As lung injuries from vaping have exploded across the country in the last month, the CDC has been scrambling to figure out what exactly is causing the injuries when vaping has long been touted as a safer alternative to smoking. It turns out, many of the injuries may be related to solvents used in black market THC cartridges. The findings have linked back to vitamin E acetate and myclobutanil, both found in the bootleg cartridges that the CDC tested, but notably not found in the legal and regulated cartridges from dispensaries. Vitamin E acetate is used to cut cannabis for use in vape pens. Myclobutanil,... Read More

A wave of vaping related illnesses has swept across the country, showing more than 500 cases and 11 deaths. In Colorado alone, there have been 8 cases of this illness, and 6 have been hospitalized. There have been several proposals for what to do about the situation, including calls to raise the nicotine age to 18 or sweeping bans on all electronic cigarettes or flavored electronic cigarettes. 10 local governments in Colorado have already raised the age to 21. Colorado topped the nation for teen vaping in a survey of more than three dozen states last year. Of the cases of vaping related illnesses... Read More

May 31st is World No Tobacco Day.  7 out of 10 smokers say they want to quit. Quitting tobacco, including chewing tobacco, is one of the best things you can do for your health. Smoking in particular harms nearly every organ in your body, and nearly one-third of deaths from heart disease are the result of smoking and secondhand smoke. Some smokers have switