THREAD: As the evidence becomes increasingly clear that recent lung illnesses are caused by black market THC products, bans on flavored nicotine #vapor products are proving to be a misguided solution to this pressing issue (1/10)
Nicotine #vapor products have been tested repeatedly and shown no signs of the vitamin E compound found in illicit THC vapes believed to be the cause of these illnesses. FDA has been clear in warning consumers to stop vaping THC—not nicotine. (3/10)
Conflating the two—THC vapes and nicotine vapes—is not only misleading, it is also deeply problematic and potentially harmful for two reasons: (4/10)
1. It does not give consumers accurate information to avoid products that are causing these illnesses (5/10)
2. It could scare adults using FDA-tested, industry-standard vapor products, causing them to question their safety and revert to cigarettes, undoing the #harmreduction we know #vapor represents for smokers looking to quit (6/10)
Governors across the country are rushing to enact flavor bans, with some even banning #vapor altogether! These bans are akin to responding to an FDA recall on beef by banning chicken. (7/10)
Banning regulated nicotine-containing #vapor products will not protect American public from the real issue of black market THC vapes. Last month Minnesota police seized 75,000 THC vapes and officials have little idea what was in them: nbcnews.com/news/us-news/m… (8/10)
That is where media and regulatory focus needs to be: make an aggressive push to keep these illicit products off the street. Most of all, our media and government officials need to be clear about what the real and pressing risk is to Americans. (9/10)
Let it me be clear: FDA-regulated nicotine-containing vapor products represent the best path forward for smokers looking to quit. Black market THC vapes are an acute risk to Americans’ health and are to be avoided. (10/10)
