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Vaporizers, E-Cigs Of The Pot World, Are Booming


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http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/03/15/marijuana-vaporizing-gains/6042675/

 

LOS ANGELES — Chris Folkerts started selling electronic cigarette-like devices from the trunk of his car two years ago. Now he and two partners own one of the biggest brands in the business, with products in 4,000 stores nationally, an art deco office on the city's fashionable Miracle Mile and an endorsement deal with rapper Snoop Dogg.

The rapid success of Grenco Science, the privately held company Folkerts founded, mirrors the fast growth of the business it is in — marketing devices that allow marijuana users to vaporize their psychoactive weed rather than smoke it.

"This is a big industry — it is the future,'' Folkerts, 31, says. "We're really on the cusp of exploding.''

With Grenco's "G Pen" line and a vast marketplace of competitors, marijuana users can avoid the hassles, hazards and telltale smell that goes with lighting up a pot pipe or cigarette, as well as the uncertain dosage and delayed effects that come with ingesting marijuana-infused food and drink.

Just as e-cigarettes have transformed the business and national debate over tobacco smoking, e-cig technology and vaping are bringing major change to cannabis culture and business — even altering the way pot is packaged and sold in states where it is legal for medical or recreational purposes.

Steve DeAngelo, a marijuana entrepreneur and activist who founded the Harborside Health Center medical marijuana dispensary in Oakland, says the arrival of compact, portable, microprocessor-controlled vaporizers and advances in extracting active ingredients from cannabis plants have caused a shift in consumer demand.

Some dispensaries such as his and many in Colorado, where recreational pot is legal, now do roughly 50% of their business in raw marijuana leaf or flowers, and the rest in edibles and concentrates, some prepackaged in cartridges for use in vape pens, he says.

"The percentage of raw (pot) flowers we sell has been dropping steadily,'' DeAngelo said. "The percent of extracts and concentrates ... has been rising steadily.''

1394660692000-overall.jpg

Grenco Science is headquartered in the fashionable Deco Building in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles. Chris Folkert started selling electronic cigarette-like devices from the trunk of his car two years ago. Now he and two partners own one of the biggest brands in the business, with products in 4,000 stores nationally.(Photo: Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY)

 

A TRUE GROWTH INDUSTRY

The transformative technology comes at a time when marijuana is gaining in legal and public acceptance.

While marijuana remains illegal under federal law, Colorado and Washington have made it legal to possess and use, and 20 states have made it legal for medical uses. Alaska has scheduled a vote on full legalization in August, and legal changes for pot are afoot in several other states. Recent public opinion polls for the first time show majority support for ending pot prohibition, and President Obama recently said marijuana was no worse than alcohol.

The rise of marijuana e-cigs coincides with the development in recent years of potent new forms of concentrated marijuana extractions in liquid, viscous and waxy forms. Those concentrates lend themselves easily to vaporization and are used to fuel many of the vape pens on the market, though there also are many vaporizers made for consuming marijuana leaves and flowers.

Vaping's growth, ease of discreet use and high-strength concentrates raise alarms among pot's opponents.

"This really portends the next generation of marijuana use,'' says John Lovell, a Sacramento attorney and lobbyist for the California Narcotics Officers' Association and California Police Chiefs Association.

Those law enforcement groups remain strongly opposed to marijuana legalization, and Lovell says the rise of high-strength concentrates for vaporizing "gives the lie to the allegation that somehow marijuana use is benign.'' Home manufacturing of the concentrates can be dangerous if flammable solvents such as butane are used, he notes, and their potency can deliver a fast and powerful high to the user.

The concentrates can be composed of as much as 80% or even 90% THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive ingredient of the cannabis plant. Advocates such as DeAngelo say the extraction process can be designed to concentrate another ingredient, CBD (cannabidiol), for non-psychoactive medical uses.

A DANGER FOR CHILDREN?

Some parents are alarmed that pot concentrates may be discreetly vaporized by children.

"It's a perfect combination — it's so easy (and) there's no odor,'' says Marcie Beckett, a San Diego mother of two who is part of a coalition opposing marijuana legalization. "People beware: Kids can now use these vaping devices to use marijuana, and you'll never know.''

