Vaping FAQs

is vaping medicinal marijuana bad for your health

by Miss Chelsie Reilly Published 1 year ago Updated 1 year ago
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The Health Risks of Vaping Marijuana

  • Breathing Issues: Vaping marijuana can aggravate asthma conditions. It can also cause spasms of bronchial tubes.
  • Cancer Risk: Though not as much as when nicotine is inhaled, cancer-causing substances like tars may be released when vaping marijuana. ...
  • Intoxication: The marijuana oils that are sometimes used for vaping can be highly concentrated with up to 90% of the drug’s active ingredient, THC. ...

Research and the EVALI outbreak suggest that vaping marijuana is dangerous in general and may actually be more dangerous than vaping nicotine products or even smoking cigarettes. This may, at least in part, be due to ingredients of vape products, including vitamin E acetate, flavorings, and other additives.Sep 9, 2022

Full Answer

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.

What are the dangers of vaping?

The interchangeable use of smoking and vaping is most common in people under age 35. They face equal risk of heart attack or stroke than if they lit up exclusively. The takeaway is that there is no ‘best’ method of inhaling nicotine.

Is vaping cannabis bad for You?

There are no long-term studies to support the claim that vaping cannabis will effectively get you away from smoking cigarettes. However, it does appear to be a healthy alternative to smoking cannabis in traditional ways.

What are the effects of vaping marijuana?

  • Shortness of breath
  • Weight loss
  • Night sweats
  • Fatigue
  • Gastrointestinal problems
  • Low oxygen levels
  • Lung failure and death (in severe cases)

See more

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Is vaping worse than smoking?

1: Vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it's still not safe. E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale. Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic.

Does vaping CBD cause lung damage?

It's unclear how many of those injuries were related to CBD-only products. But it is known that 214 of the reported lung injuries were in people who used CBD combined with either THC or nicotine, and that 16 of those were in children under 18.

What is the safest vape to use?

If you are looking for the safest vape kit then you might want to consider disposables or pod kits. These are often low powered and have safety cuts offs as well as other features to prevent them from overheating. Not only as disposables one of the safest vape kits, but they are also super easy to use.

Can your lungs heal from vaping?

Breathing in the harmful chemicals from vaping products can cause irreversible (cannot be cured) lung damage, lung disease and, in some cases, death.

Is vaping CBD better than drops?

Vaping Offers More Bioavailability Than Tinctures As we discussed earlier in the article, you can ingest around 60% of the CBD when you use CBD vapes. However, that percentage drops to 30 to 40% when you use oil tinctures. So vaping CBD is the best option if you want the highest bioavailability.

Can vaping CBD cause pneumonia?

Some patients are suffering from another condition known as lipoid pneumonia, doctors said. When vaped oils get into the lungs, the lungs treat them as a foreign object and mount an immune response, resulting in inflammation and the buildup of liquids, which can cause lipoid pneumonia.

How long does vaping take to damage lungs?

Exposure for just three days was enough to incur sufficient damage to their lungs, setting the stage for long-term chronic lung damage.

What are the symptoms of lung damage from vaping?

What are the symptoms of EVALI?Shortness of breath.Cough.Chest pain.Fever and chills.Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.Rapid heartbeat.Rapid and shallow breathing.

The Impact of Smoking Marijuana

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The Risk of Smoking Marijuana With COPD

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The Impact of Vaping Marijuana

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Are There Other, Safer Alternatives?

If you're trying to avoid respiratory risks, there are still ways to ingest marijuana. Edible marijuana products, or “edibles,” do far less damage...

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

Why are cigarettes dangerous?

The reason cigarettes are dangerous isn’t because of the nicotine. The tar and other chemicals that cause emphysema or cancer make it so dangerous. Burning or inhaling is a bad idea. That’s why we will probably discover that marijuana is bad for your lungs, too.”.

Why are e-cigarettes bad for youth?

These are similar in nature to vaporizers used for marijuana, and can greatly impact youth because of the potential cancer-causing substances they release.

How many states allow medical marijuana?

The research on medical marijuana looks promising. However, we still don’t know whether it’s an effective treatment. Beyond that, only 31 states , as well as Guam, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia allow the use of marijuana for medical use.

What is the active ingredient in marijuana?

Two drugs that are a synthetic laboratory version with chemical structure of or similar to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), another active ingredient in marijuana, are approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Can smoking marijuana cause damage?

Smoking marijuana can cause damage with rupture to the walls of adjacent alveoli (small air sacs in the lungs) into larger, ineffective air sacs called bullae. The risk is higher in male smokers under the age of 45.

Does smoking marijuana cause bronchitis?

