The national news media jumped all over the report and reported the “new trend” as alarming. Really? A new trend? I have been reading about this process for at least two years. And from personal sources I have, it has been going on for a lot longer. For example, vendors have been selling e-cigarettes for the explicit use with wax infused THC and marijuana leaves.
So, how do e-cigarettes work and what is their purpose? The use of e-cigarettes is designed to be a safer alternative to smoking real cigarettes. The e-cigarette has a battery that heats a volatile liquid (PEG, polyethylene glycol) that has been infused with nicotine. This, when inhaled, delivers nicotine without the other chemicals associated with cigarettes. Nobody really knows that this delivery system is safe and although the FDA has said that it will set guidelines it has failed to do so. So, the question remains as to whether or not pot laced liquid is also safe or not.
But, liquid THC is readily available and in fact it can be made at home with just and oven, marijuana leaves or buds, PEG, and grain alcohol that is 190 proof (Everclear). One of the advantages for users is that the typical smell of marijuana is much less obvious. Additionally, it appears to look like an e-cigarette and not pot.
I would suggest that the trend is really the legalization of marijuana and not the “new” methods of use. Many states have passed medical marijuana laws and more are considering making pot legal. It seems that the Great Drug War is going about as well as the War on Poverty. When the government gets involved, the problem gets worse. Of course there is always taxation of marijuana which the government can do. Just what we need! More money for the government to waste…