How to vape CBD

Can you vape CBD? This is one of the most frequently asked questions among beginner CBD users who like to vape. The answer is yes: CBD can be vaped, but, in Europe, the situation varies from country to country. While in some countries, the legal framework doesn’t allow the sale of flowers or resins for vaping, in other countries it does. In this guide, we tell you how it’s done in the countries where it is allowed.

How to vape CBD: all the ways to vape it

CBD can be administered in a variety of ways, including inhalation. This form of consumption is ideal for users who already vape regularly, as well as for regular smokers looking for a healthier alternative to smoking.

The reason why it’s possible to vape CBD is that it reaches its boiling point at 170°C. At this temperature, it changes from a liquid to a vapour, so it can be inhaled.

Therefore, by using specific devices for this purpose, which heat the CBD to this temperature or higher, CBD can be converted into vapour for inhalation.

Liquids for vaping CBD

CBD e-liquids make it possible to consume CBD by inhalation without burning the substance, i.e. without smoking it.

Currently, legislation in Europe only allows the use of CBD buds for decorative, aromatic, and/or collection purposes, so they can’t be consumed. Vaping CBD is therefore not only healthier than smoking, but also legal in Europe.

To vape e-liquids with CBD you need a specific device, i.e. an electronic cigarette or vape pen. Its power should ideally be between 10 and 30 watts.

You should also know the right dosage depending on the CBD content of the e-liquid, or start by vaping rather low amounts of CBD until you achieve the desired effect.

Vaping CBD using disposable vape pens

Apart from the e-liquids for electronic cigarettes mentioned in the previous section, there’s another way to vape CBD: disposable vape pens. These are ready-to-use devices that don’t need to be refilled at all.

They come with their own vape liquid and work in a very similar way to traditional e-cigarettes. Unlike these devices, they can’t be refilled because they’re discarded once the liquid they contain has been used up. They typically last from 500 to 800 puffs, depending on the strength of the puffs and the brand.

This CBD vape format has several advantages:

Everything is built into a single device, so there’s no need to carry e-liquids to refill your vape pen.
As it’s a disposable device, you don’t need to recharge the battery either, as it lasts even longer than the vape liquid.
Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that they have a higher concentration of CBD than e-liquids. While e-liquids contain 3-10% CBD, disposable vape pens contain 50-80% CBD. Therefore, the same effect can be achieved with a smaller number of puffs.

Vaping CBD flowers and resins

In Europe, as mentioned above, flowers or resins with CBD can’t be sold for uses other than for aromatic, decorative, or collection purposes. However, in other countries such as the USA, Canada, Switzerland, or Luxembourg, the sale of hemp buds or resins for vaping and smoking is permitted.

Therefore, in this guide on how to vape CBD we explain how this is done in countries where the consumption of hemp flowers and hemp resins is allowed.

To begin with, you need to know the origin of the buds in order to ensure their quality. You should also keep in mind that organic hemp is almost always the best choice, as it’s free of chemical pesticides.

In order to vape CBD-rich flowers and resins, you need a vaporiser. That is to say, a machine to heat them up. These are usually small and portable devices, resembling an e-cigarette, but that contain plant matter instead of e-liquids.

These devices heat the plant matter without actually burning it, so that the CBD contained in the flowers or resin is converted into vapour and can be inhaled without the toxic substances produced by burning and smoking the substance.

When vaping flowers or resins, you should ideally know the CBD concentration in order to adjust your consumption accordingly.

Benefits of vaping CBD

One of the benefits of vaping CBD is that it can help control the cravings caused by nicotine withdrawal. This is at least what a 2013 study conducted by University College London suggests, in an experiment that compared CBD vaping with a placebo.

This experiment involved randomly giving 12 samples of inhalers with CBD and 12 samples of placebo inhalers to regular smokers, without them knowing what each one contained. After one week, the contents of the inhalers were revealed and the smoking behaviour of the two groups was compared. Smokers who had inhalers with CBD had reduced their tobacco consumption by around 40%¹.

This form of consumption therefore provides the benefits of CBD as an alternative to smoking. It’s worth remembering, however, that while vaping doesn’t have the same risks as smoking, it’s not without risks either.

