While vape pens for weed and CBD are nothing new, developments from last year seem to indicate that there may get wider acceptance, especially for medical use.
Epilepsy is now recognized by the wider medical community as a condition that is treatable with medical cannabis. The US Food and Drug Administration, in a landmark move, approved a cannabis-based compound for use in the treatment of epilepsy in June 2018, which is seen as a major victory for medical marijuana advocates.
The FDA’s recent move is seen by many as a shift in the Federal government’s blanket cannabis prohibition policy, which keeps all types of cannabis technically illegal throughout the United States, even in states where it has been legalized for medical use.
CBD as an epilepsy treatment
Years of compiled evidence have conclusively shown that pharmaceutical-grade cannabidiol (CBD) can be used to effectively treat two types of epilepsy – Lennox–Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. The approved CBD-based solution, called Epidiolex, is an oral solution that is indicated for patients at least two years old and older.
CBD is distinguished from THC, another active compound in cannabis that gives the drug its signature “high”. CBD does not generally give a high or any psychoactive effects in the amounts needed to produce improvements in patients. This has generated a lot of interest in pure CBD as the main focus of medical marijuana treatments, rather than cannabis in its raw form, which would have more THC.
This has led many patients with epilepsy to wonder if vaporized CBD can also be used to help epilepsy, given the lower cost and wider availability of non-pharmaceutical CBD products in some areas. The promise of near-instant relief is also leading to more people asking about vaped CBD for treating their seizures.
Can vaped CBD help epilepsy?
As with many questions related to medical cannabis, the answer is a bit complicated. Yes, vaped CBD can help some epilepsy patients, but it can also present a risk to others. The main reason is the vast majority of CBD products do not have any FDA certification. In many tests of different CBD vape products, there were unadvertised ingredients, including nicotine in allegedly nicotine-free juices.
The presence of nicotine in many supposedly nicotine-free CBD products is also problematic, as it vaping nicotine has been linked to causing seizures. Of course, this risk makes it far less desirable for epilepsy patients who want to reduce rather than trigger seizures.
Speed of effect is absolutely critical for this specific type of application, which is why vapers might think vaped CBD might be preferable. However, Epidiolex is also very fast-acting, which negates the supposed advantage of vaping CBD for epilepsy. Vape pens also take some time to warm up, which can potentially make it slower to use than Epidiolex.
For more details, check out VapingAdvisor.com for vaping advice and product reviews.
Conclusion
Because of the drawbacks of vaped CBD over Epidiolex, you should only take these alternative products under the close supervision of a doctor. Even then, it may be difficult to ensure the safety of unregulated CBD-based vape juices unless you take the time to find a reputable supplier.
