CDC Urges People to Avoid Vaping THC Amid Lung Disease Outbreak

[jayfish]

Source: CNBC

THC, or the compound that produces a high in marijuana, was used by patients in most of the cases, CDC Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat told reporters Friday. However, health officials still do not know what specific chemical is making people sick.

“Of the patients who reported what products they used, THC-containing products were the most prominent link across patients, with only 16% reporting using only nicotine-containing products,” Schuchat said.

Among the 514 cases where the CDC has data on which substance they were vaping, 76.9% said they used THC and 56.8% reported using nicotine, according to a CDC report published Friday. More than a third of the patients, 36%, said they exclusively used THC while 16% said they only vaped nicotine.

Illinois and Wisconsin officials said they found Dank Vapes was the most commonly used brand of pre-filled THC cartridges in those states, according to a separate report also published Friday. Of the 86 patients interviewed, 57 said they used Dank Vapes products.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/27/cdc-urges-people-to-avoid-vaping-thc-amid-lung-disease-outbreak.html

[flibbitygiblets]

1. Or you could just get it from licensed, reputable sources and not black market ones

But hey, go ahead and make the case why we should all suffer for the actions of a few. There's not nearly enough ignorance out there about marijuana anymore.

[proud patriot]

2. +1

[jayfish]

4. No Argument Here But;...

even is some states where it's legal (Michigan) it's difficult to buy legit product.

[flibbitygiblets]

8. Sorry to hear that Jayfish. It's hard to imagine a MJ shortage, living here on the left coast

But yes, lots of states, while allowing it, don't exactly make it easy. And then there are the deep red states, particularly in the south. Those people will probably never see the day when it's widely considered no big deal, and safer than alcohol.

In OR we actually have a glut. There's literally pot stores within stone's throw of my house, operated by the friendliest, most helpful people imaginable. Which is why were pushing for intra-state sales to be legalized.

[jayfish]

12. No Shortage Here.

You just can't go into a store and get it. ...yet. I'll come clean and say that I was using, black market, THC vapes exclusively for a couple of months. Then I came across a couple, really, sketchy products and went back to flower. I'm glad it was well before the current situation.

[obamanut2012]

14. Yup, I am going home after work and vaping

I get my carts from licensed FL MMJ dispensaries. I live in a non-smoking apartment community, and FL has no edibles.

[flibbitygiblets]

16. No edibles? That SUCKS!!!

[htuttle]

3. Same thing happened during alcohol Prohibition

Over the course of it, thousands died from tainted or badly made distilled liquor.

[flibbitygiblets]

7. Same thing happened with abortions before Roe. Thousands died from back-alley abortions

The answer is clear: Safe, legal, regulated. Period.

[obamanut2012]

15. EXCELLENT analogy!

I don't buy my scotch off the street, and I certainly don't buy my THC carts off the street.

[yaesu]

5. Its not THC, its a contaminate slipped into some vape products by unscrupulous capitalist pigs. nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. Correct. Vaping unprocessed herb is still the best route.

It's a little like beer is healthier than wine is healthier than liquor.

Also like bread you bake from flour is healthier than factory white bread.

Steamed vegetables are better than canned vegetables.

[crickets]

21. You're right - Vitamin E acetate is suspected

Disclosure: I started vaping to quit cigarettes, and it worked really well. Vaping is not exactly healthy, but I am grateful it helped me quit the much more damaging cigarettes I was smoking when nothing else did. Yes, I am tapering off vaping also.

E-cigarettes around 95% less harmful than tobacco estimates landmark review
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/e-cigarettes-around-95-less-harmful-than-tobacco-estimates-landmark-review

The reason people are dying isn't because they are vaping, it's because of *what* they're vaping - and it has nothing to do with flavors.

Counterfeit Weed Vape Cartridges Are Everywhere — and They’re Making People Sick
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/counterfeit-thc-vapes-cdc-vaping-health-alert-875931/

A Thickener Used in Pot Vaping Is a Hugely Popular Black-Market Scam
https://www.inverse.com/article/59207-vitamin-e-acetate-thc-vapes

The CDC is a little behind the info curve in giving people a more precise and useful warning, but I'm glad they're finally getting the word out.

/relurk

[Dr Hobbitstein]

6. I knew it was gonna be Dank Vapes.

They're a "black market vape brand". You can buy blank branded packaging and labeling on eBay.

[kas125]

11. I suspected as much. Here they are usually the only ones people can get.

I know lots of people who've used Dank Vapes, even bought a couple myself several months ago. The person I got them from said his brother in law goes to Denver once a month and brings them back from a dispensary and I didn't question it, just was thrilled to find cartridges here. The first one seemed great, the second one did nothing but make me cough. And then cough some more. I started wondering so I googled and found that, nope, no brother in law bought them legally, no dispensary carries them, they're a totally black market brand. So I figured they'd be the problem when all this started happening to people, too.

[YOHABLO]

9. It's not THC. We have had a long history with this, and we know it does

not cause death. Something else is going on here. Vaping is so faddish; it's not as cool as you think. Let it go folks, find other means for your oral fixations.

[BannonsLiver]

13. I use the carts for certain settings where I want to be inconspicuous

I can’t speak for why others use them but fro my perspective that’s the only reason I’d use them. Personally I prefer flower.

[flibbitygiblets]

17. The problem with flower, for me, is smoke. My throat just doesn't care for that

Edibles are a wonderful answer, and you can taper your amount very easily. Next best is vaping, but even with those, some (legal, regulated) versions are better than others. Some give me a sore throat the next day; maybe it's the chemicals they use to extract the liquid? I also know people who vape so much they actually have a "smoker's cough" despite not using nicotine products.

[BannonsLiver]

18. Yeah edibles are a great way to go

For me it takes quite a bit to feel the effects so it’s more of a special occasion thing. At home I use flower with a tabletop vaporizer which I’ve found to be a much better option than bongs, pipes etc.

[Igel]

19. And the stats in the OP said that.

It's also not nicotine.

Yet what the problem is remains a mystery. Perhaps it's a chemical. Perhaps it's something else. Perhaps it's two chemicals interacting, or a chemical with some physical property.

There's also the pretty good chance that this isn't a new thing but one that's now recognized as a category, and therefore reported as one. In other words, it's a coherent set of symptoms whose coherence was just now recognized.

[JonLP24]

20. What about THC from a dispensary?

I was under the impression those were black market cartridges.