Lighting Up the Debate: Can You Smoke CBD Safely?

Like marijuana, hemp is a cannabis plant. The only thing that separates them is their legal status and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content.

Federally, hemp plants are classified as any cannabis plant that contains no more than 0.3% THC. Marijuana, on the other hand, can average around 15% THC. Accordingly, marijuana is a popular choice for smoking due to its psychoactive effect, which alters the mind and mood of consumers. You can explore our article on CBD vs. THC to get a clearer picture of each compound and their differences.

So, can you smoke CBD, too? Yes, while smoking CBD is not as popular as the alternative, it is possible to inhale CBD through a CBD joint, pipe or bong. But is it safe? Let’s explore.

How to Smoke CBD

Before we dive into CBD smoking methods, let’s clarify one thing: Smoking CBD will not elicit the same psychoactive effect as smoking marijuana since it contains only trace amounts of THC.

Rather, people smoke CBD for the same reasons they might drop CBD oil under their tongue or add a few CBD gummies to their lunch: Research suggests that CBD can induce feelings of calm, support restful sleep, relieve body aches and help regulate cognition and mood.

To smoke CBD, you’ll need to acquire smokable hemp before it undergoes the extraction process. In other words, you’ll need the hemp flower. Hemp flowers are available in various online shops, as well as local dispensaries and health outlets. If you’re shopping in a state that has legalized marijuana, check that the flower does not contain more than 0.3% THC (if you’re looking to avoid intoxicating effects).

There are a variety of hemp flowers available: sativa, indica and hybrid. Sativa hemp flowers can deliver energizing effects, while indica promotes relaxation. Hybrids incorporate both for a balance of each.

When smoking CBD hemp, you can adopt the same methods you’d use when smoking marijuana. First, grind the flower into smaller pieces that resemble what you’d find in tea bags or dried basil. You can use your hands or a grinder to avoid a mess.

To smoke hemp, there are several vessels you can choose from:

CBD pipe – Place the grounds into the bowl of the pipe (the large concave surface). You’ll want to add a significant amount of the hemp to the bowl but avoid packing it too tightly. Otherwise, oxygen will not be able to freely move throughout the pipe. Then, identify a small hole at the base of the bowl. Cover this hole with your thumb, ignite the plant material and breathe in.
Joint – When using a joint, you’ll roll the ground hemp flower into rolling papers. There are also pre-rolled CBD joints available at health stores and dispensaries. Simply light one end and inhale through the other.
Bong – A bong operates under many of the same mechanisms of a pipe. However, it’s far larger and delivers smoke that’s more filtered than a pipe or joint since it's purified with water. This method is also less likely to burn your throat, which you can experience when using a pipe or joint. To smoke, you’ll fill the base with water and pile the ground hemp flower into a bowl at the base of the bong. Light the plant material and inhale softly, then remove the bowl to inhale the remainder of the smoke in the glass chamber.

CBD vape pens also provide an additional way to inhale CBD. Vapes use CBD oils, which are extracted from the hemp flower and dissolved into a carrier oil like sunflower oil or olive oil.

Implications of Smoking CBD

Smoking CBD comes with its advantages and disadvantages. Generally, ingesting CBD — whether sublingually, orally or through smoking — delivers numerous potential benefits that can support your overall health and wellness.

When cannabinoids, like CBD, enter the body, they can interact with a variety of receptors to help regulate:

Sleep
Appetite
Mood
Memory
Learning
Stress responses
Metabolism
Reproduction
Growth and development

As such, it’s believed that adding CBD to your daily routine can help to regulate your sleep-wake cycle, improve mood and cognition, relieve stress and support overall health and wellness.

Inhaling CBD is also believed to deliver rapid effects since it's quickly absorbed into the central nervous system through the lungs.

However, inhaling CBD can be dangerous, and it isn’t promoted by the experts at Zebra CBD. In the case of CBD vapes, cartridges often contain more than CBD, such as nicotine and chemicals that create certain flavors. So, while CBD is safe, vaping CBD is not.

