Exploring CBD Vaping: Benefits and Considerations

You must have heard about CBD, but have you ever wondered what it is, how people use it, and most of all, why they use it?

If you are someone, for whom CBD has now become a buzzword, but who still hasn’t done their research on it, this blog will serve as a guide for you to understand everything you need to know about CBD and CBD vaping.

What Is CBD?

CBD is a cannabinoid that is derived from plants that come from the hemp family. It is now widely used for therapeutic and medicinal purposes because doesn’t have any psychoactive properties that are associated with other cannabinoids. It is regarded as medicinal cannabis and it is legal in a lot of different parts of the world, often recommended or prescribed by medical health experts. According to the World Health Organization: "In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential…. To date, there is no evidence of public health-related problems associated with the use of pure CBD."

What Is the Purpose of Using CBD?

CBD possess anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant, and many other pain-relieving benefits. It is known to help people suffering from insomnia and body aches of different types. People who suffer from anxiety and ADHD have also been reported to have noticed significant differences, as it has helped them cope with those disorders.

The endocannabinoid system, commonly referred to as ECS, modulates and regulates, a lot of our physiological mechanisms like pain, mood, appetite, and even sleep. When the ECS fails to perform its functions normally, this may result in major and minor auto-immune diseases, which include sleeping disorders like insomnia. When you take CBD, it helps modulate your ECS, which is why people have reported it helps them sleep at night.

Vaping CBD

CBD can be taken in various ways, but one of the most common and effective ways to take is through vaping. CBD can be inhaled by vaping by using vape pens – disposable pens – and CBD e-liquids in an atomizer. CBD e-liquids come in bottles similar to nic salt e-liquids. CBD e-liquids contain terpenes along with PG and VG as diluting agents.

There are two ways CBD can be vaped. The first is CBD isolate in a PG/VG suspension. These products tend to be 50% propylene glycol (PG) and 50% vegetable glycerin (VG). Isolate doesn't play well with VG, so these solutions require high PG levels to stay mixed. Some solutions use higher levels of PG like 60% PG and 40% VG.

The second form of vaping is distillate. It is usually sold in oil cartridges. It is imperative to know and trust the source of this product. Although these products are reportedly made from hemp, some have been found to include various levels of delta 8 and delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This may induce a psychoactive effect; in case the THC level is higher.

Is There a Difference in The Effect of Vaping CBD and Ingesting It?

CBD can be administered in a few different ways like vaping, ingesting in the form of edibles, and sublingually using CBD oils. However, there is a difference in the bio-uptake of CBD when used in different ways.

Vaping CBD expedites the effects and absorbs faster than any other form of intake, but it also doesn’t last nearly as long. Vaping CBD works and shows its effects within minutes, but the effects only last a few hours. Whereas edibles usually take 40-60 minutes to kick in and tend to last 8 hours or so. Edibles can also not be taken within an hour of any oral medications one might be on. 2 hours is actually better, & if you're on blood thinners, 4 hours.

What Dosage of CBD Should One Take?

The dosage varies from person to person due to the endocannabinoid system. But one of the key factors to take into account when deciding the dosage level is your goal or what you want to achieve with CBD. Again, CBD is used for therapeutic/medicinal purposes, hence you should recognize the trouble that you face and measure your dose accordingly.

As a rough guide, below are some of the dosages that are generally recommended for people with respect to their issues/problems

-       General Health problems: 1 - 2.5mg per day

-       Chronic Pain in any part of the body: 2.5 - 20mg per day

-       Epilepsy: 200-300mg per day or 40mg per kg

-       Chronic Sleep Disorders like Insomnia: 40-160mg per day

-       Schizophrenia: 40-250mg per day

-       Glaucoma: 15-40mg per day; over 40mg may increase intraocular pressure. A clinical trial suggests 2.5 - 4mg per kg of body weight.

Where to Get A CBD Vape from – What to Consider Before Purchasing?

Choosing reputable CBD products is important for safety and efficacy. Companies or legal stores that publish lab reports with each batch, not just each harvest, and who use independent labs for their testing should be your criteria to buy. Outside of legal stores that do tests, you should remain very cautious. Make sure to read labels; if it has a diluting agent, other than terpenes, PG and VG, try to avoid it. If the product contains oil and messes with the safety regulations, avoid it. Our lungs are not built to process oil. They can only process water-soluble substances.

Are There Any Precautions to The Use of CBD Vapes?

CBD vapes are safe to use if they come from a regulated and reputable store. But it’s important to note CBD e-liquids that contain PG/VG as diluting agents may cause irritation in case someone is allergic to those substances.

If a vape pen gives you a persistent cough/wheeze, or you find it makes you cough an uncomfortable amount when you use it, then that's a strong sign you should stop using that brand/store. Proper vape pens used at the default temperature setting, should produce virtually no coughing or irritation. The "smoke" should feel like water vapour i.e. pretty much inert. Some people are sensitive and get an allergy-like reaction, but in that case, you probably shouldn't be using it anyway as regularly inhaling huge clouds of allergens you are sensitive to can cause lung problems or irritation even if the compound isn't toxic.