Article written by Terry J ParrishA NT LPC NCC.
The Clear, Dabs, Wax… These are cannabis distillate products which contain ALARMING levels of THC often as high as 98%. THC is tetrahydrocannabinol and it is the psychoactive component of cannabis. Vaping these products is NOT the same as smoking marijuana and it is NOT at all like vaping nicotine.These distilled products could be compared to alcohol products in that the level of THC rises higher and higher just as the proof of alcohol products rise higher and higher in the distillation process. Pure THC which has been distilled from cannabis is vaped with vaporizers or smoked from tiny cartridges in electronic cigarettes and vape pens by your teenager. When THC at levels of purity this high hit the young developing brain the danger of its impact is significant. The sale of vaping devices and substance that can be vaped had been on the rise for the last few years but has exploded over the past year. Electronic cigarette makers are in a frenzy to rake in big money before we get wise or the FDA shuts them down. In the past month alone multiple companies including start ups have joined the industry to sell vaping devices and products .The FDA recently issued a warning to the companies that make vaping devices and electronic cigarettes that they must find a way to eliminate sale to minors. Meanwhile scores of teenagers are obtaining them online and using them to smoke what is essentially pure THC. Adolescents are becoming addicted before they even realize what is happening. People are comfortable vaping THC out in public places, in the bathrooms at school and right in front of their parents who unknowingly believe their children are smoking vape juice. Many parents feel that vaping is a safer option than smoking cigarettes. The problem is that in many cases your adolescent is NOT vaping vape juice. I am seeing an alarming increase of desperate parents arriving to my office with teens who are experiencing dropping grades, isolating and changing behaviors, headaches and other debilitating symptoms. They are essentially already addicts. When asked, about their use the teen response is typically that it’s just weed that they are vaping. So what’s the big deal?
PLEASE if you are a adolescent or a parent of one you must commit to EDUCATE yourself. Learn all you can about vaping and how the substances you or your child are choosing to vape can affect the developing brain. Familiarize yourself with what the products look like so you will spot them easily. Do not endorse their use and do not start using them. Share what you learn with your friends, family and teachers. This industry is exploiting us and our children by promoting a product as a healthier option to cigarette smoking. Many are also selling vaping products like THC distillate by using the word cannabis oil/wax which our kids misconstrue as being marijuana. This is a insidious and despicable way to pull our children down the slippery slope to drug addiction through vaping addictive substances. Greed, pure and simple. The more addicts there are the better sales and revenue for them. Get educated today. Let’s give our kids a fighting chance.
To learn more simply click here to read an article from the American Academy of Pediatrics
