Several important limitations of these data deserve mention, particularly those related to sampling, Internet reporting, limitations of our measures, and the lack of random assignment to vaporizer use. In an effort to find regular users of cannabis, we targeted people with a potential interest in changing cannabis policy.
These individuals might have consciously or unconsciously minimized their reports of symptoms that might cast cannabis in a negative light. Nevertheless, literally thousands of participants admitted to experiencing respiratory symptoms. The symptoms covaried with cannabis use, cigarette use, and the interaction of the two, as work with samples gathered in other ways has revealed [ 6 ]. These results suggest that reports among these participants are comparable to those found in other work.
Any bias in reporting remains a problem, and only further work can help address this issue. Vaporizer users might be more inclined to minimize respiratory symptoms than people who smoke cannabis in other ways. The price of a vaporizer can range as high as hundreds of dollars. Vaporizers also lack some of the convenience of other methods of marijuana use. Users who have spent this much money and effort might minimize reports of their respiratory symptoms, consciously or inadvertently, in an effort to justify their actions.
Only a more objective measure of respiratory function that does not rely on self-report can sidestep this potential problem. Laboratory measures of lung function would make a nice addition to further work on this topic. The use of the Internet for this type of work has advantages and disadvantages as well.
This approach might lead individuals who are unwilling to travel to the laboratory to participate, potentially increasing generalizability. Heavy users with severe symptoms might be particularly disinclined to participate without the convenience of the Internet.
Recent work also suggests that people report more drug use while using the Internet than they do on standard paper-and-pencil measures [ 10 ].
Nevertheless, because Internet access was required for participation, these data might not generalize to meaningful subsets of the population without such access. Our measures of vaporizer use and respiratory symptoms could also have been more detailed. A single question about the primary technique used for administering cannabis neglects potentially meaningful variation in vaporizer use. Some participants might use a vaporizer primarily but also smoke cannabis.
In contrast, other participants might use a vaporizer exclusively. Both of these groups of participants would end up in the group who uses a vaporizer primarily. Vaporizers come in several forms, including conduction-style machines that employ a hot plate as well as convection-style devices that use warmed air. The efficacy of these different machines could vary substantially, but we could not address the question with the current data.
These limitations, however, should decrease power rather than create a spurious result. By lumping participants who occasionally smoke cannabis into the same group with those who vaporize exclusively, we actually weaken the ability to detect effects. Including any type of vaporizer, no matter how effective, also has the potential to weaken effects. In a sense, the current study's estimate of the effect of a vaporizer on respiratory symptoms might be an underestimate of the improvement that could arise from a good vaporizer used as the exclusive method for ingesting cannabis.
We also did not assess the length of time each participant had used a vaporizer. A vaporizer's impact might grow more dramatic with longer use. The assessment of respiratory symptoms was also not particularly elaborate, but the same measures revealed a significant impact of cannabis and cigarettes in this sample and in other work [ 6 ].
Finally, the use of a vaporizer was not randomly assigned. The possibility exists that cannabis users who choose a vaporizer might engage in a host of other behaviors designed to minimize respiratory symptoms, or simply be more health conscious in general. Like any correlational study, this one cannot address the role of causality. The current data are consistent, however, with the idea that cannabis vaporizers can decrease respiratory symptoms in regular users of the plant.
A better test of a vaporizer's potential for minimizing problems would require recruiting cannabis smokers who report respiratory troubles, randomly assigning a group to use a vaporizer, and assessing any decrease in symptoms. The current data suggest that such an intervention could prove helpful.
Although the use of a vaporizer has the potential to increase the safety of cannabis as far as respiratory symptoms are concerned, pulmonary problems are not the only potential negative consequences of the plant.
Cannabis can lead to impaired driving skills [ 12 ], and heavy use in adolescence might create deviant brain structure [ 13 ] as well as decreases in intelligence [ 14 ]. A vaporizer offers no protection against these negative consequences.
Nevertheless, a vaporizer has considerable potential for increasing cannabis drug safety by minimizing pulmonary troubles. J Clin Pharmacol. Melamede R: Cannabis and tobacco smoke are not equally carcinogenic. Harm Reduction Journal. Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics. J Pharm Sci. Okie S: Medical marijuana and the Supreme Court. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy.
Am J Public Health. Google Scholar. J Adolesc Health. Article PubMed Google Scholar. Earleywine M: Understanding Marijuana. Liguori A: Marijuana and driving: trends, design issues, and future recommendations.
Inhaling harmful substances can affect more than just the lungs. As a specialist in heart disease, Blaha treats patients who have urgent reasons to quit smoking cigarettes. These patients are often older adults who may have heart disease associated with smoking, and Blaha says they are motivated to quit.
For the smaller group of adults who have unsuccessfully tried all strategies approved by the Food and Drug Administration to stop smoking, vaping and using e-cigarettes may help them kick the habit. Some prefer using flavored vape products as a way to help quit smoking, with the ultimate goal of complete cessation from all tobacco products.
But Blaha is particularly concerned about e-cigarette use and vaping among young people, and the surging incidence of vaping among kids who have never smoked. These young people are vulnerable to becoming addicted to the nicotine in vaping devices and e-cigarettes, and flavors may be making vaping more appealing to them. Blaha observes that the appeal of vape flavors, rather than flavor ingredients themselves, may have a broader danger to the public.
For a lot of young people, it might be that the only reason they vape or use e-cigarettes is because they like the flavors. Heating these chemicals can also trigger the release of carcinogens. Research into the safety of vaping is still in its early stages, and large scale studies are necessary to establish the long-term risks. However, early research shows that vaping, even without nicotine, is not a completely safe alternative to cigarette smoking. Many people try nicotine replacement or vaping as an alternative to smoking cigarettes.
However, people often speculate as to whether there is a link…. In this article…. Electronic cigarettes and vaping are popular among young people and people trying to quit smoking. However, health experts question their safety. Many people turn to vaping as an alternative to smoking, but what are the effects of vapor on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD…. Nicotine is highly addictive and harmful. It is normally smoked in cigarettes but can lead to further drugs misuse also.
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Adolescent depression: Could school screening help? Vaping: Is it bad for you? Can you smoke and donate blood? Related Coverage. Does nicotine cause cancer? How long does nicotine stay in your system? Medically reviewed by Alan Carter, PharmD. Are e-cigarettes a safe alternative to smoking? Medically reviewed by Adithya Cattamanchi, M.
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