Vaping Illnesses Rise in the U.S.. Here’s How to Protect Yourself

In awareness of the vape-related illnesses that have affected the country, we want to assure our customers that March and Ash, as a licensed dispensary, only stocks legal and lab-tested products.

The cartridges that are reportedly making people sick come from unlicensed and unregulated manufacturers, according to WebMD. Many of the illnesses and deaths reported have been in states that don't have regulated recreational cannabis programs. Unfortunately, the black market still exists today, in part, due to lack of federal regulations. Cannabis’ federal status as an illegal substance can have the unintended consequence of fueling illicit products, hindering research and limiting the ability to develop consistent regulations.

As reported by the New York Times, health officials have not confirmed which contaminant in these illicit products are making people sick. Furthermore, black market cartridges are inherently dangerous because they do not undergo mandatory state testing. Illicit cartridges may contain pesticides, heavy metals, and other contaminants you would never want to fill your lungs.

Here are ways you can protect yourself:

• Buy products from licensed, legal shops, like March and Ash. Luckily, California is a state that regulates and tests all products sold on licensed dispensary shelves.

• If you are concerned about additives in your cannabis, stick with flower, edibles, sublinguals, topicals, and drinks. If you want to enjoy concentrates, the best additive-free extract is “live resin,” or rosin, of which we stock plenty at March and Ash.

• Although each vape product we carry is tested and legal, here is a list of vape cartridge brands we stock that derive cannabis oil from a single source the flower itself, pure and uncut: Field Extracts, Friendly Farms, Arcturus, Buddies Liquid Diamonds, Team Elite Genetics

What’s clear is that there needs to be stronger regulations, standardizations, and oversight at the federal level in order for legal manufacturers to produce consistent and safe products for consumption. When cannabis is prohibited at a state or federal level, it can allow for bad actors to fill the supply void with dangerous and untested products.

Some states, including Massachusetts, have put in place temporary bans on the sale of vaping products, although California has not yet done so. These bans are intended to allow medical experts and public officials to better assess the risks of vaping and underlying causes. This article in The Washington Post provides information on the decision of the State of Massachussets and the issue generally.

If you have any questions about the tested and legal products available at March and Ash, feel free to give us a call. We are happy to walk you through our menu of 100% pure cannabis and CBD products.

March and Ash, Mission Valley: (619) 314-7336 March and Ash, Imperial Valley: (760) 624-7336

WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO GET AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE REGARDING THE RISKS OF VAPING BEFORE PURCHASING THESE PRODUCTS.

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