Toxicological analysis of alternative forms of cannabis consumption

When cannabis is vaporized in e-joints or vaporizers instead of being smoked mixed with tobacco, far fewer harmful substances are produced. That’s the conclusion of a study commissioned by the BAG and conducted by researchers at Unisanté in Lausanne and the University of Bern.

The mix of tobacco and cannabis in a joint releases thousands of different chemical compounds when it turns into smoke. This is true whether you use THC-rich or CBD hemp, like CBD flowers or CBD hash, which you can legally buy. Many of these compounds are harmful to your health: the pollutants can irritate your airways, put stress on your lungs and cardiovascular system, affect fertility, and even cause cancer. That’s why there’s been growing global interest in alternative ways to use cannabis in recent years.

With so-called vaporizers, users can heat cannabis instead of burning it. Others use e-joints to inhale THC-infused liquids as vapor.

Now, for the first time, a scientific study commissioned by the BAG has compared the amount of harmful substances released by the three different ways of consuming cannabis: Lab experiments using a custom-built smoking machine showed that the concentration of harmful substances in the vapor from e-joints or vaporizers was much lower than in the smoke from joints.

Plus, since e-joints and vaporizers don’t use tobacco, cannabis users have the chance to cut out the extra health risks that come with tobacco. The researchers say more studies are needed on how people actually use these electronic inhalation devices. For example, to see if “the results achieved in the lab can also be confirmed in real-life situations.”

Since cannabis is still illegal, research into alternative ways of using it is still in its early days. For example, it’s not yet fully known what health risks might come from the carrier substances in THC liquids. These knowledge gaps are a challenge when it comes to possible regulation. However, some insights from tobacco e-cigarettes can be used here: The potential for reducing harmful substances depends on the device used, the product consumed, how it’s used, and the user’s inhalation habits. If cannabis is ever regulated for recreational use, the specific health risks of different product types and ways of consuming them would have to be taken into account—and it would be important to make sure that vaporizer or e-joint manufacturers don’t attract new users, especially young people.

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Source: Spectra, Issue No. 139, Dec. 2023