The vape crisis — or at least the first wave thereof — seems to be largely under control. But it’s likely to have long term reverberations in the cannabis industry, and beyond.
The vast majority of cases involved street THC vapes, but the crisis has not dampened Americans’ enthusiasm for legalization. Edibles sales have seen a bump in at least four states.
Gallup, MJBiz
- President Trump appears ready to ban all vape flavors except “adult” flavors menthol and tobacco. This is despite warnings from conservatives that it could cost him re-election. It’s not clear what the implications are for flavored THC vapes.
Axios
- In a lawsuit, a fired Juul Labs executive alleges the company knowingly shipped 1M tainted nicotine pods. The company called the allegations baseless. The suit quotes former CEO Kevin Burns regarding a proposal to put expiration dates on pods: ‘‘Half our customers are drunk and vaping like mo-fo’s, who the [expletive] is going to notice the quality of our pods.’’
AP
- Trump’s action has revived a controversy over whether to ban menthol cigarettes— which are more addictive– because of the unique risks they pose to African Americans.
Washington Post - Slate has a long list of everything that may be causing the illness.
- NPR has a great piece on the CDC’s scramble to control the outbreak.
In other respiratory news, a New York Times investigation found alcohol breath tests are often unreliable.
