Some States With Legal Weed Embrace Vaping Bans, Warn Of Black Market Risks

Around Washington state, cannabis shops are being required to hang signs warning customers of “severe lung injuries” and “deaths” associated with vaping.

Kevin Heiderich, a co-owner of one such shop, House of Cannabis in Tacoma, Wash., believes the government response to vaping illnesses should focus on the black market.

“Something has just changed and no one really knows what it is,” he says.

Still, Heidreich supports more rigorous testing so the regulated market is perceived as safer. This summer, his shops began contacting all their suppliers to verify what’s in their products.

He acknowledges some “bad actors” could be selling products on the legal market in Washington.

“Hopefully, that is the exception to the rule, and any regulation that does come down puts an end to those sort of business practices,” he says. “We don’t need those people in the market.”

Health officials nationwide are still puzzling over why some who vape are coming down with a severe respiratory illness and, in some cases, dying. So far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s investigation has identified more than 1,600 cases, but has yet to pinpoint a lone cause that explains all cases. [Read More @ NPR]