# What is this suspected drug thing I saw in an apartment?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-suspected-drug-thing-i-saw-in-an-apartment/555839>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 2, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-suspected-drug-thing-i-saw-in-an-apartment/555839 "2010-10-02T15:20:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-suspected-drug-thing-i-saw-in-an-apartment/555839/21 "2010-10-05T12:05:36Z")

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> [@WhyNot](#):
>
> > [@dzero](#):
> >
> > It could be a [pot vaporizer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporizer). I’m not sure what the benefits of such a device are supposed to be though or why someone would choose to use one instead of an ordinary bong. I think it’s supposed to avoid some of the byproducts of incinerating the pot at high temps that happens with an open flame. Not sure.
> 
> Yes. It’s supposed to release the THC, which has a relatively low burning temp, without burning the other stuff in the plant and releasing smoke or carcinogenic chemicals, which supposedly burn at higher temps.
> 
> Never seen a vaporizer shaped such as the device described in the OP, though. But then again, there’s lots of things I haven’t seen yet.

I think you mean THC has higher vapor pressure, i.e., a lower boiling temperature, since the purpose is to inhale the THC and not its combustion products. Whether the temperature at which something is burning is low or high doesn’t seem relevant for purposes of inhaling it 🙂

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**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-suspected-drug-thing-i-saw-in-an-apartment/555839/22 "2010-10-05T12:13:07Z")

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> [@Nava](#):
>
> I think you mean THC has higher vapor pressure, i.e., a lower boiling temperature, since the purpose is to inhale the THC and not its combustion products. Whether the temperature at which something is burning is low or high doesn’t seem relevant for purposes of inhaling it 🙂

Perhaps I did. I barely passed College Chemistry, woman! (Ok, not true, I got an A, but I \*sweated \*for that A!)

The claim is that a vaporizer’s lower-than-a-flame heat level will “release” the THC without burning the plant matter. Better? 😛

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