Vaping marijuana is often touted as safer than smoking it. That's because vaporizers heat—but don't burn—herb, oil, or wax forms of marijuana. However, vaping marijuana isn't safe in general, and in some ways, it may be more dangerous than smoking weed.
Full Answer
Is vaporizing marijuana healthier than smoking it?
Vaping marijuana might expose you to fewer toxic ingredients than smoking it, but it's far from harmless. A lot more research is needed to fully understand the health risks associated with vaping in general and vaping marijuana and its related compounds specifically.
Is vaping worse than smoking weed?
Teens who inhale cannabis via vape pens are more likely to develop breathing problems than those who vape tobacco products or even those who smoke either cigarettes or marijuana joints, according to research appearing in the Journal of Adolescent Health this spring led by University of Michigan nursing professor Carol Boyd.
Why is vaping now more dangerous than smoking cigarettes?
Vaping may be worse for you than traditional smoking, a new study claims. Greek researchers found that flavorings in e-cigarettes harm the lungs by causing inflammation. Experiments, conducted on...
What are the real dangers of vaping?
Understanding the real dangers
- Toxins, carcinogens, chemicals. There are scary sounding chemicals in e-cig vapor, but they’re in tiny concentrations, far smaller than in tobacco smoke.
- Formaldehyde. ...
- Popcorn lung: diacetyl and acetyl propionyl. ...
- Flavorings. ...
- Particles. ...
- PG and VG. ...
What is the most exhaustive study on a topic?
Can vaping cause lung problems?
About this website
How long does it take for vaping to work?
If you are new to vaping, it is generally recommended to start low and go slow. If you aren't feeling the desired effect after 15 minutes, you can take a little more.
How much does a dry herb vape cost?
Cannabis enthusiasts say dry herb vaping has a better flavor and milder smell than smoking. A good quality dry herb vape starts at about $200, but the expense could be worth it for people who smoke cannabis regularly.
What do vaporizers use?
Unlike traditional cigarettes that burn leaves to make smoke, vaporizers use batteries and small metal coils to heat a substance until it evaporates and is then inhaled. For this reason, they're often referred to as vapes, vape pens, and vaporizers. But not all devices vaporize the same way.
Can you smoke cannabis with a vape cart?
Dry herb vapes have a stronger odor that can linger in a room for about 30 minutes, but is easier to mask than smoking. And unlike smoking, vaping does not typically cling to clothing and skin.
Is vaping marijuana harmful?
Vaping marijuana might expose you to fewer toxic ingredients than smoking it, but it's far from harmless. A lot more research is needed to fully understand the health risks associated with vaping in general and vaping products that contain THC.
Is vaping bad for you?
Keep in mind that the use of e-cigarettes and vaping in general puts you at a greater risk of lung disease, heart disease, and cancer. 12 And though you are not smoking nicotine, that doesn't mean you aren't ingesting other harmful toxins.
Is vaping weed harmful?
Vaping weed might seem like a less harmful alternative to smoking, but it’s not entirely harmless. In addition to the health risks associated with THC, vaping itself can be potentially damaging to a person’s health. 4
The Dangers of Vaping Marijuana
So why should vaping this psycho-active drug matter if marijuana is legal for recreational use in several states throughout the U.S.? Although there have not been cases of people overdosing on intaking Cannabis, the psychoactive drug can still negatively affect a person’s brain development.
Understand the Signs of Vaping Marijuana
Vape pens make it easier for teens to discreetly inhale marijuana wherever they are. The vape pens are easy to conceal and look like stylus pens or USB jump drives, which makes them harder to get caught. You may not be able to detect the scent of marijuana when it’s used through a vape pen either.
Spread Awareness About the Dangers of Vaping Marijuana
As more states begin to legalize or decriminalize the recreational use of marijuana, cannabis products are more likely to fall into the hands of adolescents and pre-teens. However, marijuana and other THC products are still illegal in the hands of minors and adolescents.
How to test the theory of vaping?
The easiest way to test the overall theory behind vaping marijuana is to test the chemicals given off by a vaporizer. If it’s true that combustion doesn’t occur and this makes it safer to vape, you’d see a reduction in the amount of harmful chemicals given off, compared to the smoke from a joint.
How does smoking cannabis affect your heart rate?
Heart rate increased by 12.2 beats per minute half an hour after smoking , and 10.7 bpm half an hour after vaping. An hour and a half after the dose, people who ate the cannabis saw a 13 bpm increase in heart rate, which dropped to 10.2 bpm after three hours. Only those who smoked the cannabis had increases in the amount of carbon monoxide exhaled, which continued up to 6 hours after smoking, compared to the vapers, who showed no such increase.
What was the first vaporizer?
