FDA Issues Consumer Warning on THC Vaping Products
As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigate incidents of severe lung injuries and deaths associated with the use of vaping products, the FDA has issued a consumer stating that they should not use vaping products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
In addition to its own analyses, FDA is also reviewing published literature of third-party analyses of samples and data. At this time, the FDA does not have enough data to identify the cause, or causes, of the lung injuries in these cases.
“While no one compound or ingredient has emerged as a singular culprit, we do know that THC is present in most of the samples being tested. Because of this, the agency believes it is prudent to stop using vaping products that contain THC or that have had any substances added to them, including those purchased from retail establishments,” reads a statement from Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless, M.D.
This alert builds on initial recommendations the FDA issued several weeks ago and is based on new information its continuing to learn from both patients and the samples that have been tested so far. For example, additional testing revealed that a majority of the hundreds of samples of vaping products tested by the states or by the FDA so far have been identified as containing THC. Additionally, according to recent findings, most of the patients impacted by these illnesses reported using THC-containing products, suggesting THC products are playing a role in these illnesses. That said, some patients have reported using both THC products and nicotine products, as well as a smaller number reporting using only nicotine products. Similarly, testing on the samples collected or received by the FDA shows a variety of products, or product components, with different ingredients or delivery systems making this investigation especially challenging.
