Out of crisis, an initiative is born.
While authorities grapple with the plague of vaping illnesses sweeping the country, Californian cannabis has come together to help tackle the crisis.
AVD, together with companies across verticals – concentrate formulation, toxicology, product testing, cultivation, and others – have joined forces to form an association called Legal Cannabis for Consumer Safety or LCCS.
LCCS presents a unified industry voice.
Focused on ensuring Californians have access to safe, tested, and legal cannabis.
In a letter to the Governor of California, LCCS has offered assistance to help identify and address the root causes of the illnesses.
To promote safer vaping, the association has suggested several policy recommendations.
We’ve summarized the policy recommendations for you below.
1. Not surprisingly, shutting down illicit retail trade tops the list.
We previously wrote about the extent of the illegal market in a post titled “Vaping illness. The New Breaking Bad?”
Studies indicate that over 3,000 illicit retail dispensaries are operating in California.
And as we all well know, these retailers sell unlicensed and untested products.
With accumulating evidence that illegal products are behind the vaping illnesses.
2. Enhanced device safety must be part of the solution for safer vaping.
AVD advocates vaping hardware testing needs to go beyond screening for only heavy metals.
Because vaping hardware comes in contact with oils, we are proponents for stricter testing.
Testing that ensured all oil-touching components and mouthpieces meet food-grade standards.
3. Improve ingredient regulations.
It goes without saying that the use of additives, cutting agents, and artificial flavoring known to be harmful, must be banned.
According to recent reports, the CDC has identified Vitamin E Acetate (used as a thickening agent) may well be the potential common denominator underlying the vaping sickness.
4. Strengthening labeling requirements.
Where labeling is not up to scratch, retailers should be obliged to reject products.
For example, missing ingredients or other labeling non-compliance.
You can read the complete LCCS policy recommendations here.
For our part, AVD continues to use only the highest quality materials in the construction of our cartridges and vape pens.
All components used are manufactured free from harmful heavy metals, glycol, pesticides, BPA, and other harmful toxins.
We will also continue to work with industry and where appropriate regulators, to develop and promote a standardized heavy metals test and stricter manufacturing processes.
