That is what the conclusion should have been from the latest vaping study finding that cannabis vaping is more harmful to the lungs than nicotine vaping, cannabis smoking, and tobacco smoking. But that does not appear to be the way the mainstream media is presenting the study, without any sort of nuance or detail. The study did not distinguish between black market, gray market, and legitimate market products, nor did it bother to examine or even mention the old-fashioned way of vaping weed (namely heating regular and pure whole bud in a loose-leaf vaporizer).
Have we really forgotten the primary culprit in the EVALI (vaping illness) epidemic in 2019, namely questionable additives and diluents such as Vitamin E acetate (et al.) that were almost entirely found in black and gray market cannabis vape oil concoctions? Especially since EVALI was significantly less common in states where cannabis is fully legal compared to states where it is not, as there are by definition much safer alternatives to the black market in legal states (though a significant black market still remains in highly taxed and tightly regulated states like California as well, or at least did in 2019-2020).
The solution is really quite simple: legalize cannabis 18+, ban any additives that have not been proven safe for human consumption via inhalation, implement strict quality control standards, don't overtax it, charge excessive licensing fees, or otherwise have excessive barriers to entry into the legitimate market, and crack down on any remaining illicit markets.
And for users, as we have said before, DO NOT vape, juul, or dab anything you find on the black market!
Problem solved. We ignore these facts at our peril.
Cannabis should be legalized in every state. The main opposition to Cannabis legalization is infantilization. Legislators often oppose Cannabis legalization because of young adults who are 18-20 years old smoking Cannabis. Those ageist legislators refer to this age group as "kids". Too many people are so against youth rights that even Cannabis legalization with a minimum age of 21 is too much for them. Ageism in this country is so severe that even laws designed to help reduce disparities among people of color are tossed aside due to the ageist attitudes of legislators.
ReplyDelete