Illegal THC oils lead to vaping lung scare in the US. Vape CBD? Here’s what you need to know

Over the past two months, more than 450 people have been affected by a serious and still undetermined vaping-related lung illness in the US.

While media coverage has largely painted this as an ‘e-cigarette’ issue, the current evidence suggests that THC oil – not commercially-available nicotine e-liquid – is the likely culprit.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an alert last weekend, stating:

“All patients have reported using e-cigarette products and the symptom onset has ranged from a few days to several weeks after e-cigarette use.

“Within two states, recent inhalation of cannabinoid products, THC or cannabidiol, have been reported in many of the patients”

Some scientists believe that we may be seeing a new type of lipoid pneumonia that could be linked to Vitamin E acetate in black-market and home-made THC oils.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Friday found that of 53 case studies across Wisconsin and Illinois, 84 percent of patients reported using a THC product.

Recreational cannabis is illegal in both of these states so the real figure could be even higher.

What does this mean for CBD?

Most commercially available CBD e-liquids contain CBD, flavourings, propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG).

Some THC and CBD oil vape cartridges, however, use a different carrier, such as MCT or coconut oil. Lipid oils are potentially incredibly harmful when vaporised and should never be vaped.

It’s also possible that some of these black-market oils contain synthetic cannabinoids. These dangerous compounds are designed to mimic the effects of cannabis but have been linked to severe illnesses and deaths over the past few years.

Currently vaping CBD in the UK? You shouldn’t have anything to worry about if you bought your vape liquid from a reputable source like a high street vape shop. However, if you want to be ultra careful, try sticking to PG VG formulations, as these are used in regular vaping.

Don’t forget to read reviews and always check lab reports before consuming a new CBD product for the first time.

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