‘Dank Vapes’ Among Black Market Brands Linked To Vaping Illnesses, Officials Say

Rachel Sandler Forbes Staff Sep 27, 2019, 06:48pm

Topline: Black market THC vape cartridges from the brand Dank Vapes were used by several patients with vaping-related illnesses in the Midwest, health officials said Friday, but the origin of vaping-related lung illnesses around the U.S. still remains a mystery. 

·         Health officials in Wisconsin and Illinois interviewed 86 people who have fallen ill and found that 66 reported using e-cigarette products containing THC, the psychoactive compound found in cannabis, purchased from “informal” sources.

·         No single product or brand name was reported by all patients, but a prefilled THC cartridge sold under the brand name Dank Vapes was used by 57 (66%) of patients.

·         Dank Vapes isn’t a licensed company, but rather a group of popular counterfeit brands with distinct graphic design. Anyone can purchase Dank Vapes boxes online and package it with whatever they want. Health officials say Dank Vapes doesn’t appear to have “centralized production or distribution.” 

·         Websites that purported to sell Dank Vapes products, dankvapes.org and dankvapecartridges.org, are no longer online.  

·         Still, health officials haven’t pinned down a single chemical or ingredient responsible for all the illnesses. A wider review by the CDC found Friday that while 77% used THC products, 16% used nicotine-only products, so it is unclear whether vaping THC is the culprit.

News peg: A 13th person died from vaping-related illness on Thursday while the number of reported cases increased 52% in the past week, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Nationwide, there are 805 cases. 

Key background: The spate of vaping-related illnesses has prompted a crackdown. The Trump administration is considering banning flavored e-cigarettes, while bans have passed in Michigan, New York and San Francisco. Vape store owners say that blanket bans are ineffective and may possibly push people into getting dangerous black market products.

Because of the uncertainty surrounding the illnesses, the CDC recommends that people refrain from vaping altogether.

Further reading: Read the full report from Wisconsin and Illinois officials here. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2019/09/27/dank-vapes-among-black-market-brands-linked-to-vaping-illnesses-officials-say/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-dozen&cdlcid=5d1670731802c8c524c78889#6f21761b3b5a