Could cocaine vapes be a smart new way to crack an old addiction problem ?
V aping technology can be used to administer many drugs other than nicotine , reports ECigIntelligence
Vaping technology has been employed for a while now as another way of using cannabis and cannabis derivatives , legally or illegally . The argument for making cannabis legal and regulated was demonstrated vividly by the 2019 EVALI crisis , which revealed just how dangerous it can be when mixed with inappropriate dilutants .
While moves are afoot now in several parts of the world to legalise or decriminalise cannabis use , the logical argument for doing so – that legal , regulated stuff is a lot safer than stuff made and distributed criminally – could be applied equally well to pretty much any kind of recreational drug . At the same time , there is a growing acceptance of the need to use legitimate , clean drugs to help addicts off the bad stuff .
So how about clean , well regulated and administered vapes to deliver appropriately judged doses of crack cocaine , say ?
“ It ’ s a thought I ’ ve had for a very long time ,” toxicologist Fabian Steinmetz says .
The knee-jerk response of generations of lawmakers and reporters brought up in the long era of prohibition will throw up their hands in horror at the very idea , exclaiming in unison that drugs are Bad , and hard drugs are Very Bad . But it ’ s worth listening with an open mind to what Dr Steinmetz has to say .
He is lead author of a recently published paper , “ The cocaine-e-cigarette – a theoretical concept of a harm reduction device for current users of smokable cocaine forms ”, which makes a strong case for a crack vape device as a harm reduction tool for addicts .
“ It makes a strong case for a crack vape device as a harm reduction tool for addicts ”
It says : “ While strategies based on drug prohibition did not eradicate the consumption of smokable cocaine forms , prohibition itself led to many harmful effects , such as criminalisation , stigmatisation , unpredictable smokable cocaine forms quality and hardly any safer-use education .”
It goes on to suggest “ a cocaine-e-cigarette which could be prescribed to problematic users of smokable cocaine forms to reduce the risk of lung damage , exclude potentially harmful adulterants , limit intake ( by formulation and / or technical settings ) and also to bring users of smokable cocaine forms into the medical system ”.
Proponents of nicotine vaping as a harm reduction system may not readily take gladly to any association of e-cigs with a drug generally viewed as more problematic . But it ’ s hard to resist the view that what works for nicotine addicts might work just as well for victims of other addictions .
So far , Steinmetz ’ s idea is just an idea . But as he says : “ The general principle to put drugs in e-cigarettes , I mean , this is already pretty old school .”
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