While cannabis vaping products are now legal, health officials are concerned not enough testing has been done.
Cannabis vapes and vape cartridges are among the new products made legal last year, along with edibles, topicals and extracts.
The products typically come in the form of an electronic vape pen, which heats up a liquid containing THC extracts.
Health Canada says while it has tested the ingredients in cannabis vaping products, it still hasn’t tested the effects of vaping or inhaling them.
A handful of provinces are banning the sale of cannabis vapes due to rising numbers of vaping-related lung injuries in Canada.
Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec have already banned the sale of cannabis vape products, while Alberta is still holding off on selling them. In Nova Scotia, flavoured versions won’t be allowed.
A total of 16 vaping-related lung injuries have been reported in Canada, including two in New Brunswick. Three of the cases were due to vaping cannabis, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health for New Brunswick, says there are concerns around the potential lung damage vaping can cause.
“There are some short and long term risks with vaping that are still unknown, and so the safest approach, if you’re using cannabis, is to avoid smoking or vaping cannabis extracts,” she said.
She says should you choose to vape your cannabis, use products sold at legal stores and dispensaries.
“If you choose to vape, then use vaping products than have been obtained from a legal, regulated source and don’t change the product, don’t tamper with it. Use it the way it’s intended to be used with the products that are intended to go with it,” she said.
Russell also says you should avoid inhaling cannabis deeply or holding your breath after inhaling.
Russell says there are many edible cannabis options on the market now, which can be a safer method to get high.
That doesn’t mean they are risk-free either: ingesting too much can lead to unwanted effects like anxiety, nausea and paranoia.
“Especially if they’re mixing different products such as alcohol and nicotine and cannabis. We’re really wanted to steer people away from mixing those products because of that toxicity piece being really increased,” she said.
If you are new to using cannabis, Russell says go slow, use small doses and be patient.
Should you have any adverse effects from using cannabis, call 811 for help.
