Beginning in August 2019, an apparent outbreak of vaping related illnesses and even a few deaths has sent much of the United States, and the world, into a panic regarding the potential dangers of vaping. This has led many people to ask - is my cannabis vape safe?

Questioning the safety and health around cannabis vaping - and vaping in general - is a good thing. When you inhale literally anything you expose your lungs (respiratory system), bloodstream (circulatory system), and brain (nervous system) to potential toxins. Minimizing the potential danger from the things you inhale is critical to living a long and healthy life. At Heylo we are encouraged when people take this question seriously. 

What We Know About Vaping-related Illnesses and Deaths

One of the most sensational parts of the recent outbreak of vaping-related illnesses is the lack of apparent commonality between. Yet there are a few key elements that connect most, if not all, of the reports:

• The vapes were purchased “on the street” from non-regulated sources
• The vapes contained Vitamin E acetate (read Confidence Analytics' coverage of Vitamin E acetate here)
• Most or all of the vapes contained nicotine - e.g. “e-Cigarettes”
• Some of the vapes were infused with THC

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So… is Cannabis Even Safe?

In general, yes. Pure cannabis is regarded as safe compared to alcohol and other drugs that enable intoxication for adult-use. Cannabis smoke is less carcinogenic than tobacco smoke. Vaping, however, is often done without pure cannabis - even in legal markets like Washington State and Colorado. 

In illegal cannabis markets, like Wisconsin, where the City of Milwaukee issued a warning about all vapes, it is very difficult to find a pure cannabis vape. Vapes purchased on the street are likely produced with non-cannabis components and hardware that could contain toxins like lead.

Vaping pure cannabis has never been proven to produce illness or death in any adult, ever. That said - there are still potential risks to vaping legal cannabis products - many of which are not pure, are laden with pesticides, or have bad hardware. Let’s explore these risks so you can make informed buying decisions for your health and safety. 

What Risk Is There in My Legal Cannabis Vape?

It depends - but there are several categories of risk to be aware of. There are cannabis vapes in legal markets, including Heylo in Washington, that are clean and verifiable. 

Let’s explore the potential risks in legal cannabis vapes:

• If the product was cut with any substance other than cannabis, including Vitamin E, propylene glycol (PG), PEG 400, vegetable glycerin (VG), and medium chain triglycerides (MCT). These are all potentially harmful, especially when heated. Products from the street could be cut with even worse agents.
• If the product was made with cannabis grown with pesticides this is a major cause for concern.
• If the product is vaped at too high a temperature, the potential for producing potentially harmful compounds is increased.
• If the product was produced using a hydrocarbon extraction technique like butane (BHO) or propane (PPO) it will have some level of residual solvent, which can be toxic to humans at levels above 10,000ppm with prolonged exposure.
• Hardware made with cheap plastics and metals may introduce harmful compounds like lead into vape liquid.

What can you do to protect yourself when buying and using a cannabis vape?

Simple steps to protect yourself, family, and friends:

• Only buy legal products from trusted companies in regulated markets
• Request analytics or test results on the product at the point of purchase
• Ask what pest management (pesticide) protocol was used in making the product
• Ask about the hardware used to hold and deliver the vape liquid
• Vape at the lowest temperature possible to produce vapor

Lastly, keep the following points in mind...

• You cannot overdose and die from pure cannabis consumption
• Knowing the source of your product is the most important step you can take to protect yourself

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