First, let me say this. Please don’t hate me. I’ll keep the company I work for anonymous. I’m one of the people who makes vape devices. And I’m a good person. We manufacture legally and it’s rare to encounter any defects. The products we produce are lab tested. They’re made in a very clean environment, and if there’s a problem with any batch, we have a return policy. I’ve been a vaper for a long time myself, and I’ve heard about the research and development of cannabis-based e-liquids, and I can see the day when the vape market goes crazy over them.
There are two types of essential oils extracted from cannabis. One is CBD, the other is THC. Simply put, CBD helps you relax, while THC causes you to get high. Now I will explain more about CBD and THC.
First, let’s talk about CBD, Cannabidiol (CBD) is the key ingredient in the cannabis plant. CBD is one of over 113 compounds found in the cannabis plant, it belongs to a group of molecules called Cannabinoids. Of these compounds, CBD and THC are usually the most concentrated, and therefore the most recognized and studied. The ratio of CBD to THC varies in different strains of cannabis. Cannabis grown for recreational/high purposes usually has a higher THC content. This is extremely important: CBD is not psychoactive. CBD is not psychoactive because it does not act on the same receptors as THC. CBD will never cause a high. Remember this, never let yourself be fooled by any salesman or advertisement. In addition, CBD has many medical benefits.
Next is THC, THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is the main ingredient in the cannabis plant responsible for the high feeling. THC is also one of many compounds in the cannabis plant called cannabinoids. When THC enters the body, it activates pathways called cannabinoid receptors. When THC attaches to a receptor, it changes the way the brain functions. These changes can be beneficial or harmful, depending on how THC is used. Many types of cannabinoid compounds attach to these receptors, including cannabinoids that are naturally produced by the body. Cannabinoids produced in the body, along with cannabinoid receptors, are part of the Endocannabinoid System. The Endocannabinoid System is widespread throughout the human body. Cannabinoid receptors are also one of the most abundant receptors in the brain. This explains why THC has such a diverse range of effects on the mind and body (the high). Cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptors are primarily found in the brain. When THC attaches to a CB1 receptor, it temporarily changes the way a brain cell functions. These changes produce the feeling of being high. THC also causes significant changes in the body. The cannabinoid receptors in the body are called cannabinoid type 2 (CB2) receptors. CB2 receptors are found on all types of cells, including those in the digestive, cardiovascular, liver, kidney, bone, skin, lung, and immune systems.
Now, let's say you smoke a joint, any kind, and you ingest both CBD and unrefined THC directly. Long-term use of THC can cause lung problems. Smokers may experience daily coughs, phlegm, colds, and/or bronchitis more frequently. Smoking marijuana can also compromise the lungs' immune system and increase the risk of infection. In addition to the lungs, your heart is also at risk. After using marijuana, your heart rate can increase significantly and stay high for up to 3 hours. Smoking marijuana can increase your heart rate by 20 to 100%, increase your blood pressure while sitting, and decrease your blood pressure when standing. For people with high blood pressure, arrhythmia, or other heart conditions, the risk of heart rhythm changes or heart attacks may increase. Reading this, everyone knows a little about the real reasons for the cases that were featured on TV in the US, right? Vaping is not at fault, it is the users. I am convinced that if those young men had not ended up in the hospital for using refined THC oil, they would have had a much bigger problem with this market: poor quality oil.
In the US, CBD and THC are legal in some states and there are some companies licensed to produce these cannabis extracts. If they followed the safety standards, at least things wouldn't be this tense. But when investigated, new problems emerged. Some companies use special chemicals to shorten the incubation time of the essential oil or drain the ingredients and replace them with thickeners/fluids for the essential oil such as "Viscosity" (TrueTerpenes), "Flavorless" (Floraplex), "Nexus" (Wercshop), etc. The Vegetable Glycerine (VG) and Propylene Glycol (PG) content in the bottles of CBD or THC essential oil they produce is not of good quality, but because of the additives, it looks no different from the standard batch. And these sources are sold at Cali!, DankVapes! or Rove Cookies Shit. You can’t blame the buyers entirely. They don’t buy on the black market? They don’t buy from people sitting in sewers or under bridges. They buy directly from vape shops and vape accessories. OPENLY! These shoddy things are sold OPENLY but no one cares because they’ve basically passed inspection. And now, when someone goes to their grave, the press is going crazy and demanding the entire vape industry be wiped out. WTF? What’s wrong with vapes?
In California alone, where marijuana is legal, there have been 28 potential cases of acute lung illness. A health alert was issued on August 12 regarding a group of seven healthy adults in Kings County, California, who were all hospitalized between July and August 2019 and all had symptoms of severe acute lung illness, including cough and difficulty breathing, and in some cases fever and vomiting, according to a spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). All seven cases — including one additional case reported after media reports began about the affected individuals — tested positive for THC. Nancy Gerking, assistant director of public health for Kings County, told Rolling Stone, adding that some of the hospitalized individuals had purchased THC oils at temporary, unlicensed pop-up shops in the area.
In fact, this story of poor quality essential oils is much more terrible. I wonder how many people have been using these essential oils every day?
Before this gets too far, I told the major manufacturers about what I knew and what I had learned. I broke the whole e-liquid scandal, including the thickeners and thinners. I also told the major manufacturers what our responsibility was at this point, because as you can see, the number of people affected is starting to increase. Unfortunately, people are more concerned about who stabbed this person with a crowbar or a shovel than what they are ingesting every day. There are still companies out there using unknown substances, and I believe the number is still growing because the market is so lucrative. But this won’t last long. The FDA is really serious about this. I really hope things go back to normal and vapes are vapes. But it's also sad that the vape market will be affected for a while, but we have to get through it together.
Reddit link: https://redd.it/d1wo68
Translated by: Nguyen Nghiem Minh Tri