An early model of vaporizer called the Tilt was released in the 80s, and it was also the subject of one of the first tests of the overall theory. The device was tested at 185 to 195 °C and the emissions were compared with those from a similar sample smoked from a clay pipe. The results showed a 79 percent reduction in tar, no detectable carbon monoxide, an 80 percent increase in THC and a 60 percent increase in CBD. Overall, the ratio of THC to tar was increased by eight and a half times, showing that you get much more of what you’re looking for with a drastic reduction in harmful components. Other early studies were similarly positive but limited by the poor design of vaporizers at the time.
How much THC is in the volcano?
The testing showed that the vapor produced by the Volcano was 95 percent pure THC, with one suspected cannibinoid, an oil deriving from the cannabis plant and one polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (a PAH – a family of toxic chemicals) making up the rest of the mixture.
Does vaping reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals?
Overall, the evidence on cannabis vaping is limited but appears to paint a consistent picture: vaping rather than smoking reduces your exposure to toxic chemicals and likely does much less damage to your body.
Does smoking cannabis cause carbon monoxide?
Only those who smoked the cannabis had increases in the amount of carbon monoxide ex haled, which continued up to 6 hours after smoking, compared to the vapers, who showed no such increase. Yet again, the evidence is admittedly limited but ultimately points to vaping as a way to reduce harm compared to smoking cannabis.
Is vaping hard evidence?
As with nicotine vaping, this isn’t hard evidence and you do need experimental confirmation to back this assumption up. And from there, ideally there would be some further indication that this reduced exposure to harmful chemicals resulted in fewer health issues as a result. However, it’s important to remember this and not lose sight of the pretty solid rationale behind vaping instead of smoking to reduce health risks.
How many high school students in Connecticut have tried marijuana?
However, teenagers quickly discovered their potential for inconspicuous marijuana use. In 2015, Yale University researchers surveyed 3,847 Connecticut high school students and found a surprising number of the kids—close to 30 percent—admitted having tried marijuana or hashish.
How old are e-cigarettes?
They also continue to be popular among young adults. According to the CDC, e-cigarette use is significantly higher among 18–24-year-olds .
How much THC is in a concentrate?
The concentrates can contain up to 90 percent THC and, to make it worse, they can also contain decidedly unhealthy substances like lighter fluid and pesticides. The Yale study concluded that rates of vaporizing cannabis using e-cigarettes were high.
Can you use butane hash oil in e-cigarettes?
Concentrated liquid forms of marijuana are even more problematic. So-called butane hash oil (BHO) can be substituted for the nicotine solution in many e-cigarettes, and some vendors even sell e-cigarettes specifically designed for use with marijuana leaves or wax infused with THC.
Can e-cigarettes vaporize cannabis?
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, also discovered that nearly one in five e-cigarette smokers have used the device to vaporize cannabis or byproducts like hash oil. Many physicians believe that marijuana use is especially problematic for teenagers and young adults.
Does marijuana affect the brain?
Studies show that regular marijuana use can change the structure of the teenage brain, specifically in areas dealing with memory and problem-solving. Unfortunately, the risk perception among children for marijuana use has decreased significantly in the last decade. The low-risk perception is even greater among 18–24-year-olds for 2014.
Is vaping bad for you?
The Dangers of Vaping Cannabis. Many people understand that smoking is bad for your health, and that would certainly include smoking marijuana. This has prompted many cannabis users in recent years to start vaping cannabis as a supposedly healthier and less smelly alternative.
What is the difference between smoking and vaping?
As the name implies, smoking marijuana involves burning the plant and inhaling the smoke, which delivers the cannabinoids. Vaping, on the other hand, creates a vapor using heat, which is breathed in to create the “high”.
Why do people vape?
Those who choose to vape note that they get more enjoyment and positive benefits from their cannabis use because of the mindfulness required to do it successfully. Novice users also tend to find vaping easier to manage.
Is vaping more affordable?
In other words, there’s almost twice as much THC in the vapor, which can produce a stronger, longer-lasting high. And as a side note, this also makes vaping more affordable. Although a vaping cartridge for instance at an Arkansas marijuana dispensary is more expensive than a similar ounce of marijuana, it lasts much longer ...
Does vaping cause anxiety?
A study at Johns Hopkins found compared participants’ high after vaping or smoking different doses of marijuana, and found that those who vaped had were significantly more impaired and had a greater likelihood of experiencing negative effects (such as anxiety, paranoia, and vomiting) compared to those who smoked.
Can you vape over smoking?
It’s not only your lungs that can benefit from vaping over smoking. The entire experience of using marijuana can be improved with a vape pen or vaporizer.
Is vaping marijuana more dangerous than smoking?
The simple fact that they made headlines has some people asking whether vaping marijuana is actually more dangerous than smoking. The answer isn’t as simple as it might appear. In truth, the only thing that most doctors can agree on is ...
Does vaping cause respiratory problems?
