Oregon may ban additives in cannabis vaping products

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Regulators are considering making sweeping changes to how vapes are sold in the state

Last year’s events brought a crisis for the vaping industry after many people across the country started to get sick and some of them died due to rare lung damage that was later attributed to an additive present in vaping products. Companies like Sublime Solutions in Eugene, OR, which distills tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), saw its revenue drop by more than 70% when Oregon Governor Kate Brown put a ban on flavored vape products. The case was taken to court and the ban quickly overturned; however, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) is working on a new proposal to ban flavors and thinning agents used for THC-based products.

In this proposal, the OLCC is seeking to stop manufacturers from using THC oil with any additive that has not been proved safe to inhale. The good part is that flavored terpenes and cannabinoids will still be allowed for added natural flavoring. This basically means that cannabis oils can taste like cannabis and nothing else. JT Thompson, owner of Sublime Solutions said, “None of us expected that this was going to be part of what was going on this year.”

According to TJ Sheehy, director of research at the OLCC, the agency is targeting those additives coming from third-party companies that are not properly regulated. “We don’t believe that consumers should be guinea pigs,” he added.

Last year, it was discovered that vitamin E acetate, an additive regularly used in vaping devices, was present and infected the lungs of the thousands of Americans who ended up in the hospital for breathing problems. Manufacturers added the acetate to THC oil so it tasted better. Sheehy added that, even if there is a list of hundreds of additives approved for consumption by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it doesn’t mean they are also safe to inhale.