Vaping’s Black Market Complicates Efforts to Combat Crises
by Jessica
Posted on 24-12-1444 01:55 م
Recreational vaping will be banned in australia, as part of a major crackdown amid what experts say is an "epidemic". Minimum quality standards will also be introduced, and the sale of vapes restricted to pharmacies. Nicotine vapes already require a prescription in australia, but the industry is poorly regulated and a black market is thriving. Health minister mark butler says the products are creating a new generation of nicotine addicts in australia. Also known as e-cigarettes, vapes heat a liquid - usually containing nicotine - turning it into a vapour that users inhale. They are widely seen as a product to help smokers quit.
The past week has seen some discussion – finally – of practical, workable solutions to controlling the black market in vaping products that is targeting australian kids. It’s something of a pity it is taking place after the closure of the government’s consultation period on future policy in the area, which is of great concern to millions of parents around the country. The therapeutic goods administration (tga), the agency that currently oversees the regulation of nicotine vaping products (nvps), closed its doors to public submissions on january 16. Those submissions will include the proposals from the australian association of convenience stores, which triggered widespread and welcome discussion.
According to a new report on the sources of cannabis products used by patients with vaping-related lung injuries, 84 percent said they had obtained them from "informal sources. " the study, conducted by researchers at the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc), reinforces the point that the problem of potentially hazardous additives or contaminants is especially acute in the black market, where there is no quality control and consumers have no way to verify the contents of the products they purchase. The information about thc vape sources, which is based on interviews with 809 patients or their relatives, found that 16 percent "reported acquiring their products from only commercial sources.
Many Vaping Illnesses Linked To Black Market 'Dank Vapes' Or Other THC Products
The mystery of the outbreak of vaping-related lung illnesses is still not solved. But investigators in illinois and wisconsin have found some clues, they announced friday in a press briefing. Investigators in these two states conducted detailed interviews with 86 patients — mostly young men — and 66% said they had vaped thc products labeled as dank vapes. Thc is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. What are dank vapes and how could they be fueling the outbreak? "dank vapes appears to be the most prominent in a class of largely counterfeit brands, with common packaging that is easily available online and that is used by distributors to market thc-containing cartridges," said a report from state investigators published friday by the centers for disease control and prevention.
Some of the illegal and unregulated (black market) cannabis vaping products were found to contain large amounts of vitamin e acetate , including dank vapes pictured here. Map of reported hospitalized cases or deaths in the us and us territories. 2019; 4 years ago (2019) first reported april 2019; 4 years ago (2019-04) confirmed cases an outbreak of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (evali) started in 2019 among users of illegal , unregulated cannabis vaping products , almost exclusively in the united states. The first cases of this particular outbreak were identified in illinois and wisconsin in april 2019; as of 18 february 2020, a total of 2,807 hospitalized cases, including 68 deaths, have been confirmed.
In the shadow of the united kingdoms' booming vaping industry, a sinister undercurrent has taken hold - a surge in black-market vaping products that threaten to undermine the safety and well-being of vapers and expose children to the dangers of nicotine addiction. As the success of vaping continues to help many people break away from their smoking habit, a dangerous consequence has emerged: an alarming abundance of illicit and unregulated products. With the vaping industry experiencing unprecedented popularity, backed by support from the government and national health authorities, the demand for these smokeless alternatives has skyrocketed. However, the surge in popularity has inadvertently created a breeding ground for a fraudulent market that thrives on exploiting the growing consumer base’s desire for cheaper alternatives, bypassing the stringent regulations and oversight that govern the legitimate vaping industry.
E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale. Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic. While we don’t know exactly what chemicals are in e-cigarettes, blaha says “there’s almost no doubt that vaping exposes you to fewer toxic chemicals than smoking traditional cigarettes. ”however, there has been an outbreak of lung injuries and deaths associated with vaping. In february 2020, the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) confirmed 2,807 cases of e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (evali) and 68 deaths attributed to that condition.
Think you can tell a black market thc product from one that’s made legally? it might be harder than you think. “the black market very much looks like a regular market in packaging,” said art kushkyan, founder of pure, a legal thc vaping product manufacturer. “it has a name. It has a nice logo. It has colorful packaging. ”just like illegal stores, illegal products look good on the surface. They might be professionally packaged and they are sometimes counterfeits of legitimate brands, like the fake louis vuitton bags of the vaping world. Kushkyan experienced this first-hand when he realized replicas of his brand’s own packaging were available for purchase online.