Vaping Vs Smoking Debate Essay
Well, it’s about time. Over the past few years, state after state has legalized the use of marijuana. Ohio is the latest to legalize, although with the stipulation, “for medical use only.” As more and more smokers of weed are allowed to come in out of the dark, they will find that marijuana smoking has evolved.
Coincidentally, the trend of vaping has taken off during the same time frame as medical marijuana legalization. Because the conventional method of marijuana smoking is just as hazardous as smoking a tobacco cigarette, marijuana vaping is now the latest movement towards safe cannabis use. Still, there are questions to be answered when the vaping vs. smoking debate begins. Let’s look at, and attempt to clarify, a few of the major issues here.
Will vaping marijuana cause lung damage?
When vaping began to attract attention from the mainstream media, the biggest perceived benefit of vaping was the relative safety when compared with smoking. As E-cigs and vaping grew in popularity, many municipalities started enacting draconian anti-vaping laws. These laws treated the vapor produced by E-cigs and vaping as if they were just as dangerous as second hand smoke produced by cigarettes. Lawmakers continually cited faulty studies, citing “the dangers of formaldehyde produced by vaping” as a justification for their bans. The …show more content…
studies have been largely disproven. On an anecdotal basis, those who quit cigarettes for E-cigs or vaping almost universally note healthier lungs, and generally feel healthier.
As the marijuana vaping vs.
smoking debate picks up steam (no pun intended), the obvious correlations between the two debates can’t be ignored. Whether smoked through a bong or from a joint, marijuana produces smoke. The smoke comes from the organic matter of the leaf and bud, just as cigarette smoke is caused by the tobacco burning. The vapor caused by vaping is just that, vapor. The ingestion of nicotine or THC, without smoke, causes no known damage to the lungs of the ingester. Perhaps, when enough time has passed, vaping will begin to show lung damage similar to smoking, but for now, there is no rational debate, vaping is
safer.
Is the quality of vaped marijuana the same?
Studies are now beginning to show the benefits of vaping marijuana. The delivery system can make a difference in the quality of what is ingested, but there is evidence that vaping delivers more THC than does smoking.
An Australian study reported that 95% of the cannabinoids present in concentrated cannabis vaping reaches the bloodstream. On the other hand, the great majority of smoke from a joint or bong (88%), is made up of mostly harmful non-cannabinoids. Again, vaping shows up as a preferable method of THC ingestion.
Societal forces are always at work to slow change. In too many sectors of American society, legalization of marijuana will always be looked at in a negative way, as will vaping. Hopefully, as times change and societal attitudes become more enlightened, it can only be hoped that there will be some rational thought pertaining to the vaping of marijuana, medical or recreational.
Coincidentally, the trend of vaping has taken off during the same time frame as medical marijuana legalization. Because the conventional method of marijuana smoking is just as hazardous as smoking a tobacco cigarette, marijuana vaping is now the latest movement towards safe cannabis use. Still, there are questions to be answered when the vaping vs. smoking debate begins. Let’s look at, and attempt to clarify, a few of the major issues here.
Will vaping marijuana cause lung damage?
When vaping began to attract attention from the mainstream media, the biggest perceived benefit of vaping was the relative safety when compared with smoking. As E-cigs and vaping grew in popularity, many municipalities started enacting draconian anti-vaping laws. These laws treated the vapor produced by E-cigs and vaping as if they were just as dangerous as second hand smoke produced by cigarettes. Lawmakers continually cited faulty studies, citing “the dangers of formaldehyde produced by vaping” as a justification for their bans. The …show more content…
studies have been largely disproven. On an anecdotal basis, those who quit cigarettes for E-cigs or vaping almost universally note healthier lungs, and generally feel healthier.
As the marijuana vaping vs.
smoking debate picks up steam (no pun intended), the obvious correlations between the two debates can’t be ignored. Whether smoked through a bong or from a joint, marijuana produces smoke. The smoke comes from the organic matter of the leaf and bud, just as cigarette smoke is caused by the tobacco burning. The vapor caused by vaping is just that, vapor. The ingestion of nicotine or THC, without smoke, causes no known damage to the lungs of the ingester. Perhaps, when enough time has passed, vaping will begin to show lung damage similar to smoking, but for now, there is no rational debate, vaping is
safer.
Is the quality of vaped marijuana the same?
Studies are now beginning to show the benefits of vaping marijuana. The delivery system can make a difference in the quality of what is ingested, but there is evidence that vaping delivers more THC than does smoking.
An Australian study reported that 95% of the cannabinoids present in concentrated cannabis vaping reaches the bloodstream. On the other hand, the great majority of smoke from a joint or bong (88%), is made up of mostly harmful non-cannabinoids. Again, vaping shows up as a preferable method of THC ingestion.
Societal forces are always at work to slow change. In too many sectors of American society, legalization of marijuana will always be looked at in a negative way, as will vaping. Hopefully, as times change and societal attitudes become more enlightened, it can only be hoped that there will be some rational thought pertaining to the vaping of marijuana, medical or recreational.