Are medical marijuana vaping products safe?
Are Medical Marijuana Vaping Products Safe? 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.
When vaping marijuana for chronic pain leads to lung illness?
When Vaping Marijuana For Chronic Pain Leads To Lung Illness : Shots - Health News A Navy veteran from Cleveland tried vaping marijuana to deal with his chronic pain. He landed in the hospital, becoming one of over 2,200 Americans who have suffered serious lung injury from vaping.
What are the health risks of vaping?
Several thousand lung injuries and deaths have also been associated with an illness linked to vaping devices containing THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and Vitamin E Acetate, a thickening agent sometimes added to the e-liquid. [2]
What does the FDA’s safety alert mean for medical cannabis vaping?
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.
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.
What chemicals are being investigated by the FDA?
As mentioned earlier, the FDA is also investigating the role of a broad range of chemicals, including nicotine, THC and other cannabinoids along with cutting agents/di luents and other additives, pesticides, opioids, poisons and toxins .
How many lung injuries have been reported in 2019?
The update also notes that as of September 24, 2019 at 5pm, 805 lung injury cases associated with the use of e-cigarette or vaping products have been reported. All reported patients have a history of e-cigarette product use or vaping.
Can you quit smoking with e-cigarettes?
However, e-cigarettes are not currently approved by the FDA as a quit smoking aid, and the available science is inconclusive on whether e-cigarettes are effective for quitting smoking. Following the CDC’s investigation notice, the FDA issued its MedWatch safety alert. A CDC update was later issued on September 27, 2019.
Does Florida medical marijuana contain vitamin E?
A number of Florida medical marijuana dispensaries have come forward to clarify that their products do not contain Vitamin E acetate. In line with the FDA’s warning, CannaMD warns patients to avoid inhaling Vitamin E acetate and confirm with their dispensary that purchased products do not contain this agent.
Does the FDA know if a substance has been identified in all samples tested?
The FDA notes: No one substance has been identified in all of the samples tested. Importantly, identifying any compounds that are present in the samples will be one piece of the puzzle but will not necessarily answer questions about causality.
A Guide to Vaping Medical Cannabis
Vaporizing cannabis is an inhaled methods that is much less harsh than smoking cannabis. Vaping delivers a high concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes, providing quick immediate relief of symptoms. Concentrated oils used for vaping are very potent, and while more expensive can be used in smaller quantities.
The Invention of Vaping
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.
How Vaping Works
Vaporizers are much more developed and come in a variety of sizes and models. They can vaporize flower, concentrates, or oils.
Types of Vaporizers
Vaping can bee done with cannabis flower, concentrates, or oil in cartridges using either a portable, desktop, or disposable vaporizer. What products you buy and use for vaping will depend on what type of vaporizer you are using.
Pros and Cons of Vaping
Vaping is a good method for patients who want rapid relief of symptoms, as it delivers cannabinoids and terpenes into the bloodstream quickly. With the quick onset of effects, vaping is easy to adjust in terms of dosing. Vaping also delivers a high quantity of cannabinoids and terpenes when compared to other methods.
Dosing When Vaping
To dose with vaping, it is recommended that you take 1-2 inhalations and wait a full 15 minutes to assess your reaction and the effects. The quick onset of effects make vaping an easy method for trying new strains and adjusting the dose. Inhale in doses of 1-2 inhalation and wait to feel the effects to see if you need to use more.
Choosing a Product to Vape
The products that you buy for vaping will depend on the type of vaporizer that you are using and your personal preference. If you are vaping concentrated cannabis oil in a cartridge or other concentrates these are much more potent than vaping flower.
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What are the organs that are at risk when vaping?
When teens vape marijuana they’re putting two vital organs at risk: their brains and their lungs. The brain of an adolescent or young adult continues to grow and develop well into early adulthood, and is busy developing critical skills related to problem-solving, impulse control, anticipating consequences and more.
What are the symptoms of vaping?
Symptoms of this vaping-related lung illness, also known as EVALI ( E -cigarette, or V aping, product use A ssociated L ung I njury), include: 1 Shortness of breath 2 Weight loss 3 Night sweats 4 Fatigue 5 Gastrointestinal problems 6 Low oxygen levels 7 Lung failure and death (in severe cases)
What is a PAX vape?
Marijuana vaping devices often resemble vaping devices used for nicotine or other e-liquids. For example, PAX is a brand of marijuana vaporizers that closely resemble the popular JUUL devices. Those seeking to vape marijuana can also learn how to “hack” nicotine vapes to work with marijuana from countless YouTube videos and other online resources.
How to tell if your child is vaping?
How to recognize if your child is vaping marijuana. Vaping can be difficult to detect as there is no smoke, minimal odor (although you may catch a whiff) and the vapor produced dissipates rapidly. However, just like smoking, vaping marijuana can result in bloodshot eyes, dry mouth and thirst, increased appetite and shifts in behavior and mood.
Is Vitamin E acetate illegal?
Although the majority of marijuana vaping devices containing Vitamin E Acetate were bought through illegal channels, there have been several cases where the additive was identified in vaping products purchased from regulated marijuana dispensaries.
How often should OTPs test for THC?
Both the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Joint Commission, which together accredit and certify OTPs, say OTPs should only test patients for THC once — upon admission.
Why are barbiturates considered a risk?
If barbiturates or benzodiazepines show up, there is also reason for concern because of risks to the patient. (But taking barbiturates, benzodiazepines, or other opioids in addition to methadone might mean that the patient is not getting high enough dose of methadone; it does not mean that the patient should be punished.)
When did Colorado start testing for THC?
Tina Beckley, regional director in Colorado for Behavioral Health Group, said recently that ever since Colorado started requiring OTPs to test for THC in 2006, many patients have lost their take-home doses—often, understandably, having thought that their medical marijuana card would spare them this sanction.
Where did the methadone patients move to?
And this after many methadone patients, according to Beckley, moved to Colorado specifically for the marijuana.
Does cannabis affect opioids?
Cannabis use does not negatively influence opioid outcome s among patients receiving buprenorphine maintenance treatment, with no difference in productivity and quality of life between individuals maintained on buprenorphine with and without current cannabis use.
Can you use cannabis instead of opioids?
And while some states have decreed that cannabis can be used instead of opioid agonists to treat opioid use disorders, this has prompted SAMHSA head Elinore McCance-Katz, MD, PhD, as well as OTPs, to disagree. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, however, in states where medical cannabis is legal, ...
Is methadone tested for THC?
Even though THC testing is frequently applied in some states, this testing is never federally mandated except at admission. If methadone doesn’t show up in the toxicology reports, there is reason for concern—the patient may be diverting take-homes and foregoing the benefits of methadone.