Vaping Cannabis Oil: Exploring The Pros & Cons

Have you been wondering if vaping is a safe and effective alternative to smoking? In this guide to vaping cannabis oil, we will explore the pros and cons of this inhalation method, discuss important safety considerations, and share a tutorial to show you how to use oil cartridges and pens.

Article Features

• A guide featuring the pros and cons of vaping
• What to look out for when buying vaping products
• Want to skip the hard work? Shop with me and have premium, high-quality cannabis products delivered directly to your door! Now shipping across the US.

Why You Will Love This Guide

Vaping cannabis oil is a smokeless, low-temperature method of inhaling cannabis vapor.  

This method continues to be a favorite consumption method among members of my Well With Cannabis Facebook Community.

When done safely, vaping cannabis can be a convenient, discrete way to enjoy cannabis.

However, there are some drawbacks you will want to watch out for.

Here we will review those so you can make safe and informed decisions.

What is a Vape Cartridge?

There are many different methods for using and consuming cannabis ranging from tinctures, topicals, edibles, and inhalation.

The method we will focus on today is vaping cannabis oil.

However, it’s important to note that this method differs from dry herb vaping.

Cannabis vape oil is a cannabis concentrate formulated to be used in a vaporizer or vape pen.  

Cannabis vape oil is made from cannabis extracts but can include additional ingredients to make the product physically functional to vaporize with a vaporizer battery.

This mixture is packaged in what is known as a vape cartridge.

The additional ingredients used in each cartridge range from product to product, but all vape oils need to contain a mixture of cannabis oil and a thinning agent.

The most common but dangerous thinning agents used in vape oil cartridges are propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, MCT coconut oil, and/or vitamin E acetate.

It is recommended to avoid the inhalation of any of the above thinning agents because they become carcinogenic or harmful when heated.

For this reason, the benefits of vaping cannabis oil are in jeopardy.

It is important to note that all vape cartridges should be purchased from a licensed dispensary or reputable online retailer.

What is a Vape Pen or Battery?

Vape oil will come in a small cartridge, but you cannot do anything without a battery, also known as a vape pen, to turn the oil into an inhalable vapor.

A vape pen is a small battery-powered device that heats the cannabis oil liquid into an inhalable vapor.

There are hundreds of thousands of pens, atomizers, portable devices, e-cigarettes, and even tabletop models that plug into the wall.

All of these devices work by heating an electric coil.

When the plant oils reach a specific temperature, they turn into vapor, which is drawn into the lungs and exhaled.

The heating process will decarboxylate CBDA into CBD or THCA into THC.

Many vape pens are designed specifically for cannabis consumption compared to nicotine consumption.

Cheap vape pens tend to have fixed temperatures that are high enough to hit over 350+degrees without combusting, while higher-end and more expensive vape pens allow for temperature or voltage control.

A higher-end vape pen with temperature and voltage control is ideal because all cannabinoids activate at different temperatures.

THC and CBD can be activated at lower temperatures, while CBG & CBN requires higher temperatures.

There is also a noticeable quality difference.

Pros of Vaping Cannabis Oil

There are potential benefits to vaping cannabis as a cannabis consumption method depending on the individual, their certain circumstances, and individual goals.

It is important to remember that cannabis affects each person differently, which is why it is important to take your time and be patient when beginning to use cannabis.

Identifying your ideal dosage and preferred application method may take some time.

Fast Acting

Inhalation of cannabinoids has a typical onset of 1-3 minutes with a lasting duration of 1-3 hours.

This is particularly important for those who are using cannabis for fast-acting purposes.

Better Dosing Accuracy

Vape oil can be dosed fairly accurately compared to alternative oral consumption methods.

This is especially important when using cannabis for medical health purposes, like in a medical marijuana program.

Higher Cannabinoid Retention

Vaping has a much higher cannabinoid retention rate than smoking, ranging from 60-90%.

This means less waste of valuable cannabinoids from vaping than from smoking.

On the other hand, this runs the risk of greatly increasing a person’s tolerance level when vaping high concentrations of CBD or THC.

Vaping May Be Less Toxic

Compared to smoking cannabis flower or nicotine-containing products, vaping cannabis may contain fewer carcinogenic or toxic byproducts, depending on your product.

On the other hand, many people prefer a dry herb vaporizer over a vape cartridge for a more natural experience.

Cons of Vaping Cannabis Oil

Before deciding if this application method is right for you, some potential drawbacks to vaping cannabis oil must be considered.

Vaping cannabis, or any substance for that matter, is contraindicated for anyone, especially those with asthma or respiratory conditions.

There are also potential health risks associated with vaping that may impact the lungs, as described here by the American Lung Association.

Ingredients to Avoid in a Vape Cartridge

Additional ingredients added to vape oil cartridges, like the popular thinning agent propylene glycol, become carcinogenic when heated.

To ensure you are setting yourself up for the safest vaping experience possible, you want to ensure the ingredients of your vape cartridge do not contain:

• Propylene Glycol (PG)
• Vegetable Glycerine (VG)
• MCT Coconut Oil (MCT)
• Vitamin E Acetate

Choose A Safe Thinning Agent

As mentioned above, cannabis oil must be formulated with another ingredient to be liquid enough to be used in a vaporizer or vape pen.

We know that no PG, VG, MCT, or vitamin E is safe to be added – so what makes a safe thinning agent for vape cartridges then? 

Naturally-derived terpenes.

Terpenes are volatile organic compounds found in cannabis, and all plants, that give cannabis its distinct smell and other plants their floral aromas.

Through safe extraction processes, terpenes can be derived from the cannabis plant, separated, and added to a vape product.

Will Vaping Get Me High?

This depends on the type of vape cartridge you purchase.

You can purchase CBD vape cartridges or THC ones, which will induce very different effects. 

If you are using pure hemp-derived CBD oil with no added THC, CBD vape oil will not get you high. 

This is because CBD is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid and does not produce an intoxicating feeling.

However, some anecdotal reports indicate that vaping CBD oil can intensify the euphoric effects often seen with CBD.

If you use a THC oil cartridge sourced from a medical or recreational dispensary, the THC oil will likely induce intoxicating effects, as these cartridges contain very high concentrations of THC.

Will Vaping Show Up On A Drug Test?

This also depends on the type of vape cartridge you use.

Vaping any product with THC has the potential to show up on a drug test and cause you not to pass.

CBD vape products can be sold as either full-spectrum or broad-spectrum products.

While the legal considerations for CBD are that the plant must contain 0.3% THC, full-spectrum CBD vape products do indeed contain trace amounts of THC.

If you need to be 100% positive, you will have no THC in your system; you must opt for a THC-free product labeled either broad-spectrum, isolate, or 100% THC-free.

If you use a pure broad-spectrum CBD vape product with 0% THC, then no THC will appear on a drug test.

Where to Buy Safe CBD Vape Products

You have likely seen many vape oil products on the market as they are legal now, but there are important factors to consider before purchasing one.

For a product that is going to be inhaled into the lungs, you must be 100% sure the product you are using is safely manufactured and free from potentially harmful added ingredients.

These days there is a CBD vape shop on every corner – but that does not mean the products they are selling are automatically safe.

There is still no regulation or safety standard for CBD products on the market today, and the person working the counter often has limited knowledge about important safety considerations.

Many CBD vape oils come in various flavors, but I encourage my students to avoid these products.