Summary
Introduction:
This text reviews the growing trend of using electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) to vape recreational drugs, such as cannabis and novel psychoactive substances (NPS). The review discusses the potential benefits and risks associated with this emerging issue and highlights the urgent need for appropriate treatment and primary prevention strategies.
Key Points:
* E-cigarettes and ENDS have increased in popularity since their introduction in 2004, with 19% of UK smokers reporting to have used them.
* The ability to regulate the evaporation temperature in newer ENDS facilitates the potential for use of these devices to vape cannabis, NPS, and other recreational drugs.
* A survey of 3847 students in five high schools in Connecticut, USA, found that 5.4% had vaped cannabis by e-cigarette.
* A 2016 study of 1485 adult medical cannabis users in Michigan, USA, found that 39% reported past-month cannabis vaping.
* Vaping cannabis can reduce tobacco use and combustible cannabis/tobacco-related disease, but it may also be a gateway to further recreational drug experimentation.
* Online drug user forums suggest that e-cigarettes can theoretically be used to vape any psychoactive drug that is heat stable.
* The limited published scientific data on vaping drugs other than cannabis means the prevalence is poorly understood, and a culture of vaping is emerging that includes the perceived positive attributes of vaping cannabis.
* Further work is required to inform the appropriate treatment and primary prevention strategies for this emerging issue.
Main Message:
The text emphasizes the urgent need for additional research on the risks associated with vaping recreational drugs, as the current lack of data warrants attention. The review suggests that the increased popularity of vaping cannabis and other recreational drugs could lead to more problematic use and potential health consequences, particularly among adolescent groups. However, the text also highlights the potential benefits of vaping cannabis, such as reducing tobacco use and dependence among cannabis users. Therefore, it is crucial to better understand the epidemiology and characterize the prevalence and current patterns of vaping recreational drugs, particularly NPS, to inform appropriate treatment and prevention strategies.
Citation
Blundell, M S, P I Dargan, and D M Wood. “The Dark Cloud of Recreational Drugs and Vaping.” QJM: An International Journal of Medicine 111, no. 3 (March 1, 2018): 145–48. https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcx049.
