Misc Vaping - explain it to me like I'm an old fart

[TheLoveBandit]

The situation is this - I don't smoke, anything, honestly. However, I have a friend (a true old fart) who is in administration at a high school. He's trying to understand what's going on with the kids in his school in relation to vaping as he understand they can put more than just 'fruity nicotine' in there. My understanding is that there are also flavors of THC concentrate that can be used as well, but like I said, I don't smoke and am guessing here. Hell, for all I know they can be mixing all kinds of stuff into the fluids - what he describes of a few kids is definitely NOT simple nicotine.

He's asking for help as things started a few years back with the e cigarettes, but it looks to be elevating/evolving. It is against school policy to have or use them at school and the majority of the kids that get caught and disciplined don't get what the problem is. Quite often their parents feel the same, that the staff are being too harsh, and sometimes say they regularly vape as a family. So just how harmless are they?

He related that toward the end of school in May and during summer school, there werekids vaping some sort of oil that is a very high concentrate nicotine base. Two of the kids couldn't walk unassisted, speech was slurred, and one puked and crapped his pants! The stuff they were using was called "Brain Freeze." They were very similar to somebody way over-served at a bar or party the way that they were stumbling around and not able to talk coherently. Could they have had something else as well?

That's what he's shared with me thus far. I'm figuring, with the wealth of insight and experience of our BL members, you could help me paint a fuller picture for him so he understands what's possible (what mixes of substances) and what the possible dangers are. I'm not working with him in order to 'crack down on kids' but he has a situation that could get deadly, and he's already in the dark about what is going on so I'd like to spread some of that BL branded "Harm Reduction" knowledge his way. Can you help me?

Is there some 101 knowledge about vaping you guys can lay out (or link to if it is already on site)?
Is there a way to convey the variety of substances available for vaping? And the dangers of any of them, or how to minimize the harm they may cause?

 

[Lil'LinaptkSix]

Bruh, the only thing I can contribute is that one can literally vaporize most any substance in those things.
They do explode occasionally and IMO they look ridiculous.
Not sure there is any reliable info on e cigs as they are relatively new and any reports from short, mid or long term studies just wouldn't be available yet; if anyone has even embarked on said studies....
I personally have hit the nicotine and THC vapes and care for neither. I like it old school.
Sorry I couldn't provide a definitive response.
I also feel it is not a safe alternative for smoking actual product.
Evey one I know that tried vaping went back to cigs or rolling. This is life experience.

Edit: Talk about designer-drugs...? Tell me this isn't a play-ground (pun intended) for entrepreneurs.
Wasn't nicotine those kids are calling brain freeze (which made me laugh sorry).

 

[Sertürner]

Vaping is basically what is advertised, nicotine base vaporized instead of smoking a plant. It is said that vaping is safer because vaping doesnt produce the toxic hydrocarbons created from combustion of tobacco.

From what I have learned, as well as from personal experiences and general observation, vaping is possibly a safer route. At least in the short term. But there are other potential consequences. Vapes offer ridiculously potent liquids at dirt cheap prices, and we are stepping into an uncharted region of this drug.

 

[hydroazuanacaine]

they’re probably just smoking nicotine. which obviously isn’t allowed at high school. some might be smoking cannabis extracts (which have marijuana’s distinctive smell). none of them are likely vaping anything else. i’ve never seen someone smoke anything but thc or nicotine out of a vape pen. the situation is unlikely to become deadly.

google says brain freeze is a nicotine based “vape juice.” they must have smoked a disgusting amount of it.

juul and other vape pens are getting mass kids hooked on nicotine, which is often a life-long addiction. and smoking flavored, viscous liquids cannot be good for your lungs. not allowing them and connecting kids to resources to help them quit would be the best way to minimize harm.

 

[Quickfixgrrl]

I've been vaping for 2 years now.
I'll be back to add my reply soon!

 

[axe battler]

I'm in the UK and vaping is getting quite big here.
I remember before the blanket ban, you could get vape liquids containing artificial cannabinoids very easily. As you guys don't have that ban, it seems possible that you would be able to get them (in I assume the USA).
If kids can't walk and are shitting themselves due to vaping it sounds that they may be the culprit. Possibly.
You can get thc vape pens too fairly easily online.

 

[swilow]

Nicotine in high doses can certainly cause vomiting, slurring and pants crapping in the young or intolerant. Theoretically, you are inhaling more nicotine more consistently with a vape as opposed to tobacco; nicotine is mainly totally congested by smoking and the way a user inhaled actively changes the combustion temperature as well as the speed of uptake/etc.

Brain freeze looks like a heavy menthol flavour... I gotta try it, I only vape menthol vape blends myself.

There are numerous other things that could be being baked but for commercially available blends, it's generally just nicotine. Lack of regulation means you cannot really know how much nicotine you are inhaling, and these days most blends are suggested as being vaped at higher wattage and we are enciuraged to take HUGE hits for that big vapour cloud- people are therefore inhaling mammoth amounts of whatever amount of nicotine is present in your solution.

Plus there have been traces of pesticides and other shit in some available vape blends. It's something of a grey market in a sense.

