CBD is expanding quickly in the American market, with tons of product varieties available at dispensaries. You can use CBD oils, tinctures, edibles, and roll-on creams if you want. However, the good-old classic in the CBD consumption world is smoking. It can now be done in two forms – traditional smoking and vaping. Which one is better for you, and which should you choose for regular CBD intake? Here is a detailed review of each method’s pros and cons.
Why Use CBD?
After several notable legalization successes, CBD has become immensely popular among Americans because it offers a safer natural alternative to highly addictive medications. CBD helps soothe pain, regulate appetite, calm the patient’s stress and anxiety, and even manage seizures. Therefore, CBD use is growing among consumers who want a safe, therapeutically beneficial solution with minimal risks and side effects for various health problems.
CBD Vaping: Pros and Cons
Why is vaping so popular today? CBD vaping is a relatively new form of CBD consumption that emerged with the development of vaping technology. Vape pens come in a wide variety, with some offering a smoking-like experience with nicotine-containing liquids and others adding CBD or CBD+THC to the liquid components.
There are several notable reasons to consider vaping as your go-to CBD use method:
- The vapor produced by the pen due to its battery’s vaporizing effect is much more bioavailable than a cigarette’s smoke. It means that the vapor absorbs in the lungs much better and quicker, thus making CBD intake more efficient.
- The CBD vaping liquid contains a rich set of terpenes and flavonoids in organic hemp. Therefore, you receive a broad spectrum of health benefits besides the CBD value.
- Cannabidiol is absorbed in the lungs faster, ensuring a quicker effect than edibles or topicals with CBD can give.
However, experts caution about several cons of this consumption form:
- The components of CBD vaping liquid can also be potentially hazardous for your lung health and cause lung injury.
- The method is still new, so medical authorities like WHO or CDC have not yet reached any conclusive evidence about the long-term health effects of vaping. Specific caution is caused by the presence of vitamin E acetate, propylene glycol, and vegetable glycerin in the liquid.
- The dangerous mix of chemicals in the vaping liquid can cause undesirable and hazardous chemical reactions.
- Vaping products are often incorrectly labeled, leaving you in the dark regarding the CBD concentration and potential side effects.
So, when searching “CBD vape juice” online, please focus only on certified manufacturers offering organic CBD liquids. If you choose cheap, unverified products, you can come across synthetic cannabinoids and various contaminants in the liquid’s contents.
CBD Smoking: Pros and Cons
Another popular form of CBD use is smoking. You can easily buy weed in the form of dried flowers at a local dispensary and make a joint or a bong with it. Some dispensaries simplify the task, preparing the weed as pre-rolled cigarettes.
The pros of smoking weed are as follows:
- The CBD you inhale when smoking quickly enters your bloodstream through the lung vessels and produces an almost immediate effect.
- The effect of CBD use is stronger than with other consumption forms.
- It’s easier to achieve a calming and relaxed state by smoking THC-low weed without a high effect.
- Cigarettes typically contain weed and some tobacco for a smooth smoking experience; they don’t come with a mix of additives commonly found in CBD vaping liquids.
- Smoking weed is cheaper compared to other CBD products.
However, this practice also comes with certain downsides you should know. They include:
- Smoking weed is still smoking, so it exposes you to a wide range of negative health effects resulting from inhaling combustion products, carcinogens, and tar.
- Smoking causes a cottonmouth effect, while other consumption forms don’t.
So, Which One Is Better for You?
As we’ve managed to find out, both smoking and vaping still dominate among weed users as the classic forms of CBD intake. It’s unnecessary to stand the high effect anymore, as many modern strains have a minimal THC concentration and don’t cause you to feel high. Besides, vaping and smoking are popular because of their quick effect and high CBD bioavailability. The CBD absorption in the lungs takes place much faster, allowing you to get quick relief and consume maximum CBD from the smoked/vaped product.
A note of caution: regardless of whether you use CBD via vaping or smoking, always take proper care about the dosing. There is no commonly established dosing for daily CBD intake, and some users reach 1,500 mg of CBD per day. However, such doses may pose individual health risks because CBD is not completely risk-free. It can cause abnormal alertness or, on the contrary, a couch-locking effect you did not intend to achieve. So, try the CBD products with a small dose first and increase it as you go, testing your organism’s reaction to that change.