Black Market THC Vapes Are Behind The Outbreak of Lung Injuries and Deaths

Recent reports and studies from the CDC confirm that the cause of the recent outbreak of lung disease and death, known as EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury), is the result of unregulated, black-market THC vaping products, and not from commercially available nicotine vaping. As of January 2020, the CDC had reported 2,602 cases of vaping related respiratory illness and 57 deaths. Almost all of those cases involved the use of THC vaping products or so-called “dank vapes,” most of which contain the hazardous additive Vitamin E acetate, which has been implicated as the true cause of the epidemic.

The big question which anti-vaping activists refuse to ask is why instances of EVALI only have appeared since August 2019, even though vaping has been around for more than ten years. The answer is that EVALI corresponds with the appearance of Vitamin E acetate in THC vaping products, which is only recent. Vitamin E acetate is not commonly used in commercial nicotine vaping products. reported on the issue, noting that while vaporizers and conventional nicotine e-juices are legal and regulated, cannabis oils (THC) are still largely unregulated, which has led to many providers using untested oil carriers in cannabis products. THC vapes that are sold in legal dispensaries, on the other hand, are more likely to be free from Vitamin E acetate. Those legal THC vapes, which have been tested, have not been linked to the illnesses and deaths.

While some anti-vaping activists are still quick to blame vaping in general for the illnesses, the facts now are clear. Vaping as a platform is not to blame for EVALI, nor are commercially available pods or vaping liquids, including flavored liquids. Nor is CBD, or even THC, to blame. The cause of the illnesses lies in black marketeers and irresponsible marketers who use Vitamin E acetate as a mixing agent for THC vaping products.

The Real Cause Of Vaping-Related Illness

According to the report from the CDC, most EVALI patients acquired THC- and nicotine-containing products from informal sources (the black market). The report reinforces the contention that the recent spate of illness and lung disease is the result of hazardous additives used in black market products, and not from legal, commercially available nicotine vaping products.

Further lab tests confirm that, according to the CDC, vaping products containing THC, primarily obtained from the black market or “informal” sources, are “linked to most of the cases and play a major role in the outbreak” of EVALI related lung injury and death.

In one such investigation in Illinois and Wisconsin, the majority of those who had contracted the illness had vaped THC products labeled as “Dank Vapes.”  Dank Vapes are often associated with counterfeit products and, according to the CDC report, are easily available online and “used by distributors to market THC-containing cartridges with no obvious centralized production or distribution.”

According to the CDC report on the investigation, “The cause of this outbreak is unknown but might be related to prefilled THC cartridges.” The report said that 100 out of the 112 THC vaping products were obtained from “informal sources.” The CDC, which does tend to exercise an abundance of caution, has updated its warning on vaping to emphasize the risk of vaping THC products, in particular, saying “CDC recommends that people consider refraining from an e-cigarette, or vaping, products, particularly those containing THC.” And while the CDC is right in issuing a warning on vaping THC products, that they still continue to warn people about commercial e-cigarettes and all vaping products, in general, is irresponsible, given that mainstream nicotine vaping has not been shown to be the cause of the lung illnesses.

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It is also telling to note that the reports implicate THC vaping in a very large majority of EVALI instances, and it may even be 100 percent since some of those studies rely on self-reporting, and some respondents may be reluctant to admit that they have been using THC vapes. Interestingly, the CDC has noted that nine out of 11 patients who reported no use of cannabis products, had THC or THC metabolites in their lung fluid.

Avoiding The Black Market

Those who wish to use pods or vaporizers to enjoy legal, nicotine (or nicotine-free) vaping, including flavored e-juices, have little to worry about. As is the case with any product, a lack of quality control and testing, along with improper or inadequate labeling, often leads to poor results. Since the illness is related to vaping THC, and not nicotine juices, that is where the focus of the investigation should be. The recommended solution then, is not to avoid vaping altogether, but rather, to avoid vaping unregulated THC and either buy it from a legal dispensary or if no legal dispensary is available, choose another way outside of vaping to take THC. Commercial vaping products should continue to be legal and enjoyed as a safer and healthier alternative to combustible cigarettes.

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