The modern e-cigarette was developed for the vaping of nicotine. The nicotine e-cigarette device and associated e-liquids were federally unregulated until 2016. During that time, the device technology was co-opted by the cannabis industry to discreetly inhale THC. The legalization/decriminalization of cannabis state-by-state and the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill led to significant gaps in regulations and safety compliance which states are trying to close. The slow evolution of state regulations enabled the expansion of gray and black markets that have facilitated the rise of vaping products that are labeled improperly and inaccurately and promote the consumption of synthetic analogues like Delta-8 THC.
This presentation will address the variety of vaping products sold without federal regulatory oversight that can contain potentially dangerous substances. Public health and public safety issues will be discussed in light of the challenges of analytical method development in the quickly evolving industry. Her presentation will also describe the nature of the merge of the e-cigarette and cannabis industries as well as cases of self-reported adverse events and the challenges of cannabis product analysis.
Research presented within this webinar was funded by the National Institute of Justice (Award Numbers: 2014-R2-CX-K010, 2016-DN-BX-0150, 2018-75-CX-0036, and 2019-MU-MU-007).
Detailed Learning Objectives
- Attendees will be able to identify the different generations of e-cigarette devices and how they are used.
- Attendees will be able to identify how unregulated cannabis vaping products contain chemicals that are unsafe to inhale.
- Attendees will be able to identify how the unregulated cannabis industry has developed and promoted lab-created cannabinoids in vaping products.