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Inhalation is an important route of administration for many medications, including several FDA-approved drugs. Inhalation provides rapid onset, avoids first-pass metabolism, reduces systemic side effects, and increases bioavailability. 

These characteristics can be especially important for patients seeking rapid relief from symptoms such as pain, nausea, or muscle spasms. Avoiding first-pass metabolism in the liver and kidneys can also be important for patients taking multiple medications because it may reduce some opportunities for drug interactions. Patients also find greater control over dosing with inhaled cannabis because effects can begin within seconds to minutes. Rapid onset lets patients assess their response and titrate their dose faster than with slower routes such as ingestion, where effects may take 30 to 90 minutes to begin.

What is actually inhaled matters. Combustion produces unwanted byproducts, while vape pens and other manufactured inhaled products may contain thinning agents, flavorings, concentrated terpenes, or other additives that raise separate safety concerns when heated and inhaled. Whole flower vaporization offers another approach by heating cannabis flower without intentionally burning it and without requiring many of the additives found in manufactured vape products.

Medical cannabis vaporizers have also been approved or registered as medical devices in several countries, making them available for use in research and healthcare settings and, in some jurisdictions, eligible for insurance coverage. Medical-device approval requires manufacturers to meet standards for safety, performance, quality, and intended use, demonstrating that cannabis inhalation can be approached as a legitimate medical delivery system rather than simply as a consumer smoking accessory.

For patients who rely on inhaled cannabis, the device is part of the medicine. Not all vaporizers are created equal, and temperature control, heating method, materials, airflow, cleanability, durability, and clear instructions can influence whether flower is vaporized as intended, whether unwanted combustion occurs, and how consistently a patient can use and titrate their medicine.

The Flower Forward Award recognizes whole flower vaporization devices and accessories that advance temperature control, materials safety, cleanability, dose awareness, usability, and clear consumer guidance. The award recognizes innovation that preserves the benefits of rapid, patient-controlled inhalation while improving the safety and reliability of whole flower administration.

The 2026 nominees are Clean Torch, STORZ & BICKEL, and PAX. Their nominations highlight continued innovation in the devices patients use to administer whole flower cannabis.

Learn more about the Flower Forward Award!

MEET THE FLOWER FORWARD AWARD NOMINEES

STORZ & BICKEL

STORZ & BICKEL has spent more than two decades developing vaporization technology around precise heating, airflow, materials, reliability, and product testing. Its devices use controlled heating systems designed to release compounds from dried plant material without relying on combustion.

The company also brings a medical-device perspective to cannabis vaporization. STORZ & BICKEL manufactures medically certified cannabis vaporizers outside the United States and applies quality management, materials selection, temperature control, and extensive testing to its vaporizer development.

PAX

PAX has helped make whole flower vaporization portable and accessible through devices designed around temperature control, airflow, usability, and discreet operation. Its newer flower technology combines conduction and convection heating with real-time temperature control intended to provide more consistent heating during use.

PAX has also invested in research comparing vaporized and combusted cannabis and examining how device design affects what users inhale. That research adds another layer to product safety by looking beyond how a device is designed to how it performs in actual use.

Clean Torch

Clean Torch approaches whole flower safety by rethinking the traditional lighter. Its rechargeable electric heating system offers an alternative to a butane flame and lets users control how heat is applied to flower during inhalation.

Depending on how the device is used, it can vaporize flower without combustion or provide ignition. Its focus on heat control highlights an often overlooked part of cannabis administration: the heat source itself is part of the delivery method.

HIGH TECH FLOWER OF THE FUTURE

Whole flower vaporization can get lost between conversations about smoking and concerns about vape pens. Safer administration depends on the device as well as the cannabis. Whole flower vaporization is a distinct method of administration, with its own safety considerations around temperature, materials, airflow, cleanability, and device performance.

For patients who rely on whole flower inhalation for rapid onset and patient-controlled dosing, the vaporizing device is part of their medicine. The Flower Forward Award recognizes innovations that improve the safety, reliability, and usability of whole flower vaporization.

Cast your vote for the 2026 Flower Forward Award through October 25.