Myths About Vaping
Recently, vaping has been in the news a lot given the national spotlight surrounding a vaping ‘crisis’. While the fact that up to 60 people have been harmed nationwide using illegal vapes and black-market cartridges that is just the point – that the vast majority of injuries and illnesses associated with vaping have occurred via black market sales and a lack of knowledge about safety and reputable merchandise. In the age of the internet, the most important resource is knowledge. As such, below are a list of some of the top vaping myths floating around in the public domain.
Myth #1: Smoking Doesn’t Seem So Bad
This is probably the most important myth to get out of the way right out of the gate – just because there have been some less-than-reputable manufacturers in the vape pen industry that doesn’t make smoking any less deadly. In fact, the sheer number of smoking and secondhand smoking-related deaths (480,000 and 41,000 people each year, respectively) completely and utterly swamps the number of people who feel anything after heavy vaping. So, while this doesn’t mean that a vaper should be any less vigilant about where their products come from and that the company merchandising carefully selects its sources, smoking is still the boogeyman of preventable death in the US and giving up vaping to smoke should be out of the question for anyone with half a brain.
Myth #2: Nicotine is Bad and I Don’t Vape Nicotine so I’m Safe
This is another terrible myth to fall prey to all because of the stigma associated with nicotine (because of smoking). While it is true that nicotine is not exactly a good chemical to welcome into the body (it is still a carcinogen, after all) don’t be misled to thinking that THC cartridges are inherently safer.
While THC is not a carcinogen and has been known to provide some medical relief from a number of ailments, it is a fact that THC cartridges have been the culprit of illness amongst vapers and even some deaths. Again, this doesn’t mean immediately chucking that sick vape and new oil cartridge into the trash immediately. Instead, it means checking to make sure that the substances are made safely and out of quality ingredients from reputable, licensed dealers that are able to clearly and confidently assert their manufacturing. Lastly, keep in mind that these are issues related to the actual substances. Vaping hardware has nothing to do with the sicknesses arising.
Myth #3: I Buy the Best Therefore I’m Safe
This is, again, a problem of manufacturing quality and the components in the cartridge mixture itself. Don’t be fooled simply because something was purchased at a high price from a fancy website or store. It could all just be markup on a cheaply made product bought off of certain unlicensed, unregulated manufacturers in countries abroad. This doesn’t mean all imported cartridges (or even most) are dangerous: just that simply paying more doesn’t equate automatically to safety. If you are buying THC cartridges, make sure that you are buying them from licensed dispensaries and not through the black market. If you are buying nicotine vape juice, make sure to read product review articles online and make sure there is no health cases related to the brand you're interested in buying.
Myth #4: I Should Just Stop Altogether
This is a bit of an overreaction. While anyone is free to do what pleases them most or what they think is best, if vaping is a way to stay away from smoking (anything) and provides a level of comfort it isn’t the end of the world to keep it up. Just make sure that all of the cartridges and materials that are being vaporized are from reputable, licensed agents and manufacturers that are able to provide a sense of safety and assurance that the products don’t contain the thickening agents (or myriad other chemicals) making people sick across the country. Reading product review articles and customer reviews are very important when purchasing these products.