In any New Mexico cannabis dispensary you are likely to encounter three different kinds of THC vapes; distillate, live resin, and live rosin which refer to different extraction techniques. The most common form is THC distillate.
THC distillate is extracted from dried cannabis shake or flower which is soaked in a light hydrocarbon such as butane or propane. The resulting THC rich solvent is placed in a vacuum chamber until all the hydrocarbons evaporate. Food-sourced terpenes are then added to the mix to recreate the flavor and effect of known cannabis strains. The floral smelling terpene linalool, for example, might be extracted from lavender, myrcene from hops, or limonene from orange rinds.
Live Resin is extracted from fresh cannabis flower, which is flash frozen and immersed in cold ethanol (drinking alcohol) which is then evaporated in a vacuum chamber in much the same way as a distillate. This process produces an oil that tastes fresher, richer, and cleaner than distillate, as many of the terpenes are extracted with the THC.
Live Rosin is the creme de la creme of THC extractions, as no solvents of any sort are used. The process uses only heat and pressure to pull the THC from the plant. All of the naturally occurring terpenes come with the THC in this method of extraction, and so do not have to be added in at a later stage. All of the terpenes in live rosin are sourced not only from cannabis, but come from the same cannabis plant. A live rosin vaporizer will provide the user with the most well rounded, flavorful, and clean experience.
There were recent reports of teens getting sick from nicotine vapes, and the culprit was discovered to be Vitamin E oil used as carrier solvent in certain black market vapes. When you buy a THC vaporizer from a licensed dispensary in New Mexico, you are guaranteed to have a clean product without any carrier solvents.