“Some of my friends have started vaping cannabis – they say it’s safer than smoking it. A couple of them bought a Penjamin after seeing different ones on Tik-Tok. What’s the deal with these weed vapes? Are they safer?”
Cannabis vaping has been around for a long time, with Egyptians in the 5th century BC reportedly heating hemp seeds to a high temperature causing them to vaporise, releasing vapours which they would then inhale. Before the invention of the electronic vapes we see today, a range of other battery-powered devices were used to vaporise cannabis. Once again, instead of burning the cannabis and producing smoke, these devices created a vapour, removing some of the harms associated with smoking the drug. These were often quite bulky and cumbersome and typically involved vaporising the dry plant matter.
In Canada (where the drug has been legalised) and the US (where many states have either legalised the drug or legalised its use for medicinal purposes), vaping cannabis has become increasingly popular. The first vape pen entered the US market in 2007, just as cannabis laws were changing, and instead of plant matter, cannabis extract or oil began to be used in these devices. This product is now sold in refillable or disposable pre-filled cartridges.
Devices for vaping cannabis have become quite sophisticated, with some incorporating features like LED displays and Bluetooth synchronization. One particular brand, Penjamin, has become particularly popular due to the way it looks. In fact, due to this product’s popularity, the term ‘Penjamin’ is now more widely used to describe almost any device used to vape cannabis.
The original Penjamin is a vape that looks and works like an actual pen. Although the manufacturers promote them as being made for aromatherapy purposes, many simply replace the cartridge provided in the device with one containing higher potency cannabis oil. Designed to facilitate discreet drug use, companies have since developed chap sticks, cup holders, car key holders, smart watches and even airpods that allow people to vape cannabis without those around them being any the wiser.
One of the greatest problems in this area is that we know little about the quality of cannabis-based vaping products that are being used. Many of the potential harms associated with the e-liquids used for vaping nicotine also exist for cannabis vapes. Manufacturers use a range of chemicals in these liquids including preservatives, thickeners and flavours, many of which have been approved for use by authorities and generally regarded as ‘safe’. When they’re used in vaping products, however, they are heated and inhaled and little is known about their safety when they’re used in this way.
Research has found that these products can be adulterated and misbranded and, in some cases, this has led to tragic outcomes. In 2019, 68 people died in the US and thousands more became unwell with a lung condition that was eventually linked to cannabis e-liquid purchased via the black market. An additive called vitamin E acetate, often used in skin creams, was found to be the cause. Unfortunately, similar issues have occurred in Australia. In 2023, NSW Health issued a warning after three overdoses, including one death, were linked to e-liquid that was meant to contain a synthetic cannabinoid but was later found to be adulterated with a powerful opioid.
Conversely, other products contain extremely high doses of THC (the compound that gets you stoned). This high potency, believed to reach 95% or even higher in some products, increases the risk of a range of acute adverse effects such as anxiety, agitation, paranoia and even psychosis. Those who’ve never used the drug before are at particular risk of these sort of mental health problems. These concentrated products have also been linked to chronic vomiting (a condition known as cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome). This is a relatively rare condition and typically occurs in long-term, regular users of the drug but the number of reported cases in the US and Canada has risen sharply in recent years as higher concentration products have become more available.
Many of the problems linked to cannabis use are related to smoking the drug. When you smoke, you produce burnt matter, hot debris that contains tar and a whole pile of toxic chemicals. You inhale that smoke, it sits in your lungs and other parts of your body and that causes cancer. It’s true that some of those potential harms are removed when the drug is vaped, however, a range of new problems may be introduced when cannabis is used in this way. This is a new area with researchers continuing to investigate the risks associated with the constantly evolving cannabis vaping products available on the market.
First published: February 2025
