Not all vaping is dangerous. Vaping cannabis flower is safe.

I ingest THC and CBD by vaping every day. It's my substitute for a nightly glass of red wine, because I believe cannabis is more beneficial and safer than alcohol.

So it bothers me when reports of vaping illnesses and deaths (including two here in Oregon) make it sound like all kinds of vaping should be given up.

What appears to be dangerous is vaping e-cigarettes containing nicotine, and vaping THC cartridges that contain additives and oil.

A Vox story today, "THC vape products appear to be the main culprit in the mysterious lung illness outbreak," says: 

Investigators appear to be getting closer to uncovering one of the main causes of the outbreak of mysterious lung injuries linked with e-cigarettes: vaping products containing THC, the main psychoactive chemical in cannabis.

On Friday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said that while they haven’t figured out exactly which chemical or device is making people sick, the majority of the cases in both national and state studies to date appear to involve THC-based vaping products. Many of them are illicit products labeled with brand names such as “Dank Vape.”

Note the mention of products, chemical, and device. That's because manmade THC cartridges, not the natural loose-leaf cannabis flower, have been implicated in the vaping illnesses.

The cartridges are used with vaping devices. They contain concentrated THC that is considerably stronger than cannabis flower. I used to use THC cartridges, but now only vape ground cannabis flower in my much-beloved PAX3 vaporizer. 

I buy cannabis flower ("buds") that's been tested in accord with Oregon cannabis growing/selling regulations. I grind it into small pieces using my Santa Cruz herb grinder. Then a small amount of ground cannabis goes into the heating receptacle of the PAX3 vaporizer. 

A little goes a long way.

Vaping cannabis flower is far removed from my Cheech & Chong'ish college days in the late 60's when we'd roll joints out of whatever was available on the black market: flower, leaves, seeds... it all was rolled up and smoked.

Which meant we were inhaling, not surprisingly, smoke. Not so with vaping, where, not surprisingly, vapor is inhaled. A PAX web page explains:

A vaporizer is an electronic device that heats dry herb or concentrated cannabis to release vapor. Vaporizing does not combust the plant material, reducing odors. Vaporizing herbs has its roots in ancient history. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote about the use of hot stones to create steam vapor baths as early as 440 BC. We’ve certainly come a long way from using rocks, with many electronic options of varying sizes and capabilities on the market today.

Thus it isn't vaping that is dangerous.

What's causing illnesses and deaths is something in a product that's being vaped. Note in the quotation above that a vaporizer can heat "dry herb or concentrated cannabis." It's the concentrated cannabis that health authorities are worried about, not the dry herb (cannabis flower).

Now, I realize that experienced marijuana consumers already know what I've talked about in this blog post. My intended audience is other people who hear "you should stop vaping" and jump to the conclusion that all varieties of vaping are dangerous.

They aren't. A comment on an Oregonian story about vaping illnesses got it just right.

Comments

[Larry]

Totally agree! This has been bothering me also. The health issues have nothing to do with vaping flower using conduction or convection vaporizers. I use the Pax 3 and buy from authorized state stores here in Colorado. I have quit using my AiroPro cartridge pen style. It has a harsh, hot irritating vapor.

[Valerie]

The media and the CDC are doing their best to make marijuana the "evil weed" again. I am a 68 year old Med Marijuana patient from Michigan with chronic degenerative disc disease. I have been vaping flower with my PAX 3 for over 4 years for pain and depression. Without it, I don't know what I would do. The media and the CDC have never made a statement about vaping flower.
It would be nice if they would clear that up, but they won't.

[tucson]

The culprit with vaping seems to be super heated/concentrated Vit E acetate which is used to preserve contents of vape devices according to my pulmonologist son-in-law who sees people with vape lung damage.

Vaping cannabis flower is different but lungs are delicate and designed for allowing oxygen to permeate lung tissue into the bloodstream. Repeated vaping may, over the long term, leave harmful residues. Do all these vaped cannabinoids and other substances completely bypass lung tissue into the bloodstream safely without leaving a trace? Cannabis flower is very resinous. I doubt there is not a price to pay for its use as is the case with most substances. We pay a price for living in civilization where all sorts of crap is in the air which may be worse than vaporized cannabis resin.

If I liked THC and cannabinoid terpenes I'd probably do edibles. There's got to be a price to pay for that too. The user weighs the benefits vs costs and makes their decision.

I have been a long-term user of a CBD topical in a base of beeswax, lavender and eucalyptus oils, with benefit. I get no benefit at all from marijuana.

[The Fun Guys]

Hey there!

This is a very interesting topic that has been going on. What are the real dangers of vaping? Is it vaping itself or what's being vaped? I agree that what's causing illnesses and deaths is something in a product that's being vaped. However, we really need more studies and/ to dig deeper into this to help everyone understand everything about vaping.

Thanks!

[Geeg]

Here is a nice supporting article.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/abbierosner/2019/12/16/vaping-cannabis-flower-is-ideal-for-older-adults-but-they-might-need-a-little-help/

[Brent]

Well said! They need to make that distinction. Vaping dry herb flower should be promoted much more than it is. Give people the TRUE organic healthy method of ingestion.

[Stereuktehr]

Hi Brian,
I wonder how safe is Marijuana. How long have you been using it?

[Hanif Tariq]

A good blog always comes-up with new information.
By the way what do you think about "can we mix CBD with melatonin"? It's something i get asked quite often from my own blog readers on the post as I explained: https://www.newphaseblends.com/can-i-mix-cbd-oil-with-melatonin/

[Luis Magone]

I feel my voice changes a bit after vaping weed flowers. Is it because of the oil in it? Is this oil going to the lungs? Is it difficult to to clean out of the lungs by our body? ( it certainly is difficult to clean it from the vaporiser as it (the oil...) stuck strongly in it (vaporiser).

[Steve]

I'd just like to share an article that supports this one:

https://gypsyvapes.com/blog-section/smoking-vs-vaping-hemp-flower