An adolescent experienced severe acute lung injury from inhaling cannabis oil via a vape pen, adding to the growing body of case reports linking cannabis vaping to serious pulmonary harm.
Parents, teens who vape, pediatricians, and emergency physicians.
Severe acute lung injury from cannabis oil vape pen
What the researchers found
The case documented severe acute lung injury secondary to inhalation of cannabis oil via a vape pen. The short-term and long-term effects of cannabis oil inhalation are not well understood. The authors proposed a new term to describe lung injury related to vaping.
Why it matters
Vaping is increasingly popular among adolescents, with a growing proportion using devices to inhale cannabis oil. Documenting these cases helps establish the scope of the problem.
The numbers in context
Single case report. Patient was an adolescent.
How the study worked
Single case report of an adolescent with vaping-associated lung injury from cannabis oil.
What this study cannot tell us
Single case report. Cannot establish incidence or prevalence. Specific contaminants (such as vitamin E acetate) may not have been fully characterized.
How to read the evidence
Single case report providing the lowest level of clinical evidence.
When this study was published
2020 case report.
The bigger picture
This case emerged during the broader EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury) outbreak, raising awareness that cannabis oil vaping carries distinct respiratory risks.
Questions still open
- Is the lung injury from the cannabis oil itself, from additives like vitamin E acetate, or from the heating device? What is the long-term prognosis for these patients?
Common questions
Can vaping cannabis oil damage your lungs?
Is vaping cannabis safer than smoking it?
Read the original research
Vaping-associated lung injury caused by inhalation of cannabis oil.
Pediatric pulmonology, 55(1), 226-228
Citation
Abeles, Michael; Popofsky, Stephanie; Wen, Andy; Valsamis, Christina; Webb, Angela; Halaby, Claudia; Pirzada, Melodi. (2020). Vaping-associated lung injury caused by inhalation of cannabis oil.. Pediatric pulmonology, 55(1), 226-228. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppul.24579
Explore the wider topic
- Surviving 4/20 Sober: A Practical Survival Guide
- CBT for Cannabis Recovery: How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Works
- Cannabis and Your Cardiovascular System: Heart Risk, Stroke, and What the Research Shows
- Cannabis and Your Heart: What the Cardiovascular Research Shows
- The Cannabis Relapse Cycle: Quit, Feel Good, Get Complacent, Repeat
- Cold Turkey vs Tapering: Which Way to Quit Weed
- Coughing Up Black Stuff After Quitting Weed: What It Means
- Dating Sober After Years of Being High: What Nobody Tells You
- Exercise as Medicine: Working Out After Quitting Weed
- Grieving Weed Itself: Mourning the Loss of a Companion
- How to Help Someone Quit Weed (When They're Not Ready)
- How to Quit Weed: A No-Judgment Step by Step Guide
- Journaling Through Weed Withdrawal: Why Writing Helps You Heal
- Lung Recovery After Quitting Weed: The Complete Timeline
- Weed and Your Lungs: Recovery Timeline After Quitting
- MA vs SMART Recovery vs Therapy: Comparing Your Options
- Meditation and Mindfulness for Weed Withdrawal
- Your Partner Still Smokes Weed: How to Navigate It
- Quitting Weed While Your Partner Still Smokes
- The Pink Cloud Effect: When Quitting Weed Feels Too Good
- How to Quit Smoking Weed Cold Turkey: What to Expect
- Quit Weed or Cut Back: Which Is Right for You?
- I Quit Weed and Regret It: An Honest Look at Non-Linear Recovery
- Quitting Weed in Your 20s: Career, Social Life, Starting Over
- Quitting Weed in Your 30s: It's Not Too Late
- Quitting Weed After 10+ Years of Daily Use: What to Expect
- Quitting Weed During a Life Crisis: Divorce, Job Loss, and Other Bad Timing
- Quitting Weed and Working Out: How Exercise Helps Recovery
- Quitting Weed as a Woman: Hormones, Cycles, and Recovery
- Quitting Weed After Loss: When Grief Comes Flooding Back
- Quitting Weed When It's Legal Everywhere
- Weed Withdrawal Success Stories: Real People Who Made It Through
- Quitting Weed Long Distance: When You Can't Remove Triggers
- Cannabis, Weight, and Diet: What Quitting Does to Your Appetite
- I Relapsed on Weed. Now What? A Practical Reset Guide
- I Relapsed After Quitting Weed: What Now?
- Sex After Quitting Weed: What Changes and What Doesn't
- Should I Quit Weed? A Decision Framework (Not a Lecture)
- Quitting Weed at Music Festivals and Concerts: A Sober Survival Guide
- Supplements That Actually Help with Weed Withdrawal (And Ones That Don't)
- How to Tell Your Friends You're Quitting Weed
- Cannabis and Driving: DUI Laws, Impairment Science, and What You Need to Know
- Weed and Acne: Can Quitting Cannabis Clear Your Skin?
- Weed and Fertility: What Couples Should Know
- Weed and Your Gut: How Cannabis Affects Digestion
- Weed and Your Heart: Cardiovascular Effects and Recovery
- Relapse Prevention Plan for Cannabis: A CBT-Based Approach
- Why Weed Relapse Happens: The Science Behind Going Back
- Replacing the Ritual: What to Do When You Quit Weed
- How Cannabis Damaged My Relationships: Before and After
- Social Media Detox from Weed Content
- Weed, Testosterone, and Male Health: What the Research Actually Shows
- Bongs vs Vapes vs Pipes: Comparing Consumption Methods
- The Healthiest Way to Consume THC: A Harm Reduction Ranking