A silky vapor fills the mouth. Heavier than a breath, thick enough for the tongue to feel. It’s smooth but hot against the back of the throat. It might prompt a burning cough. What began as a liquid becomes a sticky residue coating the lungs in the way caramel encases an apple. Highly concentrated THC floods the brain within seconds. Blood vessels dilate, pulsing a flow that reddens the eyes. The lids droop with instant relaxation.
The hit buzzes the body, blanketing each limb in cozy euphoria.
Las Positas student Angel Obcena began to feel a slow sense of lightness.
“I notice I have more trouble controlling my laughter. Things become increasingly spacey,” Obcena said. “But your mind forgets to take note of the effect.”
A streamlined high, habitual for thousands of young people — as evidenced by the earthy and fruity plumes permeating school bathrooms. Gen Z largely opts for cannabis as their drug of choice, according to research firm New Frontier Data. It’s no coincidence their primary form of consumption emerged during their youth: the THC vape.
Known as “pens” or “carts,” THC vapes are portable electronic devices that vaporize potent cannabis oil or wax with the push of a button. They revolutionized cannabis consumption through their accessibility. While still cotton-mouthed and red-eyed, pen users avoid the strong smell, taste and time-suck of sparking up cannabis flower. Research shows users pay for the shortcut by risking a dicey addiction — one most consequential for young brains.
The pen-demic remains a symptom of the hedonistic, quick-fix culture in which Gen Z was raised. In the age of continuous dopamine hits from smartphones, another device delivering feel-good chemicals on demand seems inevitable. But the steep physical and mental costs have proven ineffective deterrents for a teenage and young-adult pastime normalized by false assumptions of safety. The young suffer addiction, depression and even death.
Dr. Christopher J. Hammond, a clinical scientist at John Hopkins Medicine, said adolescence is a critical period of development. In an article on Every Brain Matters, a nonprofit website focused on cannabis, Hammond said cannabis increases the risk of hampering that development.
“In particular,” Hammond said, “high potency cannabis use … may represent a public health crisis.”
INSTEAD OF CRACKLING EMBERS, Gen Z’s smoking circles are now marked by button clicks. But the lack of a flame doesn’t make them any less dangerous. (Photo by Ian Express/The Express)
The Come-up
In 2012, the first modern 510-thread pens allowed users to connect interchangeable cartridges of THC concentrate to their source of power: the battery. The battery serves as the pen’s slim, rechargeable base, powering the heating coil in the cartridge to vaporize its oil. For the first time, the logistical barriers to smoking weed lifted. Classrooms. Churches. Cubicles. Grandma’s. Every building became a prospective smoke zone for stoners. If burning actual cannabis flower smells loud, then THC vapes merely eke out a whisper.
The industry sold a fantasy — touting the pen as a practical, palatable and even healthier alternative to smoking.
In the early days, the health claim proved hard to dismiss, with the technology too new for thorough research on its impact. A 2016 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health brought light to the misconception.
“Indeed, vaping is perceived and being sold as a safer way to use cannabis,” the researchers reported, “despite the lack of data on the health effects of chronic vaping.”
Many young people, eager to get high discreetly, embraced the bliss of ignorance. So did their dealers. For the next decade, the THC vape market spiraled into a wild west of brand knock-offs and watered-down fakes riddled with mystery additives.
A report published by JAMA Pediatrics, a journal published by the American Medical Association, found the percentage of teens who vaped cannabis doubled from 2013 to 2020.
Colorful packaging parodies video games and cereal brands. Some visuals depict tarnished versions of childhood mascots, such as the Trix bunny with bloodshot eyes. But beyond the gimmick, the promise of a fruity blast with each puff serves as the main lure. Artificial flavors dominate the vape scene. Dessert-like swirls help the medicine go down, a tactic typically marketed to fussy children. Cannabis manufacturers peddled vapes the same way Nabisco uses elves to sell cookies.
Concerned moms turned out to be right. Data from a 2021-2024 study published by the Journal of Adolescent Health shows enticingly sweet flavors drew in hoards of adolescents, many still shy of high school.
“Adolescents are more willing to try flavored marijuana solutions, which they view as less dangerous and with greater curiosity,” the Journal of Adolescent Health reported. “The youngest adolescents are most likely to use flavors when vaping marijuana.”
