Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Marijuana Vaping Product Sales Sink Amid Lung Disease Scare
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
September 26, 2019

Share

PORTLAND, Ore. — Vaping products, one of the fastest-growing segments of the legal marijuana industry, have taken a hit from consumers as public health experts scramble to determine what’s causing a mysterious and sometimes fatal lung disease among people who use e-cigarettes.
The ailment has sickened at least 530 people and killed nine. Some vaped nicotine, but many reported using oil containing THC, marijuana’s high-inducing ingredient, and said they bought products from pop-up shops and other illegal sellers. The only death linked to THC vapes bought at legal shops occurred in Oregon.
Amid the health scare, the amount of the legal pot industry’s revenue that comes from vape products has dropped by 15% nationwide, with some states, including Oregon, seeing decreases of more than 60%.
Health officials in California, home to the world’s largest legal marijuana marketplace, this week issued an advisory urging people to stop all forms of vaping until a cause is determined. Massachusetts, which like California allows so-called recreational use of marijuana by people 21 and older, went further than any other state, issuing a four-month ban on vape sales.
Vaping THC is popular for those desiring quick high without the smoke that comes from lighting up joints. Marijuana companies are trying to boost the public’s confidence by promoting that their vaping products are tested by the government, demanding ingredient lists from their vendors and in some cases pulling items from shelves. Some also are scrambling to get liability insurance.
Still, many have seen notable declines in sales in the few weeks since the health scare emerged on a national scale.

Vaping Products Have Exploded in Popularity

“It’s having an impact on how consumers are behaving,” said David Alport, owner of Bridge City Collective in Portland, which in two weeks saw a 31% drop in sales of vape cartridges that hold the oil that vaporizes when heated. “People are concerned, and we’re concerned.”

“It’s having an impact on how consumers are behaving. People are concerned, and we’re concerned.” — David Alport, owner of Bridge City Collective in Portland
In the United States’ booming legal cannabis market, vaping products have exploded in popularity. In roughly two years, they have grown from a small fraction of overall sales to about one-third, with $9.6 billion in sales between 2017 and 2019, according to New Frontier Data, an economic analysis firm that tracks the industry. About one-fifth of U.S. cannabis consumers report using them.
New Frontier found a 15% decline in the market share for vape sales nationwide during the first week of September and saw no rebound in data collected through Sept. 18. At the state level, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Nevada and Montana all saw drops of one-third or more, while California fell by 6%.
Oregon, which announced its death at the beginning of the month and said it was from a vape purchased at a regulated dispensary, saw one of the biggest drops in market share for vape revenue — 62%, said John Kagia, the firm’s chief knowledge officer.
Analysts are watching to see if further erosion occurs following congressional testimony Tuesday by Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who said the number of lung illnesses could soon climb by the hundreds.
“This is a very, very fast-moving issue, and it will likely be a couple more weeks, if not months, before we understand the impact it’s really had on the retail ecosystem and on consumers’ attitudes,” Kagia said.
Photo of vape cartridge
In this photo taken Sept. 20, 2019, Cameron Moore, general manager of Bridge City Collective in Portland, Ore., holds a vape cartridge that’s on sale at the dispensary. The company had a 31% drop in sales of vape cartridges that hold the oil that vaporizes when heated. Vaping products are taking a hit as health experts scramble to determine what’s causing a mysterious lung disease. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus)

Medical Marijuana Users Are Worried About Restrictions on Vaping

In an explosively growing market, “it’s not unexpected that something would come up that would be disruptive,” he said. “But the question is, how quick is the industry’s response and how agile is that response to assure the public and regulators that this issue is being addressed and there’s robust self-governance?”
Doctors have said the illnesses resemble an inhalation injury, with the lungs apparently reacting to a caustic substance. So far, no single vaping product or ingredient has been linked to the illnesses. Some patients who have vaped only nicotine also have gotten ill.
Health officials in New York are focusing on vitamin E acetate, a viscous solution that’s sometimes added to marijuana oils. Retailers in some markets are pulling products from their shelves that contain that and other additives. Other companies have proactively released public statements saying their vape oils contain only pure THC.
In Illinois, a message board for medical marijuana patients banned posters from sharing home vape recipes.
“I just do THC. No flavor additives. I won’t even take that chance,” said Lisa Haywood, a medical marijuana card holder who lives outside Chicago and follows the board for advice and support.
Other medical marijuana users are worried about restrictions on vaping.
If there’s a ban, “what does it do for all these people who have been seeing relief? … It is going to really impact patients and the industry that we’ve fought” to create, said Melanie Rose Rodgers, a Colorado medical cannabis patient and a leader of the state’s chapter of Americans for Safe Access, which advocates for medical marijuana patients.

The Vaping Crisis Will Undoubtedly Hasten Tighter Regulation

State regulators track the cannabis sold to consumers but don’t monitor what additives, if any, are in marijuana oil vapes. That’s led states to begin discussions of how to tighten restrictions on vaping products even as retailers themselves try to determine which of the products on their shelves contain so-called cutting agents.

