Despite previous reports, sales of cannabis vape products are plummeting in the wake of a recent outbreak of an acute lung disease caused by vaping. And although the actual cause of this sudden illness remains a mystery, cannabis labs are now testing legal recreational vape products for an additive that experts believe could be responsible for this nationwide health scare.
As of last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported 380 confirmed and probable cases of vaping-related lung illness across 36 states. Last Monday, California officials reported the seventh death connected to this illness, the first to occur in the Golden State. CDC officials have advised all Americans to avoid using all vape products until they have determined the cause of the illness, which can cause shortness of breath, coughing, fever, nausea, and chest pain.
Experts currently believe that vitamin E acetate, an additive commonly added to flavored black market vape cartridges, may be responsible for this illness. In response to this information, cannabis testing labs in many adult-use states have started explicitly testing vape products for this additive. Labs in Washington, Pennsylvania, California, and Colorado have all announced that they are working to develop tests for vitamin E acetate, and many have agreed to conduct these tests free of charge.
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