Modular smoking devices that vaporize certain materials, such as tobacco or cannabis are disclosed. The technology provides for intelligent ignition, combustion, or vaporization of given material at the appropriate temperatures that prevent generation of harmful and unwanted byproducts. According to one embodiment, the modular smoking device comprises a self-contained combustion chamber to hold the material, a combustion mechanism integrated with the self-contained combustion chamber, and an energy source, such as a rechargeable battery, to power the combustion mechanism. The combustion mechanism is configured to provide targeted combustion of the material, where the active ingredients generated upon the combustion are consumed by inhaling a smoke or vapor resulting from the combustion or vaporization. The self-contained combustion chamber includes a lighterless combustion mechanism such as a piezoelectric lighter or a lighter sold under TESLA COIL LIGHTERS® that is designed to arc an electric discharge through the material in the self-contained combustion chamber.