It is odd and not entirely accurate when you see something labelled a marijuana vape oil in the UK. In the US, this makes total sense (well in the states that have legalised medical and / or recreational marijuana and allow cannabis products with more than 0.2% THC) as it is likely that the marijuana vape oil is actually derived from marijuana. In the UK, though, in order to be compliant with regulation, products have to contain less than 0.2% of THC and have to be derived from hemp rather than marijuana as it contains little to no THC and a much higher concentration of CBD. This means that it would be more accurate for a marijuana vape oil to be labelled a hemp or CBD vape oil in the UK. However, many shops draw this comparison due to the flavouring in order to make it relatable to those who are familiar with marijuana.
In the UK, marijuana vape oil is what we call the more concentrated CBD vape liquid. The alternative is to vape CBD e liquid which is CBD blended in, and diluted down by the traditional e liquid base of Propylene Glycol and Vegetable Glycerin. Marjuana vape oil is just the hemp extract, natural terpenes and nothing else. The natural terpenes are what is responsible for the flavouring and so when something is labelled marijuana it is more than likely that they will be using natural terpenes derived from traditional cannabis strains such as super lemon haze.
The more concentrated, thicker nature of the CBD vape oil makes this vape solution a lot sticker and so requires a much stronger device to heat it up. This means you can’t use your existing e liquid device (if you have one) and will need to look for a specific marijuana vape pen. Many retailers refer to these types of devices as a CBD or cannabis vape pen in the UK as they tend to use the terms interchangeably / have repurposed it from the US, but all you need to remember is that you are looking for a vape pen that is designed for vaping oils.
The best CBD vape pen in the UK I have been using lately is the Paso vape pen. The great thing about theirs is because they actually sell a strong 65% CBD vape oil cartridge (which to be honest is not easy to find over here) they have designed their device to be able to work well with vaping high concentration cartridges like their own. This is why they have incorporated pre-heat functionality and variable voltage settings. Pre-heat functionality lets you heat up the oil prior to vaping so that it tastes better and vapes smoother, and variable voltage means you can use this same device for vaping CBD e liquids – you just pick a lower voltage when you do. The Paso vape pen is so affordable given this functionality and sort of feels like you are buying two vape pens for the price of one. So if you like vaping lighter CBD e liquids or stronger CBD vape oils cartridges you can just switch between the two and use just the one device!
Over the next couple of years I think that vaping marijuana vape oils will become more and more popular like it already is in the US. This is because it is the purest way to vape so you don’t have to worry about vaping other solvents if you are not really a fan of vaping. Many people choose vaping as the quickest way to feel the effects and the benefits of taking CBD and, but would not be vapers otherwise so in those cases it is nice to know you are not putting in any additional chemicals that, although deemed safe, you may not be keen to inhale. As vaping of oils becomes more popular, the selection of cannabis vape pens available in the UK will also improve and we should see a greater choice of high quality, durable vape hardware.
I look forward to the evolution of the CBD vape oil space over here as we are only just at the beginning!