Cannabis Clarity

Donna Shields, MS, RDN

Is Your Vape Pen Safe?

This is the one question that keeps coming up over and over. 

Reports of tainted vape pens and resulting respiratory illness (and deaths) have been an ongoing concern for consumers who use pens and a black mark for those in the cannabis industry who are playing by the rules. And while this topic has been widely reported, I find people are still pretty much confused about the issue, which also extends to e-cigarettes.

While most of this problem stems from the additives used in illicit ( black market, counterfeit pens) vape pen cartridges, there is also new found scrutiny of additives that have been approved for cartridge use.

While there are plenty of vaporizers (this is not a new idea, remember bongs?) that can be used to consume flower and concentrates, the most popular device  to emerge is the portable penlike design. Vape pens are designed to vaporize cannabis oils and distillates. These pens operate both high test THC-containing cannabis and CBD-hemp extract cannabis. Terminology is a sticky subject in this business, but that’s for another column, another day.

What Is A Vape Pen

A vape pen contains two primary components: a battery and the vape cartridge. The battery provides power to the heating element, which vaporizes the cannabis oil inside the vape cartridge. These devices come in many shapes, sizes, and styles. Some vape pens have a button that activates the vape cartridge, while others are buttonless and only activated once the user draws on it.

Vape cartridges include a mouthpiece, chamber, and heating element known as an atomizer. The chamber is filled with concentrated amounts of cannabinoids and terpenes. The atomizer is activated when the battery heats up the chamber and vaporizes the cannabis oil. Sounds simple enough, right?

Is Your Vape Cartridge Contaminated

The most prevalent problem on the illegal vape market are cartridges that contain high levels of pesticides. At concentrated levels, inhaled pesticides cause health problems. To avoid this, you must buy pens from reputable brands that disclose third-party test results and include screening for pesticides. 

But that’s not all.

Cutting agents can be added to enhance the intensity of the vapor cloud and overall mouthfeel of the vapors. Common cutting agents sometimes infused with cannabis oil and e-cigarette vape juice include: 

  • Polyethylene glycol (PEG): a cutting agent used in vape liquids to keep the product evenly mixed. 
  • Propylene glycol (PG): a binding agent that is added to cannabis vape cartridges because of its ability to foster even vape draws. 
  • Vegetable glycerin (VG): Added to vape liquids to help generate large vape clouds for the user. 
  • Vitamin E acetate: A generally safe additive for food, but it’s been found in thickening agents in illicit THC cartridges in some of the reported illnesses. Vitamin E acetate is a different chemical than the vitamin E found naturally in foods and in supplements. Vitamin E is safe to consume as a food or supplement up to 1,000 milligrams daily.

Here’s the rub.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has labeled these cutting agents as safe for human ingestion, but not necessarily human inhalation. Research  suggests that, when vaporized at high temperatures, both PEG and PG breaks down into the carcinogens formaldehyde and acetaldehyde

This is part 1 of a 2 part series on Vape Pen Safety…stay tuned for next month’s column that will explain how to evaluate and buy a safe vape pen

Donna Shields is the co-founder of the Holistic Cannabis Academy, an online medical cannabis training curriculum and founder of Key West Culinary Workshops, offering CBD culinary classes and seminars. Private CBD tastings and curated product reviews are held weekly; space is limited. Contact Donna at [email protected] for more info.

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