The filters reduce the amount of THC you get to the point that you’ll end up smoking more to get the same level of high, so you might not be reducing harmful byproducts in the end.

Not to mention, those charcoal filters mostly help with particulates. You’re still breathing in combustion and harmful byproducts that are produced, like benzene.

If your concern is for your health, you simply shouldn’t be combusting. You should consider switching to dry herb vaping.

Also important to note that this same dilemma exists for water pipes/bongs. With water filtration, it does reduce the amount of tar and particulates to a minor degree, but it much more effectively filters THC out of smoke than the tar and particulates. So while it does reduce particulates and tar to a very minor degree, you’re being left with more tar and particulates per THC molecule.

When comparing the THC to tar/particulate ratios, you get more tar and particulates per THC molecule from water pipes and bongs than from an unfiltered joint! Again, this is because you have to consume more from bongs to match the amount of THC from the unfiltered joint, because of how water filtration disproportionately filters out the THC over particulates. [1]

People who say that bongs/water pipes are to filter out the bad stuff are just terribly misinformed. That has never been the point of water pipes/bongs. The point is for the water to cool the smoke, and with bongs, to create a vacuum and condense the smoke. [2]

New studies have demonstrated that smoking out of a bong significantly increases the propensity for one to develop cannabis-related lung damage and health issues (widely referred to as “bong lung”).

This is largely due to the borotrauma (pressure difference on the lungs pulling thru water) and higher concentration of smoke/condensed smoke in a bong rip (far more smoke than you’d be able to inhale from a pipe/joint/blunt hit). Bong lung can cause irreversible lung damage and seriously affect quality of life.

Subjects typically develop large peripheral paraseptal lung bullae and are predisposed to spontaneous pneumothoraces [sudden onset of a collapsed lung]. The underlying mechanism for bullae formation is uncertain, but probably relates to direct lung toxicity and repeated barotrauma as the smoker performs frequent valsalva manoeuvres in an attempt to derive a greater drug effect.[3]

The definition of a bulla is an air-filled space of > 1 cm in diameter within the lung which has developed because of emphysematous destruction of the lung parenchyma [the portion of the lungs involved in gas exchange].[4]

There are two views as to the formation of bullae: both believe bullae to be the result of the increased intra-alveolar pressure that is present. [5] [Remember, bongs/water pipes cause unnecessary barotrauma on our lungs.]

Bong use can also lead to a particularly bad type of bronchitis, that often becomes chronic and people developing this bronchitis and continuing to smoke with it is believed to possibly play a role in developing bong lung.

The bronchitis that people get, the really nasty bronchitis, does tend to improve if you stop [cannabis use]. But what we, as lung doctors, see in people that don’t stop smoking cannabis, we see people coming in with lungs which are very, very badly damaged with lots of destruction of the lung tissue, and that is irreversible.” [6]

Bongs have always been my favorite medium, as I like the fucked up head high. But it’s just not worth the health risks to me. I switched to a Valcano and a Mighty+ and I’m happy with the switch. Took some getting used to, and it’s not quite as much of a inebriateling “dumb” high like bongs, but that’s just due to oxygen deprivation anyway… Vaping is great too because all of the Already Vaped Bud (AVB) can be used to make edibles! You get a second use out of all the bud you vape. Definitely recommend water baths for taste.