Is using weed pens safe or dangerous?

Weed pens, also called cannabis vape pens, have become increasingly popular in recent years as a discreet and convenient way to consume marijuana.

However, as weed pens have become more popular, there are also concerns about their safety. Especially if you're considering switching from smoking to vaping marijuana.

Is it safe or dangerous to use weed pens? What are the health risks of vaping weed? Which is less harmful: vaping weed or smoking the flowers?

Don't worry! This article answers these questions in detail. Read on to learn more about weed pens and the various health risks associated with them.

What is a weed pen? Different types?

A weed pen is a portable electronic device that heats cannabis in herb, oil or wax form to create an aerosol that you can inhale.

You inhale the vapor through the mouthpiece into your mouth, from where it passes through your throat into your lungs.

The battery-powered devices come in many forms, with different mobility, power and vapor output. Sometimes they look like traditional pens or even like sleek technological devices.

Not all marijuana vape pens are the same. In fact, there are three different types of weed pens on the market.

1. Oil Vape Pens

Vape pens use a pre-filled vape cartridge that contains concentrated cannabis oil.

When you press the button, the cannabis oil is heated until the therapeutic cannabinoids and terpenes begin to vaporize, creating the vapor you inhale.

2. Vaporizer for dry herbs

Dry herb vaporizers work similarly, except they extract the cannabinoids and terpenes directly from the dried flower of the cannabis plant.

Instead of burning the flower, the vaporizer heats it to the point where its vapors are released.

3. Wax crayons

The wax vape pens (also called dab pens) are designed for vaporizing concentrates such as budder, shatter, crumble, wax, etc., which is also called dabbing.

The dab pen heats the nail inside and you carefully spoon your concentrate onto that nail.

As soon as it comes into contact with the hot surface, it starts to evaporate and all you have to do is inhale and enjoy.

Is using weed pens safe or dangerous?

Vaporization involves heating cannabis to a temperature that converts the active ingredients into vapor. This vapor is then inhaled, allowing the psychoactive ingredient THC to quickly enter the bloodstream.

Some people believe that using a marijuana vaporizer to inhale alternatively reduces the health risks associated with smoking and makes inhaling the drug safer because none of the carcinogenic substances are carried along from the burned plant material.

However, inhaling marijuana through a vaporizer also poses serious risks to your health, including harmful ingredients, respiratory problems, cardiovascular problems, marijuana addiction, mental health, and more.

In addition, when vaporizing marijuana concentrates or concentrated oil, the effects may be more physically or psychologically intense than simply smoking plant material because the product is highly potent.

In fact, marijuana concentrates or concentrated oil contain 40-80% THC, which is significantly more than high-quality marijuana flowers, which typically contain around 20% THC.

Vaping or smoking weed: Which is safer, healthier and better?

Vaping has been proven for years to be a much healthier alternative to smoking and often produces almost instant effects.

When cannabis is burned or combusted, many toxins and carcinogens are produced that damage the respiratory system.

Vaporization, on the other hand, is a smokeless method that involves heating cannabis to a much lower temperature, releasing cannabinoids and terpenes into a vapor without the harmful byproducts.

Vaporization also preserves many of the unique flavors and nuanced effects of cannabis flowers and concentrates.

Combustion burns off many of the naturally occurring compounds that are responsible for the variations in cannabis' aroma, taste and psychotropic effects.

Whether you smoke or not, the bud will continue to burn. It will also produce a lot more second-hand smoke and make your hair, clothes, face and hands smell a lot worse.

Weed vaporizers allow you to make better dosing decisions and get stronger effects than smoking a joint, so you don't have to consume as much weed to get high.

The side effects and health risks of vaporizing marijuana

There are several dangers associated with vaping marijuana, some of which are still undiscovered.

1. Harmful ingredients

In addition to THC, vaporized cannabis contains many other harmful ingredients that can have a negative impact on your physical health.

This is because the regulations on the ingredient lists of most e-cigarette products are simply not relevant enough.

Remains: The vapors allow residual irritants, solvents and pesticides from the cannabis plant to enter the body, which can have serious health consequences.

Heavy metals: The metal components that heat the vaping liquid can release harmful elemental metals such as nickel, chromium and lead, which can then enter the aerosol and settle in the user's body.

Additive: Vitamin E acetate is a sticky oil substance that is often added to e-cigarettes to thicken or dilute the THC or CBD oil in the cartridges. It is known to cause a dangerous lung disease called EVALI.

2. Breathing problems and lung injuries

Vaping cannabis can irritate your lungs and cause breathing problems such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath, but not to the same extent as vaping marijuana.

3. Cardiovascular problems

Vaping cannabis can also negatively affect your heart and blood vessels, increasing your risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems.

4. Mental health problems

When vaporizing cannabis, a higher amount of cannabis is consumed compared to other methods of consumption.

Consumption of highly potent forms of cannabis through vaporization is associated with an increased risk of mental health problems such as anxiety, paranoia, depression, schizophrenia and psychosis.

5. Marijuana addiction

Vaping can be highly addictive because THC is a highly addictive substance that can lead to dependence and withdrawal symptoms.

Addiction to vaping causes a person to feel unable to control their thoughts about the drug. Living a normal life seems impossible as the desire for the next fix is ​​the dominant motive in that person's life.

Withdrawal from regular cannabis use can lead to symptoms such as sleep problems, mood swings and insomnia.

6. Impaired brain function and development

Marijuana consumption has immediate effects on thinking, attention, memory, coordination and time perception.

The human brain continues to develop until age 25, so marijuana use during adolescence and young adulthood may interfere with this development and lead to attention, learning, and memory impairments by affecting the way the brain builds connections between the areas required for these functions.

7. Cognitive impairment

Vaping marijuana can impair your reaction time, decision making, coordination, and perception.

For example, inhalation can cause slight driving impairments as vehicle control is impaired and reaction time becomes slower. Therefore, driving a car after consumption is no longer safe.

8. Catch fire or explode

Weed pens with removable lithium-ion batteries are potentially dangerous because they can catch fire and spread quickly.

Equipment, especially modified or inferior equipment, presents a risk of explosion that could result in burns or flying projectiles.

Diploma

Although vaping sounds less harmful than traditional cannabis smoking, inhaling marijuana through a vaporizer does not protect you from negative health effects.

There is still a respiratory risk associated with vaping marijuana, in addition to the other risks associated with marijuana use, including harmful ingredients and more.

As cannabis vaporization becomes more popular, the currently known health risks and associated risks cannot be ignored.

More research and education is needed to educate people, especially our young people, about the dangers of vaping cannabis.

FYI, there are also safer ways to consume marijuana, including edibles, sublingual products, and suppositories.