So far there's been little scientific research on the use of vaporizers, though the federal Food and Drug Administration has announced its intention to examine and regulate e-cigarettes. Many cities, including Los Angeles, have moved to prohibit e-cig use in public.

Some doctors who support marijuana's medical use recommend vaping with reservations.

Bob Blake, a San Diego-area physician, says he advises patients against vaporizing concentrates because of unknown health risks with some types of vape pens. He says the long-term health effects of smoking marijuana are far less than smoking tobacco, but he recommends vaporizing cannabis flowers and leaves to many patients who don't smoke. He hands out an informational paper on vaporizing to patients, including some in their 80s, and recommends certain vaporizers he thinks are safest.

But the biggest market for vaporizing may be for those who wish to consume marijuana without detection by others.

"People want discretion,'' Blake says. "With vaporizers, in a large room a person can be medicating without offending the other person in the room.''

Because of marijuana's legal status, finding reliable estimates of the size of the marijuana business and pot vaporizers market is difficult. But the money involved speaks volumes.

High Times magazine, which chronicles pot culture, recently expanded to its largest size ever, up 26 pages to 152 pages, to make room for vaporizers ads, Managing Editor Jen Bernstein says.

"These pens are great,'' she says. "We definitely increased the book size to accommodate this growing corner of the market.''

In Denver, more than 600 people showed up last week for a job fair by a vaping device maker expanding staff.

HIGH-END VAPING

Investors are attracted to the growth potential of vaporization.

Seibo Shen quit his Silicon Valley tech and software work less than two years ago to form a vaporizer start-up, VapeXhale. He raised $143,000 in 40 days through a fundraising campaign on Indiegogo.com, he says, then raised more from private investors. He met his partners through an online forum for vaping enthusiasts.

He said he has been vaporizing pot since the late 1990s, but only in the last few years has the technology become smaller and consumer friendly. He estimates three-quarters of the tech executives he knows in Silicon Valley use marijuana, and that health-conscious white-collar workers who don't like smoke are his target market.

"People are trying to be healthier in general,'' he said. "Why shouldn't their cannabis consumption follow suit?"

He is working the high end of the market. G Pens have a retail price of around $100, and many cheap imports go for as little as $20, while the first model from Shen's VapeXhale sells for more than $450. It is a heating unit attached to bong-like liquid-filled glassware, designed to deliver a maximum high without concern for portability or discretion.

At Grenco Science, now housed in a landmark former bank building on Wilshire Boulevard called the Deco Building, Folkert declined to reveal Grenco's sales or revenue figures. But with an office in what was the bank vault, he says business is booming, even as the company battles cheap knockoffs from China and counterfeit sales.

1394660756000-2-Chris-Folkert-.jpg

Chris Folkerts has a small motorcycle in his office, which he sometimes starts up and rolls about.(Photo: Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY)

 

The company sells its pens through thousands of smoke shops, head shops and other retailers as well as directly online. He is creating fashion, art, music and extreme sports marketing tie-ins to extend the product's reach into new sales outlets, such as at South By Southwest, the tech and music festival in Austin this month.

Snoop Dogg, the rapper who flaunts marijuana use, has his own line of G Pens sold by Grenco. The rapper stars in an instructional video and is the brand's public face.

The rise of handy vaporizers has boosted retailers, too.

"I've been in the business for 20 years, and I've never seen anything impact the market like this,'' says Tony Van Pelt of Pomona, Calif., who sells vaporizers and related items online and in stores.

"This is the moment I've been waiting for,'' he says. "This vaporizing thing has changed the whole world.''

WHAT IS VAPING?

1394660856000-detail.jpg

Grenco Science has invested quite a bit in packaging and design to create a classy looking device.(Photo: Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY)

 

 

  • • Vaporizers, often powered by battery or electricity, extract the active ingredients from marijuana by heating it to a temperature lower than required for combustion.

 

• Cannabis leaves or concentrates are heated to around 338 to 356 degrees Fahrenheit, less than the approximately 450 degrees required to burn.

• When air is drawn through cannabis heated to the proper temperature, it emits a vapor that is inhaled.

• Because there is no fire or combustion, there is no smoke.

•They can be as small as a ballpoint pen or as large as a toaster. Some have digital controls for precise temperature controls.

