Vaping’s reputation as being the less damaging choice—and cannabis’ rep of being safer overall than most substances, has come to a screeching halt. New information comes out each week pointing to a different potential cause for lung injury, ranging from solder on cheap cartridges to Honey Cut, a dilutant and thickener, but there has always been a conversation about the safety of flavorings that are sometimes added to vape cartridges.
Avoid Creamy
Buttery, candy-like flavor in the ole tube? You could be loading up on the chemical responsible for ‘popcorn lung’ which is a type of lipid pneumonia. According to Bustle, “For buttered popcorn, the chemical that creates the scent/flavor is diacetyl, and is one you might want to avoid.”
Cinnamon is Risky
Though small amounts of terpenes similar to cinnamon natural occur in cannabis, bigger amounts of aldehydes
present in the cinnamon food-flavoring commonly used in vapes is not safe for lungs. The Outline wrote in 2018, “IT’S LIKE THE CINNAMON CHALLENGE, ONLY SOMEHOW MORE LAME.”
(Even Less Than) a Dab Will do ya
Terpene producers sell products to add flavor to vapes and cannabis products, but they caution using no more than one-to-two drops of their products per gram of distillate or concentrate. This can clearly be detected by a taste test, but some products on the market are so packed full of potent flavoring that it could be damaging.
No matter what goes into the vapes you buy, it should be clearly displayed on a label—and in lab results. Until we get to the bottom of this issue, which spans all vapeable products, not just THC and cannabis products, its best to stay safe and heed all new warnings, in this case, stay away from certain flavors.
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