Both vaping and smoking CBD can also lead to throat irritation and negatively impact both the heart and the lungs, affecting the body’s ability to clot blood and maintain healthy blood pressure levels. Additionally, any smokable CBD that contains nicotine can become addictive. While CBD itself is not an addictive substance, nicotine use can lead to dependence and compulsive drug-seeking. Nicotine can also negatively impact the cardiovascular, respiratory and gastrointestinal systems.

Beyond smoking, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notes that CBD can have adverse effects, such as:

Negative drug interactions
Liver injury
Changes in mood
Drowsiness and/or sleepiness
Gastrointestinal problems
Changes in appetite
Dry mouth

Alternatives to Smoking CBD

You can still deliver the potential benefits of CBD to your body without harming your lung and heart health. Companies across the country — both in-store and online — offer a variety of safe and effective CBD products. These include:

CBD gummies – CBD gummies come with an approximate dosage per gummy and are available in a variety of tasty flavors, like citrus. They’re a convenient way to add some CBD to your diet, whether you’re chewing a few gummies with your daily vitamin or adding a gummy to your night routine alongside a steamy cup of tea. You can explore our extensive collection of CBD gummies for sale to find the perfect addition for your routine.
CBD chewable tablets – CBD chewable tablets are often precisely formulated and crafted with maximum bioavailability in mind. Chewable tablets are absorbed directly into the lining of the mouth, and then delivered to the bloodstream for fast-acting effects.
CBD tinctures– CBD tinctures are also highly bioavailable. They can be swallowed, but for optimal results, you should drop the oil under your tongue and let it sit. Like chewable tablets, the CBD will absorb into your body quickly to produce your desired effects. Some tinctures come in natural flavors while others, like Zebra CBD’s premium CBD oil, are supplemented with flavors of mint.
CBD topicals– CBD balms, rubs, lotions, creams and roll-ons can provide relief to sore muscles and joints when at home or on the go. High-quality CBD topical products are made with natural ingredients, making them a safe option for every skin type.
CBD pills – Swallowable CBD pills, like CBD edibles, must pass through the digestive system before they take effect. However, because the body takes longer to digest them, they can deliver longer-lasting effects. We must note that, like smoking CBD, CBD pills do not align with Zebra CBD’s health and wellness standards.

Choosing a Safe CBD Alternative

When choosing a CBD product to support your wellness, put your detective cap on. There’s a surplus of CBD products on the market — and not all of them can be trusted.

Although the government has set a legal standard on THC content in CBD products, not all manufacturers abide by this rule, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Fortunately, there are ways to deduce the potency of certain cannabinoids, like THC and CBD, present in your product of choice.

When shopping, you’ll notice that each product comes with its own Certificate of Analysis (COA), which documents the concentration of cannabinoids within the batch. If you’re buying a full spectrum or broad spectrum product, it’ll also detail the potency of other hemp plant compounds, like terpenes and flavonoids.

If a product does not have a COA, be wary. This means that it was not authenticated by a third-party lab, and it may contain dangerous heavy metals, solvents or additives like pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and microbials.

When shopping for hemp flowers, do your research to determine their THC content. There is a difference between hemp flower and high-CBD cannabis flower, even if they look the same. High-CBD cannabis flowers also have a high THC concentration, which can show up on a drug test and make you feel “high.”

Fortunately, most companies will label the two products accordingly. And, if you’re shopping in person, don’t hesitate to clarify the THC concentration and potency with the salesperson.

Put Down the Pipe With Zebra CBD

Smoking CBD hemp can deliver desired benefits, but smoking can also put your lungs and heart at risk. To experience the CBD oil benefits without the disadvantages, opt for an edible or topical form of CBD.

With Zebra CBD, you can buy CBD online made with high-quality hemp. Try our full spectrum premium CBD oils, cleanly formulated for mental clarity, tranquility and healthy sleep cycles. Or, sweeten your day with a CBD gummy to support sleep, positive moods and muscle and joint health.

For those battling post-workout soreness, we’ve also crafted a CBD balm, CBD rub and CBD roll-on to provide on-the-spot, fast-acting relief.

See through the fog with Zebra CBD.

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