Editor's E-Note
The Risks of Vaping
Much of the research about the safety of cannabis has focused on the plant material, but recent research suggests that the devices used to vape cannabis bring their own risks, including the presence of nano-sized particles of toxic metals.
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Toxic Metals in Vapes
Vapes have often been heralded as a “safer” way to consume either nicotine or cannabis, where legal to do so. However, the devices present their own suite of risks that are slowly being revealed as they undergo increasing research and regulation. Now, researchers have discovered that nano-sized toxic metal particles may be present in cannabis vaping liquids even before the vaping device is heated, and the effect is worse in unregulated products.
The researchers presented their results at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society.
While cannabis regulation and legalization are still growing in the United States, it was made federally legal in Canada under its Cannabis Act in 2018. “Cannabis vapes are newly regulated products in Canada, so we don’t yet have much scientific data about them,” says Andrew Waye, who presented the work at the meeting. “This is an opportunity for us to look at some of the questions concerning the risks and unknowns of cannabis vapes.” Waye manages the research program at the Office of Cannabis Science and Surveillance at Health Canada.
Unlike smoking, vaping does not involve a combustion reaction, which produces harmful byproducts. Instead, a vaping device heats a liquid until it evaporates into an inhalable vapor. As a result, it is often seen as a safer method to consume cannabis or nicotine. But research on nicotine vapes has shown that the metal components that heat the vape liquid may release harmful elemental metals, including nickel, chromium, and lead, which can then be transported into the aerosol and deposited into the user’s body.
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Varying Risk of Cannabis Use Disorder
According to research from the Medical University of South Carolina on the effect of variations in the metabolism of THC on the risk of cannabis use disorder, genetic differences play a role.
Evidence for the Positive Effects of Cannabis
Politico reports on the conclusion of the Department of Health and Human Service that cannabis has medical benefits and is less hazardous than other dangerous drugs and the agency’s call for a loosening of federal restrictions.
Effect of Cannabis on Sperm DNA
Researchers at Duke University found that male rats exposed to delta-9 THC had decreased sperm concentrations along with changes in sperm DNA methylation, according to News Medical. |
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