Is Dry Herb Vaping Safer Than Smoking or Oil Vaping?
Key Takeaways
This post may feature affiliate links. If you order through these links you will be supporting my site in a small way that means a lot, at no cost to you! Thank you! Disclosure policy.
Intro
Inhaling cannabis through oil vaping or smoking is the fastest way to relief, due to their nearly instant onset times. This makes them valuable tools in your cannabis toolkit, and for many people, preferable to cannabis edibles or oils.
New cannabis users often start with oil vapes because they are discreet, portable, and convenient. The problem is that many of them are also full of questionable chemicals, including microplastics.
Smoking cannabis flower is an easy and effective method, but chemicals are naturally created in the combustion process, and inhaled straight into the lungs.
Dry herb vaping presents an appealing middle ground: the instant relief of oil vaping, the whole plant experience of smoking, but without the potentially hazardous chemicals.
But is dry herb vaping actually safer than smoking or oil vaping?
This article explores what dry herb vaping is, how it works, the potential health benefits compared to smoking, and what science says about it. We’ll also highlight the top three dry herb vaporizers on the market to help you get started.
If you want a full roundup of the best dry herb vaporizers on the market, check out my article, “Top 5 Dry Herb Vaporizers of 2025.”
What Is Dry Herb Vaping?
Dry herb vaping is the process of heating cannabis flower to a temperature that vaporizes its active compounds—like THC, CBD, and terpenes—without actually burning the plant material.
That means instead of inhaling smoke, you’re inhaling vapor, or mist. This method preserves the flavors and effects of the cannabis, allowing you to experience the “Entourage Effect” of all the terpenes, cannabinoids, and other medicinal compounds, while minimizing the production of harmful byproducts created by combustion or heating vape oil.
The vapor is generally cooler and less harsh on your throat and lungs, which is a major reason many people are making the switch from smoking to vaping.
Dry Herb Vapes: How Do They Work?
Dry herb vapes come in many shapes and sizes, but they all share a basic function: they gently heat cannabis flower to a set temperature, which vaporizes the active compounds like cannabinoids and terpenes.
You put ground up cannabis flower in a chamber, set your desired temperature and a battery heats the chamber either through convection (hot air) or conduction (direct contact). Once it’s heated, you inhale the cannabis vapor through a mouthpiece.
Temperature control is a key feature of dry herb vapes. Lower temps (310-330 F) better preserve the compounds, so they produce more flavor and subtle effects. Higher temps (370-430 F) deliver stronger, more potent effects and big clouds.
I’ve put together a handy chart for which temperature you want to use by your desired effect:
They come in both portable and desktop versions. Portable dry herb vapes (like my Pax3 above) are compact and discreet, great for on the go use. Desktop models offer more power and precision, and are ideal for home sessions and higher doses.
Dry Herb Vaporizers vs Smoking Flower: What’s the Difference?
Smoking cannabis involves combustion—setting the flower on fire and inhaling the smoke.
While this delivers whole plant medicine quickly, it also produces tar, carbon monoxide, and other carcinogens like PAHs, some portion of which you inhale right to your lungs.
Dry herb vaporizers, on the other hand, use lower temperatures to extract the good stuff without burning the plant. This means:
Most users report that dry herb vaping feels smoother, tastes better, and doesn’t leave that lingering burnt smell.
Vaporization also preserves more terpenes than smoking, the aromatic compounds in cannabis that provide flavor and impact the quality of your experience.
By avoiding combustion, you may get a more full-spectrum experience with enhanced flavor and potential therapeutic effects.
Dry Herb Vaporizers vs Oil Vapes: What’s the Difference?
Oil-based cannabis vaporizers are extremely popular because they are easy to use, discreet, and long-lasting. There are many varieties, but what they have in common is a cannabis concentrate inside a cartridge, and a battery that heats the cartridge.
The downside of oil-based cannabis vapes is that some residual chemicals from the extraction process can be present in the vape oil, which you then inhale.
This is less common in states where cannabis is legal and the extraction process is highly regulated. But it is potentially very common in “gray market” vapes or vapes found in non-legal states that are made from unregulated hemp-derived THC.
Low-quality devices may also may have microplastics or micrometals in the final product.
You may remember the EVALI “vaping crisis” of 2019, where thousands of people were hospitalized and many died from acute lung injury. Subsequent investigations found that those vapes – which included both e-cigarettes and THC vapes – were gray market vapes in which the vape oil had been cut with Vitamin E Acetate, a chemical additive that allowed manufacturers to stretch the number of vape carts they could produce. That chemical was prohibited in cannabis-legal states, and only found in unregulated markets.
