Medicinal Cannabis and vaping advice

 Storz and Bikel produce very good convection/conduction vaporisers. Prof Barnes recommended the Volcano (a table top device used extensively in medical studies) and the Mighty (a portable device). They also make the make the Crafty, which is a smaller portable device. These devices are not generally medically approved. In addition, they have a medical approval (DIN EN 60601) for 2 of their products. VaporizerHut sells vaporisers in Jersey and they have a shop in Don Street in addition to the internet based business. Feedback from our patients indicates an excellent after-sales service. To learn more about vaporisers, the YouTube videos by James Bedding are an excellent local source of information.

If you want something easy to use, stick with an electronic vaporiser like the Mighty, Volcano or Fury Edge. If you’re transitioning from recreational use and value the ritual of rolling a joint, the dynavap may help to preserve this for you while avoiding the potentially harmful effects and illegality of smoking joints.

The VapePods that are required to use Noidecs cartridges are now in stock at VaporizerHut. They are also stocking some CBD cartridges for them, but the THC cartridges are only available intermittently through cannabis clinics and Reid’s Pharmacy here in Jersey.

Optimal vaping technique involves getting the vapour to your alveolar membranes (the deep part of your lungs). Breathe all the way out. Shallow breathe/suck from the vaporiser and then push the vapour beyond your dead space (the wind pipe and early divisions of your bronchial tree airways) by taking a deep breath of air on top of the vapour. There are 2 schools of thought on holding your breath afterwards: 1. It makes no difference because diffusion/transfer across the alveolar membrane occurs instantaneously. 2. Breath holding allows time for Brownian movement to bring the medication in contact with the alveolar membrane where it transfers into the blood. 202°C is advocated as the optimal temperature setting for vaporisers. Don’t exceed 217°C to reduce toxic chemical release like naphthalene. If your cannabis tastes burned, it probably is, so turn your vaporiser temperature down. Some people advocate gradually increasing the temperature of your vape to release different components of your cannabis and this will enable you to benefit from all the terpenes.

A good vaporiser will extract the medicines efficiently from cannabis. It is false economy to use a cheap vaporiser. Looking after your investment is important. Either use dosing capsules or clean it weekly with isopropyl alcohol. We understand this cleaning fluid can be obtained from Anderson’s here in Jersey.

Kanabo have developed a vaporiser and cartridge system which delivers CBMPs in a controlled liquid vapour system. Some people have had difficulty getting the VapePod vaporiser devices delivered here and VaporizerHut now stocks these locally. These devices are exceptionally simple to use. They don’t work with cannabis flower, but with cartridges (available from Reids with a prescription). Each cartridge contains 300 doses. 7 doses equates to the amount of THC contained in one average joint. 10 activations per day will make a cartridge last last 30 days. One activation is considered a micro-dose and will last for 3-4 hours. It avoids having to grind flower and is more efficient than repeatedly powering up a conduction/convection vaporiser.

Already Vaped Bud (AVB) is a means of recycling vaped cannabis flower. The brown, crispy flower still contains some cannabinoids and because it has already been decarboxylated in the vaporiser, it doesn’t need to be activated (unlike fresh flower). It can be added directly to food like a smoothie, chewed or infused into fat (like butter or oil) and then used as a cooking ingredient. If you do this, make sure that this is stored safely away from children, like any other medicine. If you make it into brownies or confectionery, it is extra important that it is out of children’s reach. If children accidentally consume it, you are advised to contact the emergency department immediately. Once it has been infused into oil, it is technically an unprescribed, and hence an illegal cannabis product, so we cannot recommend this.