extropians: Re: the efficacy of water pipes (was Re: Smoking [Was: An interesting poll]

Re: the efficacy of water pipes (was Re: Smoking [Was: An interesting poll]

KPJ (kpj@sics.se)
Thu, 17 Jun 1999 18:12:04 +0200

KPJ <kpj@sics.se> wrote:
|I would suggest smokers to use a water pipe as, according to a study, it
|filters away various obnoxious substances from the smoke. (Any THC smokers
|might wish to know that it also dilutes the cannabinol contents in the
|smoke, if present.)

It appears as if Jeffrey Fabijanic <jeff@primordialsoft.com> wrote:
|
|I beg to differ with both of your suppositions.
|
|Nicotine is highly soluable in water, and therefore water pipes are rather
|useless to the habitual tobacco smoker. In cultures where such pipes are
|commonly used for tobacco consumption, the liquid is usually wine, or a
|mixture of wine and a little water.

I thank the honourable list member for the correction of my assumption of the usefulness of water pipe technology for the tobacco users. Indeed, the water affinity of nicotine would make the use water pipe an exercise of futility.

|On the other hand, the cannabinoids (of which cannibinol is but a single
|example, btw) are not water soluable to any extent, and therefore water
|pipes can be of great benefit to the smoker of cannabis (aka marijuana), as
|much of the tar and other undesirable elements will be removed from the
|smoke during its passage through the pipe, while the vast majority of the
|psychoactive components will be unimpeded. [Actually, passage through the
|water can cool them in their vapour phase and some will condence out as
|oily droplets, either stucjk to the inside surface of the pipe, or
|suspended in the water - immiscible but nonetheless trapped. This small
|fraction of oil can be recovered by the clever (or desperate ;P ), but is
|typically discarded].

I detect no errors in your analysis.

For the record:

The statement "Any THC smokers might wish to know that it also dilutes the cannabinol contents in the smoke, if present." quoted/rephrased a report from MAPS <URL:http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v06n3/06359mj1.html>, "Marijuana Water Pipe and Vaporizer Study", by Dale Gieringer, Ph.D.