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‘Vaping reports don’t tell entire story’
Louis Rodgers, who owns the vape store VaprSpot in Dandan, insists on nuance in reporting about the recent string of vape-related lung diseases in the U.S. mainland.
He believes the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has not been upfront about what’s causing these diseases. He believes the culprit behind these diseases are the tetrahydrocannabinol cartridges that are in the black market.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported last Sept. 6 that vaping illnesses are seen from THC oil vaping products. The FDA advised the public to avoid using these products as they have the Vitamin E acetate, which enters the lungs upon inhalation and thus create lung illnesses.
Rodgers noted that THC cartridges are being sold in streets across the U.S. and in some unregistered stores. “FDA registered nicotine e-liquid sold in vape shops, like VaprSpot, do not and have not ever contained THC oil,” Rodgers said.
He pointed out that vaping has been around for almost a decade, with tens of millions of vapers around the world. It has only been in recent weeks, and only in the U.S. where there has been an issue about severe lung illnesses arising from vaping.
“No specific nicotine e-liquid product or brand has been named as the culprit [of these diseases] when in 2017, all e-cigarette manufacturers were required to submit their product and ingredient listings to the FDA in order to continue selling their products,” he said. FDA recently notified companies to remove some products from the market.
Rodgers assures that VaprSpot products are 100% FDA approved and is aware of the ongoing incidents related to vaping. He believes that the public is misinformed about the truth of the cause behind these diseases, and his shop does not sell any of these products.
The Commonwealth Health Care Corp. has urged the public to avoid using vaping products but has not reported any local cases relating to these lung diseases.
