Are you looking to learn more about cannabis products?
One of the most popular ways to consume cannabis is by vaping it. However, people also vape nicotine. What’s the difference between nicotine and cannabis? How do you vape cannabis?
To learn everything you need to know about nicotine vs THC, keep reading.
What is Nicotine?
Nicotine is a chemical containing nitrogen. It’s made from several different types of plants, including the tobacco plant. It can also be produced synthetically. The tobacco plant is indigenous to America, and it has been used for thousands of years as medicine and as a stimulant.
While nicotine doesn’t cause cancer and isn’t terribly harmful on its own, it is very addictive. It can expose people to the harmful effects of tobacco dependency. Typically, chewing or snorting tobacco products releases more nicotine into the body than smoking cigarettes.
What are the Effects of Nicotine?
While nicotine doesn’t cause cancer, it does come with a number of side effects that you need to be aware of. One of these effects is the “nicotine effect.”
Nicotine is both a stimulant and a sedative. When your body is exposed to nicotine, you experience a bit of a rush and a “kick.” This effect is partly because nicotine stimulates the adrenal glands, which results in a release of adrenaline. The adrenaline surge then stimulates the body, and you’ll experience an increase in breathing activity, heart rate, and blood pressure.
Nicotine also causes the pancreas to produce less insulin. This leads to a slight increase in glucose, or blood sugar. Indirectly, nicotine also causes the body to release dopamine, which affects the pleasure and motivation areas of the brain. A similar effect takes place when someone takes cocaine or heroin.
Nicotine also has pharmacological effects. When humans are exposed to nicotine, it increases their heart rate, heart stroke volume, and heart muscle oxygen consumption.
Additionally, there are psychodynamic effects. Nicotine can raise your levels of euphoria and alertness, and it can give you the sensation of being relaxed.
However, because nicotine is highly addictive, consuming it for a long period of time and then stopping suddenly can lead to withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms may include anxiety, depression, irritability, moodiness, and a sense of emptiness.
According to a study by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, onsuming nicotine can also make other drugs more addictive, such as cocaine.
Vaping Nicotine: What to Know
While the most common way to consume nicotine is via cigarettes, more and more people are switching to vaping. In fact, many people switch to vaping as a way to quit cigarettes.
According to John Hopkins Medicine, vaping nicotine is slightly healthier than smoking cigarettes. When a person smokes a cigarette, they inhale over 7,000 chemicals. When vaping nicotine, you inhale far less.
E-cigarettes (the device one uses to vape nicotine) also don’t contain any tobacco. Avoiding tobacco is very important, as it can lead to a number of health issues, including:
Cancer
Smoking cigarettes is the cause of 20% of all cancers and around 30% of all cancer deaths in the US. Smoking also leads to 80% of lung cancer deaths. It can also increase your risk for other cancers, including:
- Stomach
- Colon
- Bladder
- Pancreas
- Liver
- Mouth
- Esophagus
- Kidney
- Throat
Cigars and tobacco pipes are also cancer-causing.
Damage to Your Lungs
Smoking damages the small air sacs in your lungs and your airways. The damage starts very quickly after someone starts smoking, and it continues to worsen for as long as the smoking habit continues.
However, it can take many years for the damage to become noticeable and for lung disease to develop. One of the most serious diseases that smoking can lead to is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is one of the leading causes of death in the US. It can damage your small airways and make it difficult for your lungs to get oxygen to the rest of your body.
Early signs of COPD include:
- Wheezing and whistling in the chest
- Shortness of breath when physically active
- Coughing up mucus
Smoking can also make you more susceptible to developing lung infections, such as tuberculosis and pneumonia. It can also worsen asthma. Those who smoke are also at greater risk of developing chronic bronchitis and experiencing complications due to emphysema.
What is THC?
Like nicotine, THC also comes from a plant. However, instead of it coming from the tobacco plant, it comes from the cannabis plant.
THC stands for tetrahydrocannabinol. It’s the chemical that’s responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects. Like nicotine, THC also causes the brain to release dopamine. In some cases, THC can also produce relaxation, pain relief, and elation.
However, THC can also affect your memory, concentration, and coordination. For this reason, it’s important to avoid driving and operating heavy machinery while high on THC.
What are the Benefits of THC?
While some people just enjoy THC for recreational purposes, it also offers a lot of benefits. Here are some of the biggest benefits of THC:
Provides Pain Relief
Over 20% of adults in the US suffer from chronic pain. THC can help ease chronic pain, as it activates pathways in the central nervous system that prevent pain signals from being sent to the brain.
THC can help with all kinds of pain relief, including sciatica pain, arthritis pain, and fibromyalgia pain.
Protects Brain Cells
Another major benefit of THC is that it helps to protect your brain cells, as it’s considered a neuroprotectant. Not only does it help protect the brain, but THC also helps promote brain growth.
