Sales of electronic cigarettes drop in Cannabis stores in the USA

By Valéria França

The consumption of vape, the so-called electronic cigarette, has decreased in Cannabis stores in the USA. In Seattle, at one of the oldest and best establishments in the city's industry, Have a Heart, it is among the least sold products. The attendant explains that this is recent. The product was a hit between 2018 and 2019.

A regular customer of the store, a 40-year-old Brazilian who preferred to remain anonymous, said he used to use the vape with THC – it can also be used with CBD and nicotine. But there were so many "news about a lung disease caused by the device" that he set it aside. That's why he went back to buying the traditional marijuana cigarette. "I was scared. I know there's a risk," he said.

Seattle is the largest and most populous city in the state of Washington – whose territory saw a decrease in consumption from 19% in August to 10.8% in December. The US Government was quick to disclose the risks that the population faced when using the vape shortly after a series of emergency hospitalizations.

The accessory emerged as a resource recommended by doctors to patients who wanted to quit smoking. In September 2019, the number of people hospitalized with lung problems related to vaping reached 220 – a peak in the year's statistics.

The first recorded case was that of a young man who arrived at the hospital with vomiting, cough, abdominal pain, and difficulty breathing. After many analyses, doctors discovered that the patient used vape, sometimes with THC, sometimes with nicotine. The last resort, to prevent him from dying, was to connect him to an artificial lung. The young man survived and became the subject of an article in the New England Journal of Medicine.

As of February 18, 2,807 people have been hospitalized in 50 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Of this total, 68 patients have died.  

According to the CDC, 82% used vape with THC and 57% with nicotine. Of the reported patients, 78% obtained the product in the black market.

The issue

Researchers found vitamin E acetate in the patients' lungs. The substance is used to dilute THC and thus increase the profits of those who sell it. Since THC is not regulated, the liquid placed in the device can contain any type of substance. Vitamin E acetate is a supplement used in foods, but when inhaled, it causes lung diseases.

What are electronic cigarettes

In English, vapes and e-cigarettes are small devices that heat a liquid, turning it into aerosol to be inhaled. They can contain nicotine and THC or CBD oils, with additives and flavorings.