Coronavirus has been labelled as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization.
This followed hundreds and thousands of people contracting the virus and multiple countries enacting national emergency and total shutdown.
In the midst of all this, many people have started to wonder: Is it safe to continue vaping?
Short answer: No.
With no cure for the virus, people have started to exercise a range of safety and precautionary measures. For now, the only thing keeping the virus at bay is the person’s immune system.
Therefore, it makes sense to act in a way that does not jeopardize your immunity. And this is where the confusion lies. Should you stop vaping CBD during this coronavirus outbreak?
We will try to provide logical and comprehensive reasons as to why your answer should be yes.
Reasons to stop vaping CBD now!
Vaping and Respiratory Issues
This may not come as a surprise to most of you. Vaping has been associated with lung inflammation and lower immune system.
These two factors could act as an adverse catalyst if you were to contract the ongoing virus.
Experts have given a stark opinion on this issue, reiterating the plausible consequence of becoming more vulnerable to COVID-19.
Although there is not substantial research available to strengthen this claim, both vapers and long-term smokers are at more risk of developing chronic lung conditions, thus making them susceptible to COVID-19.
A study on the people who contracted the virus in China included 78 COVID-19 patients as their sample.
The aim was to analyze the factors associated with disease outcomes in patients with 2019 novel coronavirus disease.
It was concluded that besides other factors, patients with a history of smoking were 14 times more likely to develop pneumonia.
The primary concern about the link between vaping and the virus is the weakening of your body’s defense system. The following issues can be cited:
- Regular smokers or vapers are immunosuppressed to some degree.
- They make more mucus, which affects the functionality of the lungs.
- There are pro-inflammatory changes that can lead to a change in the response of white blood cells, and consequently, making you more likely to get viruses.
Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York warned that both smoking and vaping lead to serious illness with coronavirus with a “bad medical outcome.” This indicates the risks associated with vaping.
Risks involved with using a vape device
You might already be tired of washing your hands and cleaning almost all your daily stuff.
The fear of COVID-19 has brought about a fear of another unusual thing: the fear of surface.
People are trying, and struggling the same, to open doors and use their mobile phones using their elbows while others are continuously rubbing their desks and tables with alcohol cleaners, sprays, and wipes.
It is becoming painfully clear that the virus can easily survive outside the human body, and that too for a long time.
A study from the National Institutes of Health, CDC, UCLA, and Princeton University scientists in The New England Journal of Medicine asserted that the virus is stable “for several hours to days” in aerosol and on surfaces.
So, the question arises: Is it safe to use the vape device during such an epidemic?
We would be cautious here. Not only are we touching the device, but also inserting it in our mouth to vape.
When there is a widespread request not to touch our face and mouth, then it does place some disincentive on using a vape in a carefree manner.
Decreased immunity due to vaping
We have discussed this point before, but it makes sense to emphasize more on this.
CBD is indeed a miracle product that is extracted from the cannabis plant and used for medicinal purposes.
Vaping CBD during the Coronavirus episode may sound logical, except that there are loopholes involved and factors that we fail to consider properly.
Vaping CBD almost always entails the consumption of nicotine and THC, both of which are harmful toxins with no established benefits whatsoever, and a range of harmful effects based on several studies.
For instance, a review on E-cigarettes by Darville and Hahn stated that e-liquid aerosols are composed of oxidizing agents, particulates, and nicotine.
These aerosols can be detrimental to a person’s health as it may affect the heart and circulatory system.
Demographics that should ideally be more cautious
Apart from the general panic that ensued with the emergence and spread of COVID-19, certain groups are more prone to contracting this virus.
Not only that, but they are also likely to face trouble recovering from it, where even death is a possibility.
The elderly population is most at risk. In the US, the population segment of 65 or older constitutes 17% of the US population, but 31% of the COVID-19 cases were from this age group.
Moreover, the infant age group is also vulnerable to the virus, where 6% of the pediatric cases were severe and critical.
What does it mean for you?
Adopt a serious and responsible attitude towards this global pandemic. Maybe vaping may not directly harm you.
But given the adverse effects of vaping on your immune system and the increasing possibility of you being a carrier of the virus, your actions can be detrimental to the broader community.
What can you do instead?
Ideally, stop vaping. Otherwise, isolate yourself from people who are most vulnerable to the coronavirus.
What can you do instead?
Shift from vaping to oil tinctures and gummies
Vaping CBD can have added negative externalities that we would rather avoid during this global epidemic. Instead, a safer route is to stop vaping and shift to other mediums of consuming CBD.
We understand that vaping CBD is not the only recreational activity for most of you.
Given the extraordinary benefits of CBD, you may be a consumer to treat underlying issues such as anxiety, stress, insomnia, seizures, pain, and inflammation.
Especially the mental impacts of COVID-19 and the result global trend of social distancing has left most of you in a disoriented and confused state of mind.
It makes sense for observe a spike in the consumption of CBD to address those issues.
Therefore, to aim for a responsible way of consuming CBD, you may switch to oil tinctures and gummies.
This method does not carry the drawbacks of vaping that we discussed above. Adding to this, CBD gummies can also prove to be a tasty and fruitful way of increasing your CBD intake.
The only advice we have for you related to this approach is to be mindful of the authenticity and the reliability of the CBD product.
Maybe you are not aware of oil tinctures and gummies because you have been vaping until now.
This lack of information can translate into buying harmful products that are unfortunately flooded in the market. These products may understate or overstate the content of CBD in each serving size. It may also be impure and contain hazardous and undeclared content.
Therefore, researching on the internet and asking your friends (remotely) is highly recommended.
Scenario for vapers who started vaping to stop smoking
This is a tricky scenario, to say the least.
Vaping has been proven to be 95% safer than smoking, as per Public Health England in 2018. This news was accompanied by a massive shift from smoking to vaping.
If you are habituated to vaping, should you stop doing it altogether?
Again, yes.
But not at the expense of smoking cigarettes again.
Of the two, smoking is much more dangerous. If you feel that discontinuing vaping may push you to smoke a puff or two, then you need to stop right there.
We recommend that you practice techniques that would enhance mindfulness and cultivate discipline in your life. This may be sudden, but there is always the first step to everything.
Speak to your friends (via text or call)
Yes, social distancing is essential here, too. You can’t just go out and hang with your friends. That’s the last thing you should be doing. Instead, ask them about their availability and then call.
Okay, what next?
Support groups are immensely valuable during times like this. If you have friends who vape just like you, then your first task is to educate them about the cons of vaping.
Once they understand this, you can further discuss ways to reduce vaping, at least until this epidemic is gone.
A couple of ways that might work are stated below:
- Netflix and chill? Seriously though, binge-watching Netflix is one of the guilty pleasure for many.
- Increase accountability: Tell your friend(s) to be honest about the vape intake. And also be honest in return. Peer pressure can be a devastating and beautiful thing at the same time if used effectively. Use peer pressure to reduce vaping.
- Identify triggers: What leads you to vape? Tiredness? Anger? Hunger? Even boredom? Identify these cues, and then gradually address them adequately. Are you bored? Call a friend. Tired? Try meditating. Angry? Distract yourself by watching comedy movies. Hungry? Eat your favorite snack. This will take time, but it’s better to start now than waiting for tomorrow.
Bottomline
There is yet to be a direct study between vaping CBD and COVID-19. Things are not clear, and we are not sure about the extent of extrapolation that could be done based on the information and articles we have at our disposal.
However, given the well-established link between smoking and vaping to the immune system, it appears prudent to stop vaping. We hope that you can benefit from this article and maintain social distancing along with other healthy habits.