization is the conversion of a substance from a liquid or solid to a gas or vapor state. A difference in temperature is largely what separates combustion and vaporization. Vaporization uses lower temperatures, which preserves more cannabinoids and terpenes of cannabis.
Additionally, while little hard evidence exists, vaporization is generally believed to be healthier than smoking flower through combustion.