Source: Bob Blake, M.D.; Medical Marijuana of San Diego; mmofsd.com

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The percentage of raw (pot) flowers we sell has been dropping steadily,'' DeAngelo said. "The percent of extracts and concentrates ... has been rising steadily.'

 

 now do roughly 50% of their business in raw marijuana leaf or flowers, and the rest in edibles and concentrates

 

 

You would think the COA  and the Senate would see  that patients  best bet is to vape or eat,

Edited by cristinew
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Nice article. Thanks for posting it.

I have been reading at many other places that pen vaporizers are booming. Open up a High Times magazine and you will see this is true. They are being advertised everywhere. 

 

 

It is completely crazy to say that vaporizers are bad and dangerous. If done right, it is safer, healthier, and discrete. It can be the best choice for an adult patient with a family. The medicine (concentrate) is small and can easily be locked up out of reach. The patient can medicate without their children and other family members without clouding the room with smoke. They can medicate with dignity. It is really discrete. There is a good side to this. They strictly focus on negativity with false claims. Why are the claims false? Well, when I was a kid, it is amazing what you could do with a piece of aluminum foil! Does that mean we should panic and ban aluminum foil? No, I think the parents need to be responsible. Raising our children is not the job of the government, it is the parents job and responsibility. If the kids want to get high, they will find a way. Whether it is with a can of spray paint or with a piece of aluminum foil. I have heard of kids trying to huff from gas tanks! If your kid is getting high, or using a vape pen for whatever reason, you want to point your finger, you should be looking in the mirror.

 

Anyway, the vape pens for cannabis are pretty much low quality copy cats of low grade e-cigarette equipment. You can really get some top notch e-cigg equipment at a reasonable and fair price. You can even attach their equipment meant for mj to the e-cigg devices.

 

Currently, I am really liking the Smoktech Magneto mechanical vape. It is not as discrete as a pen, but I really enjoy using it. I like to use two of them. One for vaporizing pure concentrate and the other for vaporizing e-cannabis (concentrate mixed with PG USP). For vaping pure concentrate I like to use the UP Tech KISS cart for the Persei. I have to use a 510 to 601 adapter, but it works great nonetheless. The other one I currently have a Kangertech AeroTank. I haven't vaped a full gram through it yet, but so far it is working great. I hope it maintains that status over time.

 

Magnetos with AeroTank And Original KISS 3 15 14 009

 

Anyone interested in learning more I have a lot of information here about vaping concentrates http://michiganmedicalmarijuana.org/blog/532/entry-1026-my-experience-with-portable-vaporizers-pen-vaporizers-for-concentrated-cannabis-oil-and-e-cigarette-oil/#commentsStart

 

I think the authorities are just whining about vape pens because they can't smell it in your car as easily as joints. As far as I am concerned, that is their problem. My kid is not driving around getting high. I take parenting seriously. If my kid were doing drugs, i would know it. I feel I don't need any help from the authorities. Maybe they should focus more on providing family counseling rather than vape pens. Casting blame on a vape pen is just ridiculous, a cop out. I wouldn't wait for the police, if I thought there was a problem with my child and drug use, I would take them in to have a drug test, then to counseling if necessary.

 

I think we need to have people like the one who wrote the article and those who were quoted in it go to counseling for reefer madness! I would be far more concerned with children getting their hands on prescription drugs over marijuana, since there is such a high death rate among prescription drugs. Instead they choose to focus on inconveniences for police officers. Most of them do not have a high enough IQ to even know the difference between e-cigarettes and cannabis oil.

 

I do hope I haven't offended anyone. :)

 

 

Edit:

Regulating and taxing. I will immediately quit using e-cigarettes the day that takes place. That is why I quit smoking cigarettes in the first place. Regulation? You mean poison pushing. How many poisonous chemicals are mandatory in cigarettes these days? Quite a few. Not to mention, by law, tobacco must be grown in radioactive soil. What the heck is the matter with them? There are solid statistics from the past that just some of their regulations (poison pushing) there was over 30% higher death rates due to it. At least compared to European tobacco and cigarettes. I don't want their freaking poison. I am not taking it anymore. I am not giving mass amounts of tax dollars so I can enjoy myself. The taxation of tobacco is just crazy. They are losing money like crazy too due to e-cigarettes because e-ciggs are safe. They are scared about losing out on all that tax money when more people switch. I will purchase a lifetime supply of PG USP for my concentrates if need be, but if they regulate and super tax e-cigarette oils, I will happily quit. The hard part was not quitting tobacco, the hard part was not getting all the extra poison that went with it.

