The deaths that sparked an anti-vape movement in the U.S. were predominantly caused by products containing THC -- and not nicotine, health officials have admitted. A report issued Monday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals of 19 vape-related deaths, only 16 percent of the victims had been smoking nicotine-based products. The others had been using products containing THC, the main psychoactive substance found in marijuana. "The data do continue to point towards THC-containing products," says the CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat. "But I'd like to stress that we don't know what the risky material or substance is. THC may be a marker for a way that cartridges were prepared or way that the devices are producing harm."
Early reports of deaths and lung damage have prompted some states to outlaw the practice, while a number of retailers have discontinued selling vaping supplies. The rush to eliminate the practice of vaping has been meet with opposition by people who use vapes as an alternative to smoking cigarettes. Did the country overreact before all the facts were in on vaping? Is there a way to prevent young people from recreational vaping, while still allowing others to use it to quit smoking?
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