But there are other potential consequences

I'm curious what you refer to here. I cannot accept that vaping is safe because lungs are pretty much adapted for breathing air and any foreign material on a regular basis feels intuitively problematic. No science to back this hunch up though. But i also don't think vaping is even similar in toxicity to actual smoking. The vapour is cool and vaporized at a relatively low temperature, there are significantly less chemicals/carcinogens, very little particulate matter and no tar to deposit in the lungs. In that sense, it basically cannot be even close to the harms of tobacco smoking.

It's the additive flavours that we should be cautious of. I wouldn't go near certain vape flavours unless you want popcorn lung.

I still smoke tobacco, but down to two rollies a day. I vape a fair bit, always the same brand and blend and honestly, my entire body feels way better than it used to. Way more aerobic capacity, I can taste foods, I smell better, I spend about 75% less money... I plan to vape until I can just quit and it's working so far.

 

[Xorkoth]

Almost anything CAN be in vape pens but it's very much most likely it's just nicotine. Or maybe weed. Although if it's weed (well it would be hash oil or THC isolates but whatever), the vapor will smell like weed. I have encountered DMT vape pens a few times and even used them. One could theoretically put any drug soluble in propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin (the two liquids used as the base for vaping) and consume them, including meth, etc. But it's not common I don't think.

 

[Sertürner]

Nicotine in high doses can certainly cause vomiting, slurring and pants crapping in the young or intolerant. Theoretically, you are inhaling more nicotine more consistently with a vape as opposed to tobacco; nicotine is mainly totally congested by smoking and the way a user inhaled actively changes the combustion temperature as well as the speed of uptake/etc.

Brain freeze looks like a heavy menthol flavour... I gotta try it, I only vape menthol vape blends myself.

There are numerous other things that could be being baked but for commercially available blends, it's generally just nicotine. Lack of regulation means you cannot really know how much nicotine you are inhaling, and these days most blends are suggested as being vaped at higher wattage and we are enciuraged to take HUGE hits for that big vapour cloud- people are therefore inhaling mammoth amounts of whatever amount of nicotine is present in your solution.

Plus there have been traces of pesticides and other shit in some available vape blends. It's something of a grey market in a sense.



I'm curious what you refer to here. I cannot accept that vaping is safe because lungs are pretty much adapted for breathing air and any foreign material on a regular basis feels intuitively problematic. No science to back this hunch up though. But i also don't think vaping is even similar in toxicity to actual smoking. The vapour is cool and vaporized at a relatively low temperature, there are significantly less chemicals/carcinogens, very little particulate matter and no tar to deposit in the lungs. In that sense, it basically cannot be even close to the harms of tobacco smoking.

It's the additive flavours that we should be cautious of. I wouldn't go near certain vape flavours unless you want popcorn lung.

I still smoke tobacco, but down to two rollies a day. I vape a fair bit, always the same brand and blend and honestly, my entire body feels way better than it used to. Way more aerobic capacity, I can taste foods, I smell better, I spend about 75% less money... I plan to vape until I can just quit and it's working so far.

The potential consequences I was referring to were pretty broad. Ranging from ultra-high dose nicotine use in adolescents and adults since the nicotine content in vapes (especially from the salts) can be outrageously high, unknown toxic byproducts of the flavorings, and the long-term effects of heavy metals being ingested through the lungs from the vaporization. The 1st and last examples really have me curious to see what will happen in the long run to vapers (myself included). Heres a study from John Hopkins:

https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/full/10.1289/EHP2175

 

[TexUSA]

Long time vaporizer here but my experience is only that I wanted to quit smoking cigs "around 2012" & these vapor bar pros helped me get into a device(s) that met my needs. Started @ a higher nicotine level but eventually went down to an 8mg liquid. Any nicotine cravings were vanished! As far as any other recreational uses with Vaping is unknown to me. Guess I just never looked into it. Am curious though what my Kanger Tech is capable of... talk to me... ?

 

[Jekyl Anhydride]

In OD we get quite a few questions about synthetic cannabinoids and mixing them down in PG, propylene glycol.
To get an idea wiki AB-FUBINACA.

The one plus regarding vaping is that it doesn't contain tar, ammonium impact enhancers or the natural MAOi's in tobacco that make it more addictive than nicotine in PG/ Vegetable glycerin alone.
Sry, I'm on my mobile and use it about as well as an 8 yo uses a manual transmission.

I'll try to link some stuff when I plug back into the Matrix properly.

 

[Zonxx]

Lol one of my friends has a typical e cigarette vaporizer he modified that he can smoke pretty much anything in.. crack, concentrates, brain cells you name it

 

[TexUSA]

Lol one of my friends has a typical e cigarette vaporizer he modified that he can smoke pretty much anything in.. crack, concentrates, brain cells you name it

Wished I knew how to modify mine to smoke some brain cells... ??

 

[Marcus Gibbins]

You can buy vape pens to smoke" dry herbs" hide the smell with flavourings.
Also Crack and H. I know because I do this if I am out in town. Nobody ever looks twice?

 

[TheLoveBandit]

I, and my friend, appreciate the input. I think he's still in over his head in understanding what to watch for in terms of health hazards this can bring. It's more difficult when, as many of you point out, there really is no telling what is in there.