Edited by GrowGoddess
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 They can medicate with dignity. ....   Thank You..

 

And yes you can get all you need at a   e cig  store    The Protank 3  works great pyrex glass ,, And use a Ego C Twist VV CE5 1100mah Electronic Vaporizer Pen STARTER KIT  Get them both for under 35 bucks,

 

I wasn't really a fan of the ProTank3. They use great quality parts and all, but I didn't care for the leaking problem and I don't like how there is a bit too much airflow. The good news is, with my ProTank3 that I don't like, it offers me spare parts for the new Aero Tank. It is Kangertech's newest design that has recently been released. I am loving the new AeroTank. It does have a little issue with the 510 drip tip though. It fits loosely and most of my other drip tips will not fit in it. Nothing a little oil won't solve :) . The good news is the ProTank3 drip tip fits it perfectly. It fits better on the AeroTank than it does in the ProTank3. So far the AeroTank has not leaked at all. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Also, the airflow problem has been solved. With the AeroTank, you can adjust the airflow. The airflow is on the side instead of at the bottom by the battery. Just twist a washer up to cover the air holes to the desired draw. If it does start to leak, it will leak from the air holes rather than at the battery. I am loving Kangertech's new rig! Hopefully soon they release their next new rig, the mini version. Hopefully it has the same qualities as the AeroTank. It should be perfect for pens if it does.

 

I like my eGo C Twist VV pens. They operate pretty much all of my attachments great. I prefer the 650mAh though. It is more convenient to carry for me.

Edited by GrowGoddess
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No leaks yet for me on the   protank 3    I have the protank 2 mini also  but the 3 seems to keep the flavor more fresh, maybee because the mini get to much heat,     I will have to try  the AeroTank

 

Curious that your ProTank3 does not leak. I have seen many complaints about them leaking.

 

Are you using concentrated e-cannabis oil or just e-cigarette oil? I have not used mine with e-cigg oils.

 

I will probably get another AeroTank for my e-cigg oils.

 

A little bit of oil leaking down to the battery with e-cigg oils is pretty much nothing to worry about compared to e-cannabis leaking.

 

The e-cannabis oil can cause big issues. The thinnest coating of oil, you can't even see it. Put your pen battery on the charger overnight, go to take it off the charger in the morning and it is stuck like super glue!! Either the pen or charger or both can break trying to get them apart.

 

When I switched to the iClear 30b, as long as I keep it sideways it pretty much did not leak at all. It didn't matter with the ProTank3, sideways, straight up, it leaked a bit. With e-cigg oils I probably wouldn't even have noticed. With the darker cannabis oil it is more noticeable.

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Well, I just started trying the AeroTank with some nice thick flavorful e-cigg oil. I am an e-cigg junkie as well. Anyway, the AeroTank seems to be great. For e-ciggs or e-cannabis. No leaks, no drips, and adjustable air flow too. All stainless steel and glass, big fat thumbs up for medicinal on this bad boy!

 

Replacement Tank Set 3 20 14 007

Replacement Tanks 3 20 14 013

SVD with AeroTank 3 16 14 006

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I bought a vaporizer a few months ago and it kept buring the buds. ..I hated it..lol.  I gave it to a buddy who used it for a few days then gave it away..LOL.

 

 

I do not use anything but dry flowers.  Does anyone recommend "THE BEST VAPORIZER" for DRY FLOWERS..!!  And yes I read the high times top 20 a few months back but we all know the rankings go to the highest paying vendor in High Times.

 

 

So if anyone knows of a great portable vaporizer...plz let me know.

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I bought a vaporizer a few months ago and it kept buring the buds. ..I hated it..lol.  I gave it to a buddy who used it for a few days then gave it away..LOL.

