“Vape Gate” headlines have been plastered on the internet for weeks now. Washington and Oregon recently enacted temporary bans of all flavored THC and nicotine products in the wake of vape related illnesses and deaths, which has reached somewhere around 30 deaths nationwide and includes two Oregon citizens. Two days after the ban started, Oregon’s Health Authority enacted a stay for all nicotine related vape products. However, cannabis vapes with non-cannabis additives and flavors are still subject to the 180-day ban.
“The Oregon Health Authority has been informed that the Court of Appeals granted a temporary stay of OHA’s rules that ban the sale of flavored vaping products. This decision means the rules are, for now, not in effect”
Oregon’s Health Authority didn’t want to put local vape shops out of business almost overnight with one Governor’s signature. Vaping illnesses related to nicotine-based products are in the minority. Tainted black-market cannabis vape cartridges contribute to the majority of the issues. Synthetic additives aren’t as important for cannabis oil because it can still be “flavored” with cannabis-derived terpenes. Cannabis-derived terpenes are a natural flavoring source widely available for cannabis vape cart distributors. This makes synthetic flavorings less vital for product development.
Attorneys for vape shop owners estimate that thousands of employees will get to keep their jobs thanks to the swift actions of the appeals court.
