Vaping preferences of individuals who vaporise dry herb cannabis, cannabis liquids and cannabis concentrates

Abstract

In 2019 an estimated 200 million people aged 15-64 used cannabis, making cannabis the most prevalent illicit substance worldwide. The last decade has seen a significant expansion in the cannabis vaporiser market, introducing cannabis vaporisation as a common administration method alongside smoking and ingestion. Despite reports of increased prevalence of cannabis vaporisation there has been little research into the use of these devices. To remedy the current dearth of data in this area this study utilised an anonymous online survey of individuals who self-reported past cannabis vaporisation. The respondents (N=557) were predominantly young (<35 years) and male. Most (91.4%) stated they had ever vaped dry herb cannabis, 59.1% reported vaporisation of cannabis oil or liquids, and 34.0% reported vaporisation of cannabis concentrates. This study identifies the types of vaporisation devices (including brands and models) employed by cannabis vapers, as well as the vaporisation temperatures and puff durations commonly used for dry herb, cannabis liquids and cannabis concentrates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the usual operating temperatures of these vaporisation devices and user specific consumption patterns such as puff duration have been reported for cannabis vaping. This information will allow for more realistic experimental conditions in research settings.