 

 

I do not use anything but dry flowers.  Does anyone recommend "THE BEST VAPORIZER" for DRY FLOWERS..!!  And yes I read the high times top 20 a few months back but we all know the rankings go to the highest paying vendor in High Times.

 

 

So if anyone knows of a great portable vaporizer...plz let me know.

 

I must say you are pretty much correct the highest paying vendors get the highest rankings.

 

They recently reviewed about 30 pen vapes. I can't say that I have tried them all, but I am pretty confident they are all junk or not satisfactory. The vaporizers I have posted, no burning of the meds, there is no going back to smoking or vaping flowers for me. Even if I can only obtain a 1/4 oz. or 1/2 oz. at a time, I would turn it into QWISO hash and enjoy it with my pen vaporizers.

 

It has been almost a year now of just oil for me. Flowers just ain't gonna do it for me anymore, all I see in my future is concentrates. :D

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G-Pen over heats the mj..  I need my nicotene. What brand E cig do you reccommend. I want to dump cigs but not quit smoking.

 

I have a recommendation for you.

 

I feel the same as you. I want the nicotine, but do not want to smoke the nasty ciggs anymore. Especially because they are government regulated and filled with poison.

 

I like the eGo C Twist VV batteries. The VV is variable voltage. I prefer the 650 mAh because it is smaller. The 1100 mAh that Cristinew suggested is longer in size. For a pen, I prefer the inexpensive clearomizers. My favorite is the iClear 16. It has dual coils so it delivers a nice draw. The iClear 16 can be found for $3 to $7 and you can replace the heating coil for around $3. You will also need to get the charger for the eGo battery.

 

Here is a link to some all around average good e-cigg oils. The Tobacco oil is an all around decent flavor. There are thousands of flavors available. Other companies may use the same name, but that does not mean it will be the same flavor. When you find a flavor you like, at least with me, I purchase (4) 30 mL bottles at a time to get free shipping. 

http://www.yourecigarette.com/product-p/tobacco-liquid-nicotine-refill.htm

 

If you want to go with top notch quality I recommend the Smoktech Magneto mechanical vape with the KangerTech Aerotank. Super smooth. I also like to have the pens around as they are more convenient for on the go. Also, the pen vapes are not as expensive to replace if you lose it. 

 

My vaporizer blog here has links to all of the products I have spoken of.

 

On a personal note, if the government starts to regulate e-ciggs, I QUIT. I will not allow myself to take in toxins for some politician to gain extra campaign money. Nor will I be subjected to paying extra taxes like with tobacco.

 

I think quitting the e-ciggs would be easy compared to when I smoked tobacco. There are only like 10 -15 chemicals in e-ciggs compared to the the thousands found in regular tobacco ciggs.

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I bought a vaporizer a few months ago and it kept buring the buds. ..I hated it..lol.  I gave it to a buddy who used it for a few days then gave it away..LOL.

 

 

I do not use anything but dry flowers.  Does anyone recommend "THE BEST VAPORIZER" for DRY FLOWERS..!!  And yes I read the high times top 20 a few months back but we all know the rankings go to the highest paying vendor in High Times.

 

 

So if anyone knows of a great portable vaporizer...plz let me know.

 Magic-Flight Launch Box, Works great, inexpensive. Get extra batteries. Takes getting use to, watch the first few times you try it, or you'll get to big a draw. Use dry bud. Very little smell if any. Been walked in on using mine, and the people did'nt smell the weed smell :) hope this helps

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I've been vaping for quite a few years and have owned quite a few of them. In my opinion, the arizer solo is great for plant material. And for concentrates, I have and love my omicron. Both are regarded very highly by vaporists. If you get a solo, they sell a special type of stem for it that increases the airflow through the unit, which makes it a better experience.

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  • 4 weeks later...

The percentage of raw (pot) flowers we sell has been dropping steadily,'' DeAngelo said. "The percent of extracts and concentrates ... has been rising steadily.'

 

 now do roughly 50% of their business in raw marijuana leaf or flowers, and the rest in edibles and concentrates

 

 

You would think the COA  and the Senate would see  that

despite the COA ruling, it is true in detroit disps just as it is nationwide.  you'd think govt would see that the community does cannabis the way it prefers----and scoffs the courts, meaning it is a stupid, backwards ruling so change the law.

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