The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of a vaporization system (the Volcano; VAPORMED® Inhalatoren) as a “smokeless” delivery system for inhaled marijuana. The study looked at heating marijuana to form a vapor and then comparing drug levels in the blood to those obtained from smoking an identical amount of marijuana from a cigarette. In addition, we compared the tolerability of the two methods and measured expired carbon dioxide to evaluate whether the vaporizer reduces exposure to respiratory toxins. Eighteen healthy subjects were recruited and admitted to the inpatient ward of the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at San Francisco General Hospital to investigate the delivery of marijuana by vaporization compared to marijuana smoked in a standard cigarette. One dose (1.7, 3.4, or 6.8% tetrahydrocannabinol) and delivery system (smoked marijuana cigarette or vaporization system) was randomly assigned for each of the six study days. The analysis suggests that the
The drug war shouldn't exist...