The vaping industry has come under fire after 6 people (at time of writing) have died from a mysterious lung disease, with many other people hospitalised by it. All these people have vaped a lot recently, leading people to link the disease to vaping, but not all is as it seems.
Bootleg Products
After further investigation, reports have found that these people have actually been using illegal "bootleg" vape juice. This juice, either bought on the black market or made at home, contains THC, the compound found in marijuana that gets you high. While this is found in CBD products, it is at very low levels, legally at a maximum of 0.2%, so it does not get you high. At high, illegal levels like in these bootleg products, it can get you high, which is why people choose these products.
The bootleg products also contain a new ingredient called Honey Cut or Clear Cut, which contains Vitamin E. This is used to dilute the THC without thinning the viscosity, making it suitable to vape. Vitamin E is used in olive oil and almonds but can prove deadly when it is taken into the lungs, so it is definitely possible this is what is causing these lung diseases. Vitamin E was found in nearly all samples taken from the patients suffering from the disease, with no other common element being found in the patients at the time of writing.
Aftermath
America's Ban Plans
On Wednesday, President Trump announced his plans to ban flavoured cigarettes in the USA. This would mean the only e-liquid flavours available would be the tobacco flavour. Trump said this was due to the vaping deaths mentioned above as well as the youth of America being attracted by vape flavours.
Melania, the first lady, has also been very vocal about the e-cigarette outbreak. In a tweet on Monday, she said "I am deeply concerned about the growing epidemic of e-cigarette use in our children. We need to do all we can to protect the public from tobacco-related disease and death, and prevent e-cigarettes from becoming an on-ramp to nicotine addiction for a generation of youth."
Unfortunately, due to the White House being unaware about the difference between normal e-liquids and the vapes that are causing these deaths, this law might go through.
6 deaths from vaping an illegal substance may lead to vaping being banned, while 8 million people killed each year by smoking has not at yet lead to a ban. This is very bad since vape products being banned could lead to former smokers going back to smoking.
How This Could Affect the UK
British people do not have to worry about these deathly vapes, as seen in this Guardian article. The head of Tobacco Control at Public Health England, Martin Dockrell, reassured people that all vape products in England are tightly regulated for quality and safety to ensure that no illegal products are sold.
This was backed up by Deborah Arnott, the chief executive of the health charity Action on Smoking and Health, who said that no serious side effects of vaping had been reported in the UK.
Professor Linda Bauld, a public health expert at Edinburgh University, said it is highly unlikely that the widely available nicotine-containing vape products are the cause of these vaping deaths, and it is most likely down to the THC and Vitamin E contained in the product.
These vaping bans will hit the industry hard and, with former smokers possibly relapsing, could lead to worse health issues. Be aware of these dangerous bootleg vapes; authorities in America are currently searching for these black market companies and have already busted one.
You can be sure that all our products on this site and our CBD site are all within the law and not bootleg products.