THC activates the CB1 receptor in your brain. This activation stimulates a process that promotes the brain’s ability to learn. THC can also cause brain cells in the hippocampus to grow, which is the part of the brain that’s responsible for memory and learning.
There is even a study that suggests that THC can promote spatial memory, which is responsible for recording information related to one’s environment and spatial orientation.
Increases Your Appetite
While millions of Americans are trying to lose weight, there are plenty of people out there who need to gain weight and get their appetite back due to an illness. Those who suffer from HIV, hepatitis, eating disorders, and dementia can all experience appetite loss that leads to traumatic weight loss.
THC interacts with receptors in the hypothalamus that release gremlin, a hormone that stimulates hunger. THC can even make food taste better. There are certain forms of THC that can also help suppress your appetite, which can be great for those looking to lose weight.
Improves Your Sleep
Over half of adults worldwide don’t get enough sleep. Additionally, 50 to 70 million American adults suffer from a sleep disorder.
If you’re struggling to fall asleep or stay asleep, THC might be the answer. THC helps restore your body’s natural sleep cycle so you can go to bed earlier and wake up earlier.
Additionally, THC reduces the amount of REM sleep you get. While REM sleep is important, it’s also when we dream. If you’re someone who experiences nightmares due to PTSD, reducing your REM sleep may be beneficial.
THC doesn’t just help treat PTSD by reducing nightmares. It also helps relieve other PTSD symptoms, such as agitation, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and flashbacks.
Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory
Another major benefit of THC is that it’s an antioxidant. Antioxidants are beneficial for the body because they reduce oxidative stress caused by the sun’s UV rays.
Oxidative stress can cause damage to the body on both cellular levels and DNA levels. This damage can make you more prone to cancer, neurodegenerative illnesses, and other ailments.
In addition to being an antioxidant, THC also has anti-inflammatory properties. Chronic inflammation can put you at risk for a number of different diseases and illnesses, including arthritis and depression. By consuming THC, you can reduce inflammation levels in the body.
Vaping THC: What to Know
To vape THC, you will need to use a vape pen. A vape pen works by heating up THC oil to the point where it turns into a vapor. No combustion is involved in this process, so your vape pen will never produce smoke.
Once you inhale through the vape pen, your body absorbs the THC into its bloodstream. Many people prefer to smoke THC through a vape instead of a joint, bong, or another device. This is for a variety of reasons, including:
Reduce Chance of Inhaling Carcinogens
Carcinogens are cancer-causing substances. When most of us think of carcinogens, we think of smoking cigarettes. However, the combustion of cannabis can also lead to the production of carcinogens.
Because there’s no combustion when vaping cannabis, you’re not going to be exposed to as many carcinogens. A 2007 study compared smoking cannabis to vaping it, and they found that blood levels of carbon monoxide were much lower in those who vaped vs smoked.
Lack of Smell and Better Taste
Another major benefit of vaping THC is that it doesn’t produce that distinctive “weed smell,” which can be very overpowering. This is great for those who want to smoke in a discreet manner. It’s also great for anyone who lives in a small apartment or has roommates.
However, even though vaping THC doesn’t produce a scent, it still tastes good! Vaping comes with a lower heat level than smoking, so the terpenes can stay intact. When you inhale, you’ll experience a burst of flavor.
Convenience
Vaping is also great because it’s extremely convenient. You can throw your vape pen in your back pocket or purse before heading out the door. It also remains odorless when you’re not using it, so you never have to worry about the smell of cannabis seeping into your belongings.
Tips for Vaping THC
While vaping THC can be extremely convenient, there are some things you need to know before you get started. Here are the top tips for vaping THC:
Choose the Right Form of Cannabis
There are several forms of cannabis you can use for vaping, including buds, concentrates, and tinctures. To vape bud, you’ll need to purchase a special device that can handle dried herbs.
However, it’s important to understand that many vape devices still combust the cannabis as if you were smoking a joint. If you don’t like the combustion effect, you should avoid bud.
Concentrates include wax, shatter, and oil. They’re stronger than dry bud, and a little bit goes a long way.
While many people use tinctures as droplets, you can also use them for vaping.
Choose a Vape Device
While earlier we discussed the convenience and popularity of vape pens, it’s also important to keep in mind that there are other vape devices out there.
If portability isn’t a requirement for you, consider purchasing a tabletop unit. You can also purchase disposable vape pens that you use one time. This way, you don’t have to worry about the intricacies of refilling it.
You can also purchase a refillable vaporizer, which consists of a tank with an internal coil and a battery attachment. You can check out 3chi delta 8 vape to learn more about vaping products.
Are You Ready to Vape THC?
As you can see, when it comes to nicotine vs THC, THC is the superior product for those wanting to look out for their health. Your next step is to figure out the laws regarding THC in your state.
If THC is legal in your state, then you can start figuring out what products you like and how you want to consume them. And, you should also check back in with us for more THC-related content!
