The United States Army issued an alert to the public earlier this year after two medical centres in North Carolina treated 60 patients for health problems that officials attributed to their vaping of CBD oil. The symptoms ranged from nausea and vomiting to headaches and disorientation.
A few months after, North Carolina officials issued their warning following the arrival of 30 patients in local emergency rooms suffering from hallucinations and loss of consciousness. They also reported heart irregularities. These symptoms were linked to vaping CBD. Both notices indicated that officials were concerned such visits would become more frequent as interest and access to CBD products, which are legal in many states but have a number of purported health benefits (but not yet conclusively proven), increases.
These reports should give anyone who is considering vaping CBD for medical or recreational reasons, or even if they are already vaping CBD, a serious pause. Experts and evidence agree that CBD is safe, even when vaped. You can only vape CBD tinctures that are unadulterated if you have access to them. Many CBD vapers are experiencing problems due to the lack of regulation in the vaping industry and the unreliable quality of vapes or vape oils.
What are the side effects and benefits of CBD vaping?
CBD is the abbreviation of cannabidiol. Cannabis contains more than 100 active components that are cannabinoids. In studies of its many potential medical benefits, it was found that people could tolerate a range of dosages with minimal side effects. This included weeks of continuously high doses. It’s not that there aren’t any side effects. CBD has been found to cause a variety of side effects, including irritability and lethargy. It can also lead to gastrointestinal distress, rashes or breathing problems.
The way our bodies process CBD suggests that it may interact with liver enzymes, changing the efficacy and effectiveness of many other drugs. These include blood thinners, anticonvulsants and antidepressants. It may lead to an increase in side effects or, worst case scenario, an unintentional drug overdose.
We don’t know enough yet to determine how common or how many of these side effects occur as a result of CBD use versus interactions with other drugs. We also don’t know how to predict with certainty how different dosages may lead to drug-drug interactions or side effects, nor how these effects might differ from one body to another or when combined with other conditions. We also don’t have good data about how CBD may affect children differently from adults or long-term CBD users over decades.
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Even though it may seem scary, the consensus is that these risks are minimal and can be easily managed by changing dosages. Even the Army’s warning about CBD vaping described CBD oil as being relatively safe.
Is vaping CBD safe?
Theoretically, vaping (which is simply heating a tincture at high temperatures in order to create a vapour that can be inhaled) should not change the CBD risk profile. Michelle Peace, a Virginia Commonwealth University toxicologist and vaping specialist, notes that “when you inhale a substance as opposed to eating a substance,” the way other CBD products are used, “you have to be cautious about the dosage because inhalation can be a more efficient way to deliver drugs to the system and make them active.”
Peace points out that, as yet, there have been no conclusive and real studies on the subject. This could lead to increased negative effects for people who are prone to CBD or drug-drug interaction side effects. It is easy to reduce this risk by being cautious when deciding how much CBD to take, just as you would with any other substance.
Vaping itself may not pose any new risks, but the nature of the vape could. A study conducted at Johns Hopkins University earlier this year found that some vape coils, the metal pieces used to heat tinctures, leech significant amounts of heavy metals, such as chromium, into the vapours users inhale. Peace asks, “What are the long-term effects of inhaling particulate metals?” We don’t understand it fully yet.
Is CBD oil itself safe?
Vape oils, too, are poorly regulated. This has led to frequent reports that items sold as pure nicotine but containing toxic substances are, in fact, adulterated. These substances can be harmful to the lungs when inhaled. For example, diacetyl, a buttery flavouring that’s perfectly safe for eating, can cause severe lung irritation when heated and used in vapes.
CBD vape oil is no exception. A study conducted in 2017 on 10 products revealed that seven of them misrepresented the amount of CBD they contained and that two of them contained THC. THC is the other cannabinoid found in cannabis, which often has the opposite effects of CBD. It may be due to mischaracterizations about the CBD source in the vape products: pure CBD extracts or a mixture of whole cannabis with a high CBD/THC ratio. Scientists worry that vaping whole cannabis leaves instead of burning or smoking them can cause unique complications. The waxy substance from the leaves can build up and irritate the lungs. Peace says that her lab also examined CBD products and discovered some worrying elements that weren’t advertised on the packaging. She says that “rarely” did they find any truth in the advertising of the products she evaluated.
Health officials appear to believe that this hidden, rampant adulteration is the biggest risk of vaping CBD compared to consuming CBD in any form. In its health warning, the Army cited the possibility of adulteration, especially with synthetic cannabinoids and high levels of THC, as the cause of most, if not every, CBD vaping illness it had seen. Peace says that this could be a big problem for vapers. She advises that people who are interested in vaping CBD should be aware consumers and read product labels, as well as consult their doctor about possible drug-drug interaction. No one knows how to identify questionable brands or has a list of them. Peace points out that some retailers, even those who appear to be legitimate, may sell bad tinctures.
Conscious and prudent consumption is, therefore, almost impossible. It is also impossible for users to assess the risk rationally and realistically due to the uncertainty surrounding the extent of adulteration within the industry. This risk is common to all vaping forms. The only solution would be to regulate the industry more. As there are no signs that this is going to happen, users should approach vaping CBD or any other substance cautiously and with knowledge of the potential risks.
