Teen marijuana vaping has increased significantly, raising questions about safety compared to smoking. As of a February 10 Okeechobee County School Board meeting, 12 students have been expelled from school for drug use or possession, with every case involving marijuana. Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services Joseph Stanley reports that every one of these students was using vape pens. According to local studies by the Department of Children and Families, as of 2024, 13.1% of children and teens in Okeechobee County report using marijuana or hashish, and 11.7% are using vaping devices for marijuana.
Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers performed a study in 2018 concluding that vaping cannabis can release much stronger effects than smoking the plant in its natural state. While vaping cannabis is thought to be safer than smoking because it doesn’t produce many harmful components of burning material such as tar and other cancer-causing agents, the research suggests that for first-timers or those who don’t use cannabis regularly, vaping delivers greater amounts of THC, the primary intoxicant in cannabis, which increases the likelihood of adverse reactions. The study consisted of 17 participants with an average age of 27 who had not used cannabis in at least 30 days. Shortly after vaping cannabis, participants reported feeling sick, anxious, experiencing racing heart, hunger, and memory impairment. Postdoctoral researcher Tory Spindle, Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins Bayview reports, “Our participants had substantially higher impairment on the tasks when vaping versus smoking the same dose, which in the real world translates to more functional impairment when driving or performing everyday tasks.”
Health Considerations
A 2021 study published in The Canadian Public Health Association, titled “Are vaporizers a lower-risk alternative to smoking cannabis?”, notes that vaporizing cannabis avoids producing toxic pyrolytic compounds and by-products such as carcinogenic hydrocarbons and benzene, reducing exposure to carbon monoxide and lowering respiratory hazards compared with smoking. However, CDC investigations into e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) found that 73% of cases reported using THC-containing vaping products at least some of the time, while 33% reported exclusive use of THC-containing products.
While vaping cannabis may reduce the amount of harmful chemicals entering the body, it still carries risks. The stronger high produced causes increased impairment and physical and mental effects, potentially making it more addictive than smoking the plant. Vaping is relatively new compared to smoking, and long-term effects may not yet be evident. Parents are advised to discuss drug use and vaping with their children, ensuring they understand the risks, and to consult pediatricians and school counselors for additional resources if needed.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://lakeonews.com/stories/more-teens-than-ever-are-vaping-marijuana-products-is-is-it-any-safer-than-smoking-it,84365