Vaporizer Review
wicke...@gmail.com
http://www.phedor.com (Best Hash Vaporizer) Only Hash / Herb Vaporizer
available as of 2005
http://www.vapezilla.com (Vapezilla Herbal Vaporizer - Best Vaporizer
to date)
- California NORML Press Release - Jan 8, 2001 -
NORML -MAPS Study Shows Vaporizers Reduce Toxins in Marijuana Smoke
Medical marijuana patients may protect themselves from harmful toxins
in marijuana smoke by inhaling their medicine using an electric
vaporizer, according to results of a study by California NORML and MAPS
(Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies).
The study showed that it is possible to vaporize medically active THC
by heating marijuana to a temperature short of the point of combustion,
thereby eliminating or substantially reducing harmful smoke toxins that
are normally present in marijuana smoke. Vaporizers may therefore
substantially reduce what is widely regarded as the leading health
hazard of marijuana, namely respiratory harm due to smoking.
Details of the study are published in D. Gieringer, "Cannabis
Vaporization: A Promising Strategy for Smoke Harm Reduction," Journal
of Cannabis Therapeutics Vol. 1#3-4: 153-70 (2001). Reprints available
for $5 from California NORML, 2215-R Market St. #278, San Francisco CA
94114.
NORML and MAPS sponsored the study in the hopes of helping medical
marijuana patients and others reduce the health risks of smoking. The
hazards of smoking were cited as a major obstacle to approval of
natural cannabis by the Institute of Medicine in its 1999 report,
Marijuana and Medicine. However, the IOM report failed to note the
possibility of vaporization.
The NORML-MAPS study tested a device called the M1 Volatizer®, an
aromatherapy vaporizer developed by Alternative Delivery Systems, Inc.(
www.volatizer.com). It consisted of an electric heating element in a
chamber that radiates heat downwards over a sample of marijuana sitting
in a standard pipe or "bong" bowl. Output from the vaporizer was
analyzed and compared to smoke produced by combusting the sample with a
flame.
The vaporizer produced THC at a temperature of 185° C. (365° F.)
while completely eliminating three measured toxins - benzene, a known
carcinogen, plus toluene and naphthalene. Carbon monoxide and smoke
tars were both qualitatively reduced by the vaporizer, but additional
testing is needed to quantify the extent of the decrease.
Although the study was not designed to detect the highly carcinogenic
tars known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are thought to be
a leading culprit in smoking-related cancers, there was good reason to
believe that they were suppressed, since they normally form at much
higher temperatures of combustion.
When vaporized, the marijuana emitted a thin gray vapor and was left
with a green to greenish-brown "toasted" appearance, whereas the
combusted sample produced thick smoke and turned to ash.
Significant amounts of benzene began to appear at temperatures of 200°
C. (392° F), while combustion occurred around 230° (446°F) or above.
Traces of THC were in evidence as low as 140° C. (284° F).
Further details of the study will be published in a forthcoming issue
of the Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics.
The vaporizer study was undertaken as a follow-up to a previous
NORML-MAPS marijuana smoking device study, which concluded that
vaporizers offered the best prospects for smoke harm reduction. The
study found that neither waterpipes nor solid filters were effective at
reducing exposure to smoke tars, due to the fact that they filtered out
even more THC, thus forcing patients to inhale more to achieve the same
effective dose. A recent Australian study also found that waterpipes
failed to reduce tars or carbon monoxide (Linda Gowing et al.,
"Respiratory Harms of Smoked Cannabis," Research Monograph No. 8.
Adelaide: Drug and Alcohol Services Council of South Australia, 2000).
Other methods of marijuana smoke harm reduction include oral ingestion
and potential new delivery systems, such as inhalers and patches, that
are still under development. Smokers may also reduce their respiratory
risks by using higher-potency marijuana, allowing them to inhale less
smoke to obtain a given effective dose of THC. The medical marijuana
popularly used in cannabis patients' clubs is several times more potent
than that commonly provided to researchers by the National Institute on
Drug Abuse, according to a potency survey by NORML and MAPS. However,
the Australian study found that higher potency marijuana does not
always deliver more THC, apparently because THC output is highly
sensitive to variations in the burning properties of different samples.
A wide variety of vaporizers are presently available on the underground
market. Many medical marijuana patients say they prefer vaporizers
because they deliver smoother, less irritating medication. However,
there have been no published scientific studies of their effectiveness
heretofore.
NORML and MAPS are currently seeking support for further research and
development of vaporizers. Tax-deductible donations to the vaporizer
research project can be made through the NORML Foundation c/o
California NORML, 2215-R Market St #278, San Francisco CA 94114 (415)
563-5858.
http://www.wickedroots.com (Best Vaporizer Company Award 2004)
http://www.phedor.com (Best Hash Vaporizer) Only Hash / Herb Vaporizer
available as of 2005
http://www.vapezilla.com (Vapezilla Herbal Vaporizer - Best Vaporizer
to date)