Should I Throw Out My Weed Vape Pen?
Many people hospitalized from vape-related illnesses reported using THC oil. Here’s what experts know, and how you should proceed.
As of September 17, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has reported at least six deaths and 530 hospitalizations from the use of vape products like e-cigarettes and vape pens. The illnesses have spanned 36 states and one U.S. territory, but the deaths have come from states on the West Coast and in the Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, California, and Oregon.
“Patients have been coming in with various lung issues caused by irritation in the lungs related to [vapes],” says Dr. MuChun Tsai, a pulmonary care physician at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. While there have been no vaping-related deaths in Ohio, Tsai says community hospitals are seeing a significant uptick in vaping-related hospitalizations. The most common symptoms reported are shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
The cause of the illnesses and deaths is still under investigation and a single vape or e-cigarette product has not been identified as responsible. But according to the CDC, the commonality among all the sick people is a history of vape product use, and the majority of people hospitalized…
