Vape cartridges are one of the most popular ways to consume cannabis in the state of Michigan. Perhaps due to the regular supply issues that the state has faced over the years, carts have always been a dependable market with stable prices and quality product. However, this Friday the state declared an emergency ordinance, pulling all vape products from shelves.
Although done in the name of the health of the public, the concern fails. There are limited – if any – cases of state tested cannabis making people sick. This emergency started because of the CDC’s release on Vitamin E Acetate, but illicit producers introduce most of such product into circulation.
There are over a hundred delivery services operating in the state. The legality of their operation is debatable, but it’s easiest to call them illegal operations. It is much more likely that they will be the people to sell tainted products to Michigan consumers.
While the state is trying to do something positive, the over-testing of product does nothing but slow down the supply chain. Vape cartridges are an excellent product. They are already mostly recycled cannabis products. Remediated flower easily works for the base of oils, so it’s easier to produce than a harvest of pure flower.
This flexibility keeps cartridges cheap, available, and quality. Coming after carts as a weak link in the market makes sense, but it’s not the best move. It takes more than adequate product out of circulation, and thus forces consumers to the illicit market. These restraints make illness more likely, not less likely. People will not stop vaping, but they won’t be able to buy product from their preferred dispensaries which have already tested the vapes.
Michigan Is A Legacy Market. It Matured Over A Full Decade, At Least.
Again, as Rick Thompson described, there have been no reported cases of death or illness from caregiver grown cannabis. Testing does not make a product safe, but ethical methods of production do. Michiganders have been growing cannabis for generations. They know how to do it right. They even know how to make vape cartridges.
Foreign products and black market products are untrustworthy. Cartridges imported from California or Illinois can include anything from anywhere. The illicit cannabis trade will always be riddled with issues. Adding further testing to hamstring the legal market will not solve the problem, but instead, it will grow black market sales. The state of Michigan often acts with the best intentions but fails to deliver their true ideals.