To minimize harm, both acute and long term, I suggest only buying oil-based vapes that are made from either “rosin” or “live rosin,” which is made without chemical solvents by putting the cannabis plant under heat and pressure. Only buy vapes from licensed dispensaries.
Dry herb vaporizers avoid the risk of questionable chemicals altogether, since they only use pure cannabis flower.
For the ultimate roundup of oil-based vape information and beginner-friendly advice, check out my article, “All About Cannabis Vapes: How to Choose and Use the Perfect Vape.“
Is Dry Herb Vaping Safer for Your Lungs? What the Science Says
I dug into the research on this, and I would call it sparse but promising. Here’s what I found:
A 2021 study in the Canadian Journal of Public Health found, “Cannabis vaporizer use can reduce the emission of carbon monoxide, chronic respiratory symptoms, and exposure to several toxins while producing similar subjective effects and blood THC concentration compared with smoking cannabis, holding potential for harm reduction among habitual cannabis smokers.“
A 2007 study in Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics found, “Vaporization of cannabis is a safe and effective mode of delivery of THC. Further trials of clinical effectiveness of cannabis could utilize vaporization as a smokeless delivery system.“
A 2003 study in the Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics found, “The results indicate that vaporization can deliver therapeutic doses of cannabinoids with a drastic reduction in pyrolytic smoke compounds. Vaporization therefore appears to be an attractive alternative to smoked marijuana for future medical cannabis studies.“
A 2007 study in the Harm Reduction Journal found, “These results suggest that the respiratory effects of cannabis can decrease with the use of a vaporizer. The data reveal that respiratory symptoms like cough, phlegm, and tightness in the chest increase with cigarette use and cannabis use, but are less severe among users of a vaporizer.” And was summarized by Science Daily as, “A smokeless cannabis-vaporizing device delivers the same level of active therapeutic chemical and produces the same biological effect as smoking cannabis, but without the harmful toxins.”
A 2010 study in the International Journal of Drug Policy found, “These preliminary data reveal meaningful improvements in respiratory function, suggesting that a randomized clinical trial of the cannabis vaporizer is warranted. The vaporizer has potential for the administration of medical cannabis and as a harm reduction technique.“
No method of cannabis consumption is completely risk-free, but these studies suggest dry herb vaping is safer than smoking.
However, safety also depends on the quality of the device and how it’s used. Poorly made vaporizers can contain plastics or metals that off-gas when heated, potentially creating health risks.
Best Dry Herb Vaporizers on the Market, from Beginner to Expert User
Buying a high quality, well-constructed dry herb vaporizer is key to the safety of dry herb vaping and its harm reduction potential. No microplastics or micrometals for us, thank you.
These are three of the best-reviewed vaporizers in 2025, based on performance, safety, and user feedback, and arranged by user level.
I have used all of them many times, they are all fantastic products.
I own and frequently use a Pax3, the predecessor to their current PaxPlus model, and I absolutely love how sleek and portable it is. I’ve also regularly used both the Mighty+ and Volcano with friends, and been impressed each time.
PaxPlus Dual-Use Vaporizer
Super-portable, sleek, discreet, and reliable, the PaxPlus is a perfect dry herb vaporizer for the new user. Bonus: an optional concentrates insert lets you get the best of both worlds.
Storz & Bickel Mighty+ Dry Herb Vaporizer
The Mighty+ is a super-powered portable dry herb vaporizer with fast heating times and top quality construction. It’s hefty size makes it less discreet than the PaxPlus, but it compensates in power.
Storz & Bickel Volcano Vaporizer
An icon in the world of cannabis, the Volcano is a powerful and precise desktop dry herb vaporizer. Best for home use, long sessions and higher doses.
Final Thoughts
So, is dry herb vaping safer than smoking? It appears so. While no method is completely risk-free, dry herb vaporizers offer a cleaner, less harmful way to enjoy cannabis flower.
From reduced exposure to toxins to better flavor and aroma, the benefits are hard to ignore. With the right device and proper use, you can enhance your cannabis experience without compromising your health.
FAQs
TLDR
They appear to be safer for your lungs than traditional cannabis smoking or oil vapes.
Buying a high-quality, well-constructed dry herb vape is critical to its harm reduction potential.
