Is Tainted THC the Cause of Vaping Illness?
According to Cannabis Creative state ban on selling vaping products after deaths from lung illness has panicked cannabis users.
Federal authorities said that most of the lung illnesses nationwide have been tied to vaping THC bought on the illicit market. THC is the psychotropic ingredient in marijuana.
NEWTON, Mass., Oct. 31, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Centers for Disease Control has confirmed 1,479 lung injury cases associated with the use of e-cigarettes, or vapes, and 33 deaths. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker ordered the temporary ban on Sept. 24 after several cases of vaping-reported illnesses were reported in the state.
Suffolk Superior Court Judge Douglas Wilkins upheld the ban after hearing arguments by the Vapor Technology Association and DPH Commissioner Dr. Monica Bharel last week, although Thursday (Oct. 24) he ruled to allow patients with medical marijuana to continue vaping cannabis. The ban remains on vaping equipment and the display and sale of such products.
Boston University Epidemiologist Dr. Michael Siegel had testified the outbreak was likely due to tainted, black-market THC vapes and the ban was driving cannabis vapers to smoking harmful nicotine. [The Boston Globe, Oct. 16].
A study released last month, commissioned by NBC News, supports the tainted vapes theory. CannaSafe, a leading cannabis testing facility, sampled THC cartridges obtained from both licensed dispensaries and unlicensed dealers in California.
"Of the three purchased from legal dispensaries in California… found no heavy metals, pesticides or residual solvents like Vitamin E (acetate)," NBC reported. "But 13 out of the other 15 samples from black market THC cartridges were found to contain Vitamin E (acetate)."
Mike Matton, Founder of High Purity Extractions and High Purity Natural Products emphasized that "the only additives should be natural distilled plant based terpenes to provide additional medicinal affects and plant based flavors… No one should ever use cutting agents such as PG, VG, essential oils, MCT."
Josefine Nowitz, Co-Founder of Cannabis Creative, agreed, "Of course it's alarming when a health crisis is announced, but it's clear that everyone in this industry wants to offer safe products legally."
"The challenge is when our clients like Revolutionary Clinics, who are selling compliant, safe, tested, THC products legally, become hindered by Massachusetts' policies; this impacts our business greatly" she said.
The city of Cambridge, enacted an ordinance allowing only those participating in the state's economic empowerment program, as defined by the state's Cannabis Control Commission, exclusive access to the city's recreational cannabis market. Revolutionary Clinics has sued the city over the ordinance, saying that the ordinance defies state law, which says cities and towns can't prevent medical marijuana dispensaries from converting to recreational stores. The company estimates a revenue loss of $700,000 per store each month that Cambridge delays its opening, according to a story in Boston Business Journal.
"We want to make sure that people who need cannabis have access to safe, lab-tested cannabis products and aren't drawn to the underground market." reflected Nowitz.
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