Americans who had never even conceptualized vaporizing cannabis now have in mind vaping as a a source of deadly lung disease. All at once a cannabis tragedy, a P.R. crisis, and a call to regulate, the past month has been one like no other, legal weed or otherwise.
Erring on the side of caution is the order of this season for cannabis businesses as researchers attempt to discern what’s causing the vaping-related illness which has killed at least 12 and sickened hundreds.
Los Angeles Times
- Citing the outbreak’s unknown factors and the uncertainty of the exact cause, acting Public Health Director Dr. Charity Dean, said, “We are seeing something that we have not seen before.”
- Dr. Charity Dean, California’s acting public health director, said, “We are seeing something that we have not seen before.”
- The volume of journalism devoted to vaping over the past few weeks feels unprecedented. Leading the way in this week’s crisis — business as much as health — coverage, Leafly followed a vape pen. Or, they gave it a really solid effort, but got hung up along the way. “Along its journey each vape cartridge—also known as a cart—may pick up lead (the toxic heavy metal), pesticides, unsafe additives like vitamin E oil, and the residual solvent butane. Each of these ingredients can cause lung injury. As many as 50 million of these tainted carts may currently be circulating in the United States.” No way is that last sentence true.
- Through the week, uncertainty has surrounded each prounouncement of causes, with vitamin E leading at the week’s start, and cyanide coming up fast on Friday. Vape sales have fallen, and the overall impact seems mixed,
Quick Hit
- Expungement Week is closing, and if you don’t think this is among contemporary pot’s most important weeks you’ve probably never done time for holding that thing so many now make a living pushing legally.
Off the Record
