Risks of Vaping vs. Smoking Cannabis
Since cannabis has been legalized either medicinally and recreationally in a majority of states, vaping cannabis has become one of the most popular delivery methods, especially oil-based cannabis. Vaporizers work by heating the herb or oil at a temperature just high enough to activate its key ingredient (THC) while not burning it. Those who prefer vaping (as opposed to smoking) cannabis point out that vaping allows you to taste distinctions between the strains better, gives you more temperature control and is generally more convenient and discreet.
In the state of Utah, aside from edibles, vaping is the only acceptable delivery method for using cannabis. Smoking is strictly prohibited. The assumption being that smoking anything (whether it be cannabis or tobacco) is potentially more dangerous to your health than vaping. While this may be the case when it comes to tobacco, smoking cannabis hasn’t been proven to have the same detrimental effects as smoking tobacco does. In addition, some studies and a recent outbreak of a related condition have shown vaping cannabis oil may present its own unique health risks.
In 2015, a study found that while vaping may help reduce your exposure to toxic particulates found in cannabis smoke, that reduction in harm “is probably smaller than that likely to result from substituting e-cigarettes for smoked tobacco due to the comparatively greater harms of tobacco than cannabis smoking to lung health.” In other words, the benefits of vaping tobacco compared to vaping cannabis are much more evident and clearer because tobacco is much more harmful to the lungs compared to cannabis, whether smoked or vaped.
Similarly, and unlike tobacco, there have been no studies that link smoking cannabis to lung cancer. In a 2017 report released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, after reviewing numerous cannabis studies it stated, “the committee found evidence that suggests smoking cannabis does not increase the risk for cancers often associated with tobacco use.”
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Most recently, in 2019 the CDC and the FDA explicitly warned against the use of e-cigarette or vaporizer products that contain THC, citing evidence that these products could contain harmful ingredients and increase your chances of lung damage. The warning came after it was found that vitamin E acetate (an oily chemical commonly added to THC vaping liquids to dilute or thicken them) was strongly linked to a serious EVALI outbreak. EVALI stands for “E-cigarette or Vaping use-Associated Lung Injury.” It was originally known as VAPI (Vaping Associated Pulmonary Illness).
EVALI is a potentially deadly medical condition in which a person’s lungs become damaged from substances contained in e-cigarettes and vaping products. Symptoms include: shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing and even death. As of February 2020, a total of 2,807 hospitalized cases, including 68 deaths, had been confirmed.
For many cannabis users, vaping is their preferred method because of its taste, discreetness and convenience. However, the known risks associated with vaping cannabis oil (including but not limited to death) might not be worth these benefits for many. Furthermore, any comparisons made between the benefits of vaping tobacco and vaping cannabis are simply irrelevant. They are two entirely different substances that affect the body in different ways. Smoking cannabis (unlike smoking tobacco) hasn’t been shown to lead to lung cancer. And while smoking cannabis might not be the least risk-free delivery method, compared to vaping cannabis oils, it may just be the safer alternative.
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