This is associated with an increased likelihood of developing chronic bronchitis. The inhalation patterns when smoking marijuana are different than when smoking cigarettes.

Is marijuana good for you?

Health benefits of marijuana. Marijuana may provide calming effects that improve certain mental and physical conditions. For instance, a doctor might recommend medical marijuana to people with Crohn’s disease as an alternative way to ease inflammation, nausea, and vomiting .

Why does vaping make me cough?

Vaping should not produce a cough or smell. If vaping does produce a cough, it is a sign that the heat of the vaporizer is too higher. When lowered, it should eliminate any cough.

What is the difference between vaping flower and cannabis oil?

If you are vaping concentrated cannabis oil in a cartridge or other concentrates these are much more potent than vaping flower. Concentrates and concentrated oils can contain between 70-90% of cannabinoids, where cannabis flower will contain between 5-30% of cannabinoids. Keep this difference in potency in mind when medicating and choosing a product to vape.

What temperature should a vaporizer be?

The highest temperature vaporizers should reach is 428° F. THCV and CBC vaporize at this temperature, while all other cannabinoids and terpenes vaporize below this temperature. Vaporization boils off cannabinoids and terpenes at different levels depending on the temperatures needed to boil off each cannabinoid or terpene.

How much does a desktop vaporizer cost?

Desktop vaporizers can be expensive to purchase, ranging from $150-$700.

What terpenes boil off first?

Light terpenes boil off first, followed by THC and pinenes. These are followed by limonene and mycrene, and then CBD and CBD, and lastly THCV and CBC.

What can portable vaporizers be used for?

Portable vaporizers can be used with more products including wax, concentrates, and concentrated oils.

When was vaping invented?

Vaping was invented in the early 1990s by a Native American named Eagle Bill, who lived in the Netherlands. Eagle Bill used a hot air paint stripping gun to heat cannabis, but only to the point in which the active cannabinoids and terpenes were boiled off, below the temperature of burning the cannabis which happens when smoking. The vapor produced was captured in a jar. This vapor didn’t have the taste or smell of cannabis smoke. It was much more floral, tasty, and mild. Vaping became a preferred method of using medical marijuana that has developed and spread rapidly since Eagle Bill’s first invention.

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.

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 .

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.

How does a vaporizer work?

A marijuana vaporizer heats up the drug in either herbal or concentrated form to a degree that active ingredients are transmitted into the body without any actual burning involved. There is no combustion involved while vaping, therefore no smoke is created when using a marijuana vaporizer. Instead of burning the cannabis, the marijuana vaporizer heats the substance to a temperature that is just below the combustion temperature. The vapor that is released and then inhaled delivers the substance to your body.

Is it safe to smoke marijuana?

Smoking marijuana, either recreationally or for medicinal purposes, poses health risks to the respiratory system that can be similar to smoking tobacco. Some people believe that alternatively using a marijuana vaporizer for inhalation reduces these risks and makes inhaling the drug safer. The truth is that vaping marijuana also poses serious risks ...

Is marijuana addictive?

Dependence: Although marijuana isn’t as addictive as tobacco, its use is known to cause a dependency upon the substance. Brain Issues: The THC in marijuana is absorbed into your bloodstream and carried to your brain where it interacts with cell receptors that control neurological development and other functions.

Do vaporizers protect you from tar?

The vaporizers do not completely protect you from the unhealthy effects of tar and smoke being taken into your system. Intoxication: The marijuana oils that are sometimes used for vaping can be highly concentrated with up to 90% of the drug’s active ingredient, THC.

Can vaping marijuana cause asthma?

Breathing Issues: Vaping marijuana can aggravate asthma conditions. It can also cause spasms of bronchial tubes. Cancer Risk: Though not as much as when nicotine is inhaled, cancer-causing substances like tars may be released when vaping marijuana. The vaporizers do not completely protect you from the unhealthy effects of tar ...

Is Vaping Marijuana Safe?

Although vaping sounds more innocuous than traditional smoking cannabis, inhaling marijuana through a vaporizer doesn’t protect you from negative health effects. There are residual irritants, solvents and pesticides being taken into the body through vapors that can have serious health consequences. Additionally, there are other physical and psychological health concerns to consider.

Why do we use terpenes in vape pens?

Instead we use cannabis-derived terpenes in all of our vape pens to reduce the viscosity of cannabis extracts for vaping.

How many deaths are associated with e-cigarettes?

To date, there have been over 450 possible cases of lung illness and five deaths associated with the use of e-cigarettes. ( UPDATE: As of September 27, the number has risen to 805.) The FDA and CDC are currently investigating a number of factors that could contribute to adverse reactions, including: nicotine, THC and other cannabinoids along with cutting agents/diluents and other additives, pesticides, opioids, poisons and toxins.