The Comedown
The days of chiefing cherry dream Mario Carts without worry ended in 2019, when an outbreak of hospitalization cases linked back to THC vapes. Vitamin E acetate, a thickening agent used to cut black-market THC carts, sent users to the ER with vaping-related lung injuries. By February of 2020, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention tallied 2,807 cases and 68 deaths. Over half of patients were under age 25.
The crisis hit the news, spurring a widespread scare for users and parents. Public perception of all vapes began to shift, and states cracked down with stricter regulations. The use of vitamin E acetate dissipated even in the black market. But despite enlightenment to the risk of serious injury, the scare only deterred some users for a blip, as if short-term memory loss had already done a number on their brains. The rebound exemplified it: Gen Z got hooked, and bad.
THC vape usage only trended upward after the pandemic hit. Data from a National Youth Tobacco Survey revealed 2.5 million adolescents were vaping THC during a 2022 peak in usage. Research on their impact also boomed, with a slew of studies presenting alarming results:
Pens leached heavy metals and toxic pesticides. Users faced cardiovascular damage. An uptick in cannabis hyperemesis syndrome loomed, a condition characterized by intense bouts of vomiting. The list goes on. The most common ailment remains respiratory illness that accelerates with use, including chronic cough, mucus and chest pain.
The drawbacks aren’t limited to physical injuries. Data from John Hopkins Medicine on the mental toll of THC vapes revealed risk of cognitive decline, loss of motivation, worsening of anxiety and depression and even development of psychosis. The Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, a journal published by the American Psychological Association, reported that marijuana rewires undeveloped brains, jeopardizing essential mental functions like memory.
“Marijuana use, particularly heavy use, has been shown to affect working memory, learning and information processing,” the journal reported. “These functions are necessary for academic performance.”
High Risk, High Reward
If a wealth of data on the mental and physical harm of THC vapes exists, why won’t Gen Z break up with their pens?
The obvious answer? They’re highly addictive — most boasting levels of around 60-90% THC. The levels of potency now considered average only existed in the imagination of the Gen X smoker, whose flower capped at around 5%.
The mass dependency has complicated roots. Young people have always been defined by their buy now, pay later mindset. It’s easy to feel invincible when consequences only exist in an abstract future. But Gen Z’s lesson on health debt comes at a unique point in history, in which innovation has brought unprecedented highs to irresistible levels. DoorDash. AI. Social media. Vapes. All delivering instantaneous rewards to our psyches. The chase of fleeting pleasure reflects a demand for cheap distraction from the reality Gen Z finds itself in.
“Malls are dead,” Obcena said. “Food is expensive, and events are 50 miles away and always cost at least $45. So for many of my peers, the most affordable form of social activity is smoking up.”
Obcena’s relationship with THC vapes began as she settled into her teens. Her friends would get carts from various dealers and pass them off. Vaping quickly became a way to cope with her depression and the monotony of high school. While Obcena acknowledges her period of heavy usage likely worsened her health, she credits it for liberating her from her overactive, socially anxious mind.
“The way that it rewired my brain chemistry definitely made me like who I am now much more,” Obcena said. “By slowing my reaction time and weakening my mental filter, I was able to more easily let out all the thoughts inside my head. It was much simpler to participate in small talk while I was high, a skill I was able to transport into sobriety.”
LPC student Elijah Sumang also finds THC medicinal. At 17, he received two diagnoses: Insomnia, difficulty falling or staying asleep, and hypersomnia, difficulty waking up or staying awake.
“Normal over-the-counter medication didn’t help,” Sumang said, “It wasn’t until I used pens or carts that it helped me enjoy sleep and get proper rest.”
The line between medicinal and harmful remains finely walked, as temporary relief may carry long-term baggage. Whether Gen Z uses THC pens for sleep, partying, anxiety or chronic pain, the devices define the generation as their prime choice for a buzz.
“It’s the modern style we now live with,” Sumang said. “And just like anything in life, it’s all about moderation.”
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TOP PHOTO: In California, THC vape pens now outsell cannabis flower thanks to Gen Z buyers. The consumer base is trading the ritual of rolling up for convenient cartridges of amber-colored THC concentrate. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/ The Express)
Jaxyn Good is the Managing Editor of The Express. Follow her on Instagram @jaxyngood
