title: Experiences of marijuana-vaporizer users.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Using a marijuana vaporizer may have potential harm-reduction advantages on smoking marijuana, in that the user does not inhale smoke. Little research has been published on use of vaporizers.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the first study of individuals using a vaporizer on their own initiative, 96 adults anonymously answered questions about their experiences with a vaporizer and their use of marijuana with tobacco.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Users identified 4 advantages to using a vaporizer over smoking marijuana: perceived health benefits, better taste, no smoke smell, and more effect from the same amount of marijuana. Users identified 2 disadvantages: inconvenience of setup and cleaning and the time it takes to get the device operating for each use. Only 2 individuals combined tobacco in the vaporizer mix, whereas 15 combined tobacco with marijuana when they smoked marijuana. Almost all participants intended to continue using a vaporizer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vaporizers seem to have appeal to marijuana users, who perceive them as having harm-reduction and other benefits. Vaporizers are worthy of experimental research evaluating health-related effects of using them.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology, University of New England , Armidale , New South Wales , Australia.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Malouff
authors.forename: Sally E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Rooke
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Copeland
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002188:Cannabis; D055030:Drug Users / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D040261:Harm Reduction; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cannabis; harm reduction; marijuana; vaporizer