More on Vaping Illnesses

As I've noted before, my interest in this issue was the sudden dog-piling on vaping, and the almost universal failure of the major media outlets to report on the true nature of the illnesses. That true nature is, as the Business Insider puts it, "Black market marijuana vapes containing substances like alcohol and caffeine may be to blame for spate of mysterious lung illnesses." From that article:

       There's a growing market for these illegal vapes and cartridges, which use cannabis distillates in a liquid form, rather than marijuana flower, to get users high. Black market sellers can open and tamper with the cartridges, adding substances like caffeine, alcohol, or other ingredients to make their supplies last longer.

     A September 6 study in The New England Journal of Medicine looked at vaping-related illness cases in Wisconsin and Illinois and found that 24 of the 41 THC-using patients they interviewed had used a product that was branded as "Dank Vapes," an elusive black market brand.

      People who sell Dank Vape brand devices on the black market advertise them as top-notch marijuana consumption devices, but the person who is running the business is a mystery, according to Inverse. Others have even started copying it with their own "Dank Vapes," making the name itself even more mysterious and difficult to track.

      During a September 19 media briefing, CDC and FDA officials said they are specifically examining THC, other cannabinoids, opioids, cutting agents, pesticides, poisons, and various additives.

 And, in fact, that NEJM article indicated that fully 84% of the victims admitted to using THC vaping products, and the researchers believed that the actual number was higher.

     It probably is not the THC that is causing the illnesses, however, but other contaminants:

      Cannabis vape pens bought on the black market have been found to contain hydrogen cyanide.

      NBC News reported that they ordered a testing of 18 vaping cartridges with THC, the main psychoactive compound found in marijuana.  

      Three cartridges were purchased from legal dispensaries in California and those were not found to contain heavy metals or pesticides.

      But of the 15 that were bought from unlicensed dealers, 13 contained the solvent Vitamin E, which has been found to cause severe lung damage when it is inhaled.

      Also found was myclobutanil, a pesticide that, when burned, can turn into hydrogen cyanide - a chemical that can lead to fatal asphyxiation within minutes.

So, while the FDA has stated that it does not have plans to ban flavored vaping products, several states have or are looking at suspending or stopping sales.