However, in general, vaping is less likely to lead to illnesses like bronchitis or respiratory infections than smoking. READ RELATED STORY. Vaping Travel Essentials. Doctors note that the benefits of vaping, including a decrease in coughing, phlegm production, and chest tightness, are less likely to occur among those who vape, ...
What about vaping?
Vaping marijuana involves inhaling heated oil through a vaporizing device , often referred to as an e-cigarette. Vaping marijuana can also refer to using a vaporizer, such as a Volcano, to produce vapor from dried plant material.
What are the negative effects of smoking weed?
Some negative health effects associated with chronic weed smoking include: air pockets between the lungs and lungs and chest wall. chronic bronchitis. cough. excessive mucus production. possible increased risk of infection in immunocompromised people, such as those with HIV.
How long does marijuana last?
Effects are often long lasting — anywhere from 6 to 8 hours. For this reason, it’s important to start slowly. Consume a very small amount if you’re ingesting marijuana for the first time. For example, a common dose for edibles is 10 milligrams of THC. If you’re just starting out, opt for 2 to 5 milligrams of THC.
How long does it take for vaping to work?
Both smoking and vaping have an almost immediate effect on the body. Their effects peak within 10 to 15 minutes.
What is it called when you mix marijuana with tobacco?
Some people mix their marijuana with tobacco, so it’s a bit less potent (this is called a spliff).
Is vaping safer than smoking?
Some people believe vaping is safer than smoking because it doesn’t involve inhaling smoke. But the reality is, when it comes to vaping marijuana, there’s much less known about the negative health effects.
Is marijuana safer than smoking tobacco?
One of the more well-known cannabinoids is called CBD. For this reason, some people believe smoking marijuana is less dangerous than smoking tobacco.
How much of the marijuana industry is vaping?
People in the legalized marijuana industry say vaping products now account for 30 percent or more of their business.
How many people died from vaping?
Most of the patients in the outbreak of severe lung illnesses linked to vaping — which has left 1,479 people sick and 33 dead so far — vaped THC, the ingredient in marijuana that makes people high.
What are the ingredients in vaping oil?
Vaping oils typically include other additives, solvents and flavor enhancers, and health investigators believe some such ingredients, including vitamin E acetate, could be responsible for some of the lung illness cases.
Why do people stop vaping?
A technology initially promoted to help cigarette smokers has transformed marijuana use, too. Now, with cases of severe lung illness rising, health investigators are warning people to stop vaping cannabis. Marijuana vaping devices appeal to some people because they are discreet, leaving no ash and little smell.
Is there regulation on marijuana?
Lindblom, a former tobacco official at the Food and Drug Administration. The federal government, he said, has been unsure of how to respond to state legalization of marijuana, and the uncerta inty has left a void of regulation, research and enforcement.
Is vaping legal in California?
Some customers at Harvest, a marijuana dispensary in San Francisco, have new doubts about vaping. Industry officials say legal and licensed products like those sold here are rigorously tested under rules set by the state of California, where marijuana is legal.
Who invented the vaping?
The first commercial marijuana vaping brand was called the Volcano, and it was the brainchild of a German entrepreneur, Markus Storz, who obtained a patent for it from his native country in 1999. Image.
What is the most exhaustive study on a topic?
One of the most exhaustive studies to date on the topic is a 2018 report published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Can vaping cause lung problems?
The viral post alleged two respiratory risks from e-cigarette consumption. The first, that vaping “can lead to popcorn lung,” refers to a condition known as bronchiolitis obliterans that was originally discovered in workers who fell ill at a microwave popcorn factory. The culprit turned out to be a chemical used for butter flavoring called diacetyl. In 2015, researchers associated with the Harvard School of Public Health found diacetyl in 39 out of “51 types of flavored e-cigarettes and liquids sold by leading brands.” The conclusion that diacetyl causes bronchiolitis obliterans is robust and uncontroversial, but it bears mentioning that no published evidence links a specific case of popcorn lung to e-cigarette use. Without large-scale, epidemiologic studies, the connection remains theoretical.
Chemical Emission Studies
Self Report Studies
- There are a few studies worth mentioning that depend on self-reporting from users. The first two are quite simple and basically show that users perceive a health benefit from vaping marijuana as opposed to smoking it. These studies are both fairly recent – one from 2014 and one from this year– but users in both of them identified harm reduction as a key reason for vaping marijuana r…
Clinical Studies
- Lab-based studies of people using vaporizers are the best way to look at the precise effects vaping has on users, and there are a few such studies that can be drawn on to answer the question: is vaping marijuana safe? One of these studies, mentioned earlier, showed a reduction in the carbon monoxide exhaled after vaping vs. smoking, but there are a couple of others that it’s …
Concerns About Oils and Concentrates
- The research presented so far specifically addresses vaporizing cannabis plant material, but many vapers use oils and concentrates in devices more like traditional vape pens. These are still likely to be safer than smoking cannabis because they still avoid combustion and the slew of toxic chemicals that come with it. However, there are some additio...