Over the past week, the media has had a field day with articles about Vaping related deaths in US. I put vaping in quotations as the term vaping is being used loosely by the media referring to any electric device being used to consume anything in vapor form.
Here is what you need to know about these news reports:
- The term ‘vaping’ has in the past referred to using an e-cigarette (a vape) with e-liquid containing nicotine. There have been zero cases of injury or death in the US reported that have been a result of using the traditional nicotine ‘vaping’ products.
- The press has combined the use of illegal THC-infused ‘vape pens’ together with ‘e-cigarettes’ to create an all-encompassing & misleading term, ‘vaping’.
- The Vaping-related deaths that have occurred in the United States due to vaping are very likely linked to a THC-infused vape pen (Source).
- “The serious lung illness affecting hundreds of people in the U.S. who vaped cannabis-based oil.” These devices are often unregulated & illegal and are made by an unregistered individual or company.
- While there have been no official reports from the CDC, initial suggestions are that “some researchers suspect vitamin E acetate, which recently has been used as a thickener.” THC distillate is most commonly used as an additive in marijuana vape pens & pods as THC distillate is very thick. It is theorized that in the process of thinning out the THC distillate, some individuals or companies are using ingredients that are toxic to humans and very unsafe for inhalation. These ingredients could include vitamin E Acetate which is not safe to inhale.
- Traditional vaping (using an e-cigarette/vape with e-liquid with nicotine) has been around for over 12 years, and there have been no deaths or significant injuries reported as a direct result of using these traditional vaping products. On the contrary, these devices have been studied and found to be 95-96% safer than cigarette smoking by several governments, (Source) and recommended for use by several governments around the world.
What the media is effectively doing is lumping in a specific sub-sector of ‘vaping’, specifically illegal drug-infused vape pens & pods, in with traditional nicotine e-cigarettes and causing fear, confusion, and doubt about vaping.
Let’s say that a new unregulated car manufacturer started making cars that ran on jet fuel and started illegally selling these cars, and then people who bought these cars were being hurt or killed, would you start worrying about your Ford Escape or Toyota Prius? Would you want our government to ban the use of all vehicles? Would you want our media to suggest it is now as dangerous to drive your traditional vehicle as it is to drive a black market rocket car?
There are currently an estimated 10 million people using traditional vaping products (e-liquid with nicotine with a vaping/e-cigarette device) worldwide, and many have been using them without issue for years. If there were a serious health risk associated with this type of vaping, it would have surfaced very long ago.
What should you do?
Knowledge is power. The first suggestion I would have is to only purchase your vaping products from a trusted and well-recognized business. Canada Vapes (shameless plug coming) has been selling vaping products since 2010. We only work with the best e-cigarette manufacturers who produce their products using strict quality control and adhere to strict manufacturing procedures.
Secondly, we recommend you only purchase your e-liquids from businesses that are reputable, and that have their ingredients listed on the bottle. Know what is in your e-liquids.
Lastly, listen to your body! For me personally, when I transitioned from cigarette smoking to vaping, my body said “YES”. My breathing improved, my smoker’s cough went away, and my taste buds started tasting food again. If you listen to your body it will let you know if you are having any issues with vaping. A small percentage of vapours transitioning away from cigarettes can have some negative effects from vaping nicotine e-liquid including dry mouth, headaches, and a sensitivity to different flavours. Most of these negative effects will go away within a few days of transitioning, but it is important to listen to your body and stop vaping if it is causing you any distress.
At the end of the day, this seems to be nothing more than media hype followed by a significant overreaction by many States and even government heads (Donald Trump) with very little knowledge or understanding of A) the problem at hand B) the steps required to resolve the problem. Banning all vaping, or even banning flavoured e-liquids, would do nothing to prevent the current issues regarding THC-infused illegal vape pens being manufactured & sold. What we need from our government is regulation and not prohibition. We need to force all vaping companies, as well as all marijuana companies to a stricter manufacturing process and ensure quality control within the industry.
Howie