What Medical Marijuana Products Contain Vitamin E Acetate?

A number of Florida medical marijuana treatment centers (MMTCs), or dispensaries, have issued statements in response to the FDA’s warning.

What is the most common THC product?

The most common THC product that was reported was marketed under the ‘Dank Vape’ label.

When was THC a warning?

On September 6, 2019 , the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued a consumer/health professional MedWatch safety alert titled, Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-containing Vaping Products: Vaping Illnesses. Today, CannaMD takes a closer look at what the FDA warning says and what medical cannabis patients need to know about marijuana vaping products.

What is an e-cigarette?

Note: E-cigarettes are devices that deliver an aerosol to the user by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals. E-cigarettes can also be used to deliver marijuana or other substances.

Can pregnant women use e-cigarettes?

Youth, young adults, pregnant women, as well as adults who do not currently use tobacco products should not use e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes containing nicotine have the potential to help some individual adult smokers reduce their use of and transition away from cigarettes.

How many people died from vaping in 2020?

As of Jan. 21, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed 60 deaths in patients with e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI).

Why are e-cigarettes so popular?

First, many teens believe that vaping is less harmful than smoking. Second, e-cigarettes have a lower per-use cost than traditional cigarettes.

How many chemicals are in e-cigarettes?

E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale. Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic. While we don’t know exactly what chemicals are in e-cigarettes, Blaha says “there’s almost no doubt that they expose you to fewer toxic chemicals than traditional cigarettes.”

Is nicotine a substance?

Nicotine is the primary agent in both regular cigarettes and e-cigarettes, and it is highly addictive. It causes you to crave a smoke and suffer withdrawal symptoms if you ignore the craving. Nicotine is also a toxic substance. It raises your blood pressure and spikes your adrenaline, which increases your heart rate and the likelihood of having a heart attack.

Can you use THC in a vape?

The CDC recommends that people: Do not use THC-containing e-cigarette, or vaping, products. Avoid using informal sources, such as friends, family or online dealers to obtain a vaping device. Do not modify or add any substances to a vaping device that are not intended by the manufacturer.

Is e-cigarettes as addictive as heroin?

Both e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes contain nicotine, which research suggests may be as addictive as heroin and cocaine. What’s worse, says Blaha, many e-cigarette users get even more nicotine than they would from a tobacco product — you can buy extra-strength cartridges, which have a higher concentration of nicotine, or you can increase the e-cigarette’s voltage to get a greater hit of the substance.

Is e-cigarette smoking more popular among youth?

Among youth, e-cigarettes are more popular than any traditional tobacco product. In 2015, the U.S. surgeon general reported that e-cigarette use among high school students had increased by 900%, and 40% of young e-cigarette users had never smoked regular tobacco.

What is a vape pen?

Vape pens typically use marijuana extracts in the form of liquid-filled cartridges that are attached to the pen and then inhaled. This means smokers are inhaling concentrated contaminants and carcinogens that go directly into the bloodstream.

Why do you add carrier agent to marijuana?

A carrier agent is sometimes added to a marijuana extract so it heats and burns more smoothly through the vape pen.

Does vaping help with bronchitis?

That said, Chen told INSIDER that some people who switched from smoking weed to vaping it have noticed improvements in their lung health and experience less bronchitis. In fact, a 2007 study in the Harm Reduction Journal found that vaporizing marijuana can reduce respiratory issues caused by smoking marijuana through a pipe, bong, or other combustible method. More research on the long-term effects of weed vaporizers still must be done, though, to ascertain this claim.

Does smoking marijuana cause cancer?

Smoking marijuana releases carcinogens — substances or environmental factors that may lead to cancer— into the body. That’s because cannabis, the plant marijuana is derived from, is like any other plant, according to Dr. Jeffrey Chen, the director of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative. “When you combust any plant, you’re creating significantly more carcinogens,” Chen said.

Can vaping cause hallucinations?

What’s more, infrequent users who vape could experience greater feelings of anxiety, nausea, vomiting, and hallucinations, the researchers found. Since vape use could impair users and put them and others in dangerous situations, people should evaluate their circumstances before using one of these devices and consuming marijuana in general.

Can you vape without knowing how much marijuana you are smoking?

With combustible smoking methods, users get a general idea of how much marijuana they are consuming. While some vape pens signal when a user has reached a specific dose, more often than not a person can’ t see the physical marijuana and may therefore vape without realiz ing how much marijuana they actually consume. As a result, they may get higher than they would from combustible methods. A small 2018 study in JAMA found this to be true. After researchers had some people use vapes and others smoke marijuana, they discovered the vape users felt higher and some even vomited or hallucinated after vape use.

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