Vaping CBD to help you sleep

CBD has anxiolytic properties, and is a compound that can help to

reduce or control anxiety levels. Thanks to this capability, it can also help you fall asleep better, as it helps you relax and promotes better sleep.

For this reason, many CBD users choose to vape CBD to help them sleep. As this route of administration takes effect almost immediately, so you won’t have to wait long to start noticing the effects.

Opinions on vaping CBD

Many CBD users believe that it’s a healthier alternative to smoking, as you don’t inhale the carcinogens in the smoke. While it’s not without risk, like any other type of vaping, it’s an easy way to consume CBD and quickly notice its effects.

You can vape CBD in three main ways: by vaping it through e-liquids, using disposable distillate vape pens, or by heating the flowers or resin with a vaporiser. That said, the latter isn’t legally permitted in Europe.

Both vape pens and herbal vaporisers must be recharged by plugging them in for several hours. Disposable devices, however, don’t need to be recharged, which is why many users prefer them.

In addition, disposable devices have a CBD concentration that can exceed 80%, which is higher than in any other form of vaping. This is another reason why users prefer these devices to e-liquids.

Moreover, both e-cigarettes and vaporisers are devices that tend to last a long time, so you’ll never run out of them like disposable ones, and it can be good to have them around the house if you vape regularly.

References

Morgan, C. J., Das, R. K., Joye, A., Curran, H. V., & Kamboj, S. K. (2013). Cannabidiol reduces cigarette consumption in tobacco smokers: preliminary findings. Addictive behaviors, 38(9), 2433-2436.

Frequently asked questions about how to vape CBD

Can you vape CBD oil?

The reason there are e-liquids designed specifically for CBD vaping is that you can’t vape CBD oil. The plant-based oils used in the preparation of CBD oil generate harmful substances when heated up a lot. In addition, they evaporate at a much lower temperature than CBD, so you’d never be able to vape it. Also, CBD oil isn’t compatible with e-cigarettes and even a simple test would damage any e-cigarette device. Furthermore, it’s worth remembering that e-liquids containing CBD aren’t intended for any other use and shouldn’t be ingested.

Is there any risk posed by vaping CBD?

Although CBD is a substance with multiple benefits and vaping it can help to control nicotine withdrawal cravings, no form of vaping is risk-free. However, consuming CBD through inhalation using vape pens, e-cigarettes, or disposable devices poses no additional risk compared to vaping nicotine or flavoured e-liquids.

What kind of vape devices are needed to vape e-liquids with CBD?

The best e-cigarettes for CBD consumption are those with a power adjuster. We also recommend choosing a model that displays the vaping temperature, to monitor how close you are to the CBD’s boiling point. You don’t need to choose a high-powered model to be able to vape CBD, quite the opposite. The device in question only needs to be able to reach around 30 watts. Other than that, you can choose the features that suit you best.

What are the effects of vaping CBD?

The effects of vaping CBD are the same as any other form of CBD consumption. In general, you should be able to relax better, benefit from pain relief if you’re suffering with pain, and be in a better mood. When vaping CBD the effects are the same, but with the added advantage of being felt almost immediately. Inhalation is the quickest way to feel the effects of CBD.

Can vaping CBD cause me to test positive?

CBD is a substance produced by the cannabis plant, which also has the ability to produce THC. While CBD has no effect on your perception, THC is psychotropic and is the substance responsible for the effects of marijuana. Marijuana plants produce very high amounts of THC and very low amounts of CBD. Hemp, in contrast, produces very high amounts of CBD and very low amounts of THC. In fact, there’s a legal limit for THC content, which is usually 0.2%. In other words, for a hemp-derived product to be legal, it can’t exceed this percentage of THC. This amount of THC, even though it’s very low, can cause a positive drug test result, especially if you consume hemp derivatives excessively. Therefore, if you use vapes or e-liquids containing THC, you may test positive. However, not all vape products contain THC, as some contain only pure CBD. E-liquids for electronic cigarettes don’t usually contain THC, so you wouldn’t test positive in a drug test. Even so, it’s important to make sure that they’re not full-spectrum because in that case they would contain THC. Meanwhile, disposable vape pens, which, as we mentioned earlier, are a different product, usually contain full-spectrum hemp extract, i.e. they contain all the plant’s cannabinoids, including THC. Therefore, if you use them regularly for vaping, there’s a risk you could test positive in a drug test.