Bans on the sale of flavoured e-liquids continue in the US. But in Utah, authorities are taking a new approach. Flavoured e-juice will be banned from sale. But not in vejpshops, which only sell e-cigarettes and accessories, reports TV station 02 KUTV.
"A growing body of evidence suggests that vejp ingestion of unregulated THC juices is behind the recent large outbreak of lung disease" says Dr Joseph Myner at the Utah Department of Health. "Young people in particular have been affected and we know that many young people start by vejpa with flavoured nicotine before they start using THC products."
He argues that vejpshoppar, which has a significantly better age verification than petrol stations, regular convenience stores and supermarkets, should be the only outlets where flavoured e-juice can be sold, at least for a limited period.
"By shifting the sale of nicotine-containing flavoured e-juices to specialised stores, we will reduce the number of young users who later switch to THC use" says Joseph Myner.
In Utah, 71 people have contracted the disease caused by improperly made e-juice containing cannabis mixed with the substance e-acetate which forms oil when heated.. E-acetate is used exclusively in THC juices, which are sold cheaply at black market in the US. E-acetate does not occur in regulated THC juice or regular e-juice with nicotine (or without).
The authorities are also helping vejp shoppers in other ways. Shops are required to clearly inform their customers of the dangers of vejpaking uncontrolled THC products, including through mandatory posters at the entrance.
"One of our best tools to deal with this outbreak is communication. It is a top priority to communicate directly to the group most at risk of developing the disease," says Mr Perez. Ryan Bartlett who works on tobacco control at the health authorities, to TV station 02 KUTV.
The sudden outbreak of lung disease, which is not linked to regular e-cigarettes but to unregulated THC juice, has so far affected 800 people in the US. 13 deaths have been reported.