“We haven’t evolved our system that far to think about what we would test for in those products. A lot of these additives were conceptual at the time when the (marijuana legalization) law passed and the program came into place.” — Steve Marks, executive director of the Oregon Liquor License Commission
“We haven’t evolved our system that far to think about what we would test for in those products. A lot of these additives were conceptual at the time when the (marijuana legalization) law passed and the program came into place,” said Steve Marks, executive director of the Oregon Liquor License Commission, which oversees the state’s cannabis industry.
“Figuring that out is part of the evolution that we have to do as a consumer protection agency,” he said. “Science is not going to guide us because science is lagging.”
Hilary Bricken, a Los Angeles-based attorney whose firm specializes in cannabis business law and regulatory issues, said the legal marijuana industry is moving so fast that many states are “literally making this up as they go,” and the vaping scare has stripped away the sense of security that consumers get from buying from a licensed dispensary.
The vaping crisis will undoubtedly hasten tighter regulation at the state level and force the industry to patrol itself better to avoid crippling lawsuits, she said.
Bobby Burleson, an analyst with Toronto-based investment and financial services company Canaccord Genuity, said the initial problems for the vape segment of the cannabis industry should moderate, and the health scare may in the end help the legal marijuana industry.
The crisis “should ultimately accelerate the shift away from the black market for cannabis products in the U.S.,” he said.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

World Leaders React to US Attack on Iran

DON'T MISS

Congress Members Split Over US Attack on Iran

DON'T MISS

Investors Brace for Oil Price Spike, Rush to Havens After US Bombs Iran Nuclear Sites

DON'T MISS

Investors React to US Attack on Iran Nuclear Sites

DON'T MISS

Tulare County’s Colvin Fire Ignites With 80 Personnel on Scene

DON'T MISS

US B-2 Bombers Involved in Iran Strikes, U.S. Official Says

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Iran’s Key Nuclear Sites ‘Obliterated’ by Airstrikes

DON'T MISS

LA Dodgers Pledge $1 Million to Support Families Impacted by ICE Raids

DON'T MISS

Pakistan to Nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

DON'T MISS

Vance, in Los Angeles, Says Troops Need to Stay, Blasts Newsom Over Immigration

UP NEXT

Voice of America Parent Terminates Over 600 More Staff in Likely Death Knell

UP NEXT

US Court Lets Trump Keep Control of California National Guard for Now

UP NEXT

Massive Security Breach: 16 Billion Passwords Leaked From Apple, Google, Facebook Accounts

UP NEXT

Hunger Strike Begins as California Prisons Hand Down Biggest Restrictions Since COVID

UP NEXT

Musk Shares Negative Drug Test Results, Challenges Media Outlets

UP NEXT

Hurricane Erick Threatens Mexico’s Pacific Coast, Rapid Strengthening Expected

UP NEXT

More US Officials Face Threats as Fears Grow Over Political Violence

UP NEXT

Protester Killed at Utah ‘No Kings’ Rally Was Fashion Designer From ‘Project Runway’

UP NEXT

‘We Will Kill You Dead’: Florida Sheriff’s Stark Warning to Demonstrators

UP NEXT

Here’s What to Expect at the Army’s 250th Anniversary Parade on Trump’s Birthday

How the Attacks on Iran Are Part of a Much Bigger Global Struggle

2 hours ago

UK to Ban Campaign Group Palestine Action Under Anti-Terrorism Laws

2 hours ago

US Existing Home Sales Rise in May, Mortgage Rates Still a Constraint

2 hours ago

Wall Street Indexes Open Muted as Investors Await Tehran’s Response to US Strikes

2 hours ago

Iranian Retaliation Against US Forces Could Come Soon, Officials Say

2 hours ago

Advisory Warns of ‘Heightened Threat Environment’ in US After Iran Strikes

23 hours ago

Muslim Countries to Set up Contact Group to Seek Israel-Iran De-Escalation

24 hours ago

Visalia Police Seek Public’s Help in Sexual Assault Investigation

24 hours ago

Despite Clashes With US Presidents, Israel’s Netanyahu Usually Gets His Way

24 hours ago

Pope Leo Urges International Diplomacy to Prevent ‘Irreparable Abyss’

1 day ago

Thunder Cap Incredible Season by Beating Pacers for NBA Title

The Oklahoma City Thunder capped an extraordinary season by defeating the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday to win...

29 minutes ago

29 minutes ago

Thunder Cap Incredible Season by Beating Pacers for NBA Title

Windmills are seen behind electricity pylons in Palm Springs, California, U.S., November 25, 2017. (Reuters File)
1 hour ago

US Power Prices Soar as Brutal Heat Wave Stresses Power Grids

Smoke rises following an Israeli attack in Tehran, Iran, June 18, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/ File Photo
1 hour ago

Israeli Strikes on Iran May Have Violated International Law, UN Mission Says

The Iranian flag is seen flying over a street in Tehran, Iran, February 3, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/ File Photo
2 hours ago

How the Attacks on Iran Are Part of a Much Bigger Global Struggle

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather in protest against Britain's Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's plans to proscribe the "Palestine Action" group in the coming weeks, in London, Britain, June 23, 2025. (Reuters/Jaimi Joy)
2 hours ago

UK to Ban Campaign Group Palestine Action Under Anti-Terrorism Laws

A drone view shows Diner Key Marina and residential condominiums at Coconut Grove neighborhood in Miami, Florida, U.S. April 16, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US Existing Home Sales Rise in May, Mortgage Rates Still a Constraint

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., June 18, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Wall Street Indexes Open Muted as Investors Await Tehran’s Response to US Strikes

U.S. and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Iranian Retaliation Against US Forces Could Come Soon, Officials Say

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend