*Updated September 6, 2019
Recently over 200 people have fallen sick and in some cases died (currently only in the United States and not Canada) from using either e-cigarettes or vape pens, however the media simply refers to is as vaping. First, it’s important to recognize the difference in the vaping products they are referring to- the problems are arising from unregulated vape pens and not from vaporizing cannabis flowers. Your dry herb vaporizer is safe and considered healthier than smoking.
Buyer beware of bootleg vape pens
Vape pens can be problematic from the solvents that are used to extract the cannabinoids, the additives that are used to thicken the oil (they now think it’s vitamin E acetate causing the illnesses however the investigation is on going) and give it flavour to the heavy metals in cheap cartridges. Reputable companies will ensure their product is safe and free from harmful toxins and metals. But that guy whipping up cannabis oil in his basement, with parts he bought from China to sell at the local cannabis pop up market, can contain harmful toxins and shouldn’t be trusted. It’s recommended all vape cartridges bought from the illicit market be thrown away.
*note- the products making consumers sick aren’t from the legal market in the United States, don’t worry, your Dosist pen is safe.
Never use a cannabis product that’s from an unknown source
Cannabis is fairly safe to use, it has no lethal dose therefore some people will take risks with products off of the illicit market, not considering the products might not be safe. Often the labeling is wrong, dosage is wrong and when it comes to concentrates, you don’t know if the product is free from harmful toxins. CBD products derived from hemp that’s not from a reputable company may have been grown in soil not suitable for human consumption and/or free from residue of the solvents use to extract the CBD.
The bottom line is, only buy from a company that you know and trust.
Canadian law
Vape pens and concentrates will be coming to the market in Canada, late fall, early winter of 2019. Weed mama will keep you updated on the laws and when concentrates will be coming to market Subscribe to Weed Mama to stay in the know!
Comments
Hi, I saw your blog and its very helpful for me, as it serves a lot necessary information related to cannabis which is very beneficial for me. I love to read blogs on cannabis
awesome! This is wonderful to hear 🙂
Hi Weed Mama! Love your blog. I have a question…. I’m a 51 year old woman and I’ve been paralyzed from the chest down for 21 years. My lungs aren’t super fragile but they took a beating from severe pneumonia when I was newly injured. I know you’re not a doctor and cannot dispense medical advice, but here’s my question: Do you cough much or develop phlegm when baking your flower in one of these vaporizers? I love my “water pipe” but the coughing and squealing my lungs will do at night is giving me fits. I’ve only been using medical marijuana for six months so I’m still trying to figure it all out. I take capsules during the day and they are amazing for pain! But at night, I need something stronger or I will not sleep. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated! If I had known that weed would improve my quality of life this much, I would have started using years ago!
I would try a stronger capsule with higher THC and some CBD as well, I don’t know what your currently taking but if you go up in mg it will be stronger, edibles take about 2 hours to fully kick in and last a lot longer which is a nice option for sleeping.
However to your question about vaporizing, it’s still inhaling something and will cause some irritation. However if you get a water attachment like a bubbler that can cool it further and reduce some of the coughing. A convection vaporizer, a plug in vaporizer such as the volcano by storz and bickel is a good option for medical use and what doctors recommend. It sits on a table and the vapor fills a bag that you inhale, or you can use a tube attachment. It makes it smoother however no matter what you might still cough. If you know someone who has a vaporizer, try it first to see how it makes you feel. A good vaporizer that has glass attachments and bubblers you can get is the arizer air, it’s pretty reliable and what I’d recommend for cooler vapor and less coughing while still be portable and under $300, the older one with preset temps you can buy for less than $200 and it’s a good vaporizer.
Hope that helps!
Thank you for writing this article! It’s great to learn more about cannabis and vaping experience.