As you might know already, U.S. health officials are investigating 215 possible cases of severe lung disease associated with vaping across 25 states with several deaths associated to it.
Most of the cases are associated with nicotine or black market vapes that can include CBD and THC oils but no definite association has been found between any specific product.
“Even though cases appear similar, it is not clear if these cases have a common cause or if they are different diseases with similar presentations, which is why our ongoing investigation is critical,” CDC Director Robert Redfield and acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless said in a joint statement.
CDC and FDA say “People who use vape should not buy products off the street, modify e-cigarette products or add any substances that are not intended by the manufacturer”.
Patients in many cases experienced gradual symptoms, including breathing difficulty and chest pain before being hospitalized. Some people even reported vomiting and diarrhea or other symptoms like fevers or fatigue.
Federal officials are working with state and local health departments to track the outbreak. They have identified 215 possible cases as of Aug. 27, up from the 193 cases possible cases the agencies reported last week. Officials are investigating additional cases, the agencies said Friday.
A patient from Illinois died last week from a critical lung disease in what regulators consider the first death related to vaping in the U.S. As of Thursday, the state has recorded 27 cases that fit the description of the illness and another 8 that need more investigation. In more than half of the case, patients reported vaping THC oil bought from the black market.
While the dangers of smoking cigarettes are well documented, the risks of vaping — whether nicotine or THC — are relatively unknown since no one has vape for more than 10 years. Specially when getting these products of the black market where there is no regulation and greed makes people cut corners and use unsafe chemicals to create these oils.
When it comes to vaping your Medical Marijuana here in Florida there are several things to keep into consideration. MMTC’s are regulated by the Florida health departments and their products have to pass a safety inspection making our products free of heavy metals and pesticides but there can be other chemical left behind that are used in the process to create these oils and concentrates like ethanol and butane that can be harmful if used long term and in high amounts. If you have an option vape medicine that has been done via CO2 extraction which is a cleaner way of creating vapes and concentrate oils.
In summary, the vape related death out there in the news are associated to products bought in the black market so to be on the safe side make sure you get your products from an approved dispensary
