While images of joints and bongs will permeate cannabis lore for decades to come, alternative consumption methods have existed for thousands of years. From the drinking of tea-like Indian bhang (cannabis buds soaked in hot milk and spices) to the ancient middle eastern tradition of marinating cannabis flowers in olive oil for anointment to the skin, the smoking of cannabis is actually a fairly contemporary means of ingestion.

The emergence of the medical marijuana movement has motivated the development of alternative cannabinoid consumption methods. Joining sublingual sprays, tinctures, pills, and edibles is a relatively old technology: vaporization. This method of extracting THC and other valuable cannabinoids from the cannabis plant offers the advantages of decreased harm to the lungs, considerable long-term cost reduction, and significantly decreased smell during consumption (aiding in stealth).

Medical quality vaporization requires a device called, appropriately enough, a vaporizer. Available in a wide variety of forms—from temperature controllable forced air vaporizers, such as the $700 German-produced Volcano, to simple manually operated glass devices for under $20—vaporization is more than a cultural experiment. In fact, it is becoming common for smoking cafes and compassion club dispensaries to rent or offer free use of high-end vaporizers. In the world of vaporization, the terminology is different.....

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