A
few days ago, vaping-related deaths in two states were publicized by their
respective state health agencies. The announcements
reflect a stark difference in tone and accuracy.
MICHIGAN
“The
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) [announced] the third death
associated with the outbreak of vaping-related lung injuries in the state” on
January 10. Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, MDHHS Chief
Medical Executive and Chief Deputy for Health, said “We extend our deepest
condolences to the family. I urge people not to use THC-containing
e-cigarettes or vaping products until the specific cause of these
vaping-related severe lung injuries being reported nationwide has been identified.” (emphasis added)
MDHHS
recommendations start with the following: “People should not use THC-containing
e-cigarette or vaping products, particularly from informal sources such as
friends, family or in-person or online sellers.” (emphasis added) The agency says people should avoid vitamin E
acetate and “should not add any other substances not intended by the
manufacturer to products… Adults using e-cigarettes or vaping products as an
alternative to cigarettes should not go back to smoking.”
This
is an example of a public health agency providing useful information to
marijuana and tobacco users: Don’t vape THC products that are not from
legitimate retailers. Don’t stop vaping
legitimate nicotine products and return to smoking.
KENTUCKY
On
the same day, the Kentucky Department for Public Health “announced the state’s first
probable fatality related to vaping.”
Eric Friedlander, acting Secretary of the Cabinet of Health and Family
Services, said, “To protect public health, we urge Kentuckians – especially
young people -- to stop using all vaping products.” (emphasis added) Public Health Commissioner Dr. Angela
Dearinger added, “health experts can’t guarantee the safety of any e-cigarette
or vaping product.”
In
its three-page press release, Kentucky never identified THC liquids as the
probable cause of the lung injuries, and failed to inform marijuana users about
the dangers of unregulated THC products. Officials urged the public “to stop
using all vaping products,” which is likely to send those former smokers who
had successfully switched to e-cigarettes back to smoking.
The
Kentucky Health Cabinet boasts that it “is one
of the largest agencies in state government, with nearly 8,000 full- and
part-time employees located across the Commonwealth focused on improving the
lives and health of Kentuckians.” It is regrettable
that with all these resources, public health officials are distributing
misleading information that may contribute to higher smoking rates.
Australian
tobacco researchers, led by Coral Gartner at the University of Queensland, have
published a
scathing analysis
of how THC-related lung injuries and deaths in the U.S. were – and still are –
exploited by American health officials and media to fuel a crusade against
e-cigarettes and nicotine vaping products.
The Australians itemize the key flaws in this misguided campaign:
“[M]ost
[lung injury] cases developed suddenly within a short period, mostly in young
males, in only one country. Over 40 million people have vaped nicotine in the
UK, USA and Europe, and vaping has been around for nearly a decade without any
similar clusters of serious acute cases of lung injury. If vaping nicotine were the cause of these
lung injuries, many more cases should have been reported in these countries…”
“[C]annabis
oils, like nicotine‐based vaporisers, have also been used since around 2014
with almost no reports of lung injury. What recently changed is the
proliferation of black market cannabis vaping products, some of which are sold
in the same packaging as legal cannabis vaping products.”
“In
October, the CDC concluded that vaping contaminated THC products was the likely
cause of the lung damage.”
While
the CDC was slow to blame unregulated THC products, it is inexcusable that
state health departments continue to release inaccurate information about dangerous
products.
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