Inhaling vapored cannabis or tobacco should be safer than inhaling cannabis or tobacco that has been combusted. There is fairly substantial evidence to support this claim whether the focus is on dried cannabis or tobacco or oil-based formulations. However, it is important to focus on the facts, which is made difficult when talking about cannabis as conducting research has been hampered by restrictions and there is no incentive for companies to conduct the research. We will review the research that has been conducted to date and most importantly the gaps that still exist in the research. Furthermore, we will review some of the common misconceptions, such as assuming that a substance that is safe for ingestion is safe for inhalation or that the temperature of the vape heating element won’t cause harmful by-products to be produced. Finally, we will review how the production and sale of counterfeit vape oils can make it very difficult to determine the cause of vape inducted lung injury.
