Friday, October 11, 2019

Bans are the wrong answer to vaping crisis

Legalizing Cannabis Is The Answer To Vaping Concerns - Kris Krane, Forbes:

October 7, 2019 - "Over the past few months the media has been awash with reports of people getting sick from vaping.... In response, politicians have been taking action to get ahead of the problem, with most relying on some form of vape ban. A handful of governors and President Trump have proposed banning all flavored vape cartridges, while Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker declared a public health emergency and banned the sale of all vape products in the state for four months.

'While these actions may be well meaning, they are likely to only exacerbate the problem.... To date, 805 cases of people suffering from vape-related illnesses and at least 12 deaths have been reported.... Despite the relatively small number of vape-related illnesses and deaths, the nation seems to be amid a media-fueled hysteria around the issue of vaping.....

"But the reaction to ban all vape sales, as they have in Massachusetts, may have hugely negative public health consequences. After all, people who use nicotine vapes are generally addicted to nicotine.... Without access to legal and regulated vape cartridges they will face two options: obtain illicit-market nicotine vape cartridges produced in an unregulated facility ... or go back to smoking cigarettes.....

"On the cannabis side of the equation, banning legally produced cannabis vape cartridges could be the most counterproductive response possible. Of the vaping-related illnesses, the vast majority appear to be related to counterfeit illicit market products that contain pesticides, additives and cutting agents dangerous to human health. By eliminating access to licensed and regulated products, states like Massachusetts may be inadvertently driving these customers and patients to the illicit market that’s causing these problems in the first place.

"In response to the wave of vape-related illnesses, NBC News took cartridges ... to CannaSafe, an accredited testing lab..... All the illicit-market products contained dangerous substances like pesticides and hydrogen cyanide.... None of these contaminants were found in the legally produced products that CannaSafe tested....

"Another problem arises from the fact that producers of illicit-market vape cartridges often cut their cannabis oil with thinning agents to decrease potency and increase profit margins. Then, to increase viscosity back to the level consumers expect to see, they add thickening agents, the most popular of which is Vitamin E acetate....

"The most effective way to combat these illicit-market products is for every state and the federal government to legalize cannabis so that vape production can be regulated under a uniform set of rules. With cannabis legal nationwide, there would be little reason for producers to bootleg legal products to ship out of state, since these products would be available to any cannabis consumer anywhere in the country.... Regulators could and should ... ensure that all products are being tested not only for pesticides, but thickening agents like Vitamin E acetate....

"Prohibition only drives consumers to the illicit market where more dangerous products are rampant, and results in negative public health impacts. As the country continues to wrestle with how to handle vape-related illnesses, we would be wise to heed the lessons of the past and recognize that the most effective remedy is legalization, regulation, and education."

Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kriskrane/2019/10/07/legalizing-cannabis-is-the-answer-to-vaping-concerns/#7564a8a69488
'via Blog this'

2 comments:

  1. E-Liquid bargins UK, Wow, cool post. I'd like to write like this too - taking time and real hard work to make a great article... but I put things off too much and never seem to get started. Thanks though.

    ReplyDelete