I was thinking the same thing about vaping vs smoking until this recent scare about tainted cartos started. I know some brands are licensed and inspected and we would have to stick with those, but are there any that sell the liquid as an unflavored base (not in a carto) that a DIYer could use? It might be good to mix a tiny amount in with my DIY nic juice so that instead of getting a periodic hit of 80-90% concentration, to get a more steady stream of 3-6% or something like that. Again it is still not legal where I am so this will not be happening soon for me. I just want to understand what is available.
Well, I can tell you this: I won't be so much as touching those cartridges until it is well-established whether or not they are harmful. I'm inclined to think that a majority of these cases are caused by cut products on the black market. I am aware of at least one case in Oregon though where vitamin e was found in a licensed supplier's carts. Until this is sorted out, I'll stick to flower. Not worth the potential harm whatsoever IMO.
MJ flower itself has been vaped for decades now, with no known issues like we're seeing today. So I'm just personally concerned about the carts and extracts at large. In my view, this will continue to be an issue until it is federally legalized and regulated. The current patch-work of legality has caused a boom in black market variety, making cannabis more dangerous than it's ever been. We may never be able to destroy the black market, but it will continue to thrive under the current circumstances.
Other topic: I've not got any citations for this but I've always wondered how much difference there is between manufactured cigarettes, which are essentially laced with over 1,000 additives, and "purer" forms of tobacco. The last 5 years or so of my smoking I bought tobacco in bulk and rolled my own. It seemed to bother my lungs less (not saying much--still killing my lungs) but I don't think it had as many additives and I've always been curious about the difference in health impacts.
As for MJ, I currently smoke it, because the only vapes I've tried don't efficiently allow for "micro-dosing." I literally take one, at most two tokes primarily in the evenings. I'm not interested in getting
stoned. However, I'm researching the various products currently and hope to find something that will allow for more efficient use of tiny amounts of flower. A couple members in the cannabis forum here have given me leads, so hopefully I'll find what I'm after soon, so I can vape instead of smoke it.
ETA:
Black market cannabis flower is dangerous particularly these days. It is often laced with various products and/or grown with harmful pesticides. I strongly urge
everyone to avoid the black market flower at all costs. Several people in my area have gotten sick lately, and the MJ was found to be laced. If one must resort to the black market and won't cease use until legalization, try to find someone who grows it themselves and is willing to share. I can't stress enough how dangerous the current underground market is.
and I noticed that it’s not allowed to talk about it here. It made me sad because I wanted to share my experience and hear about others. Also to know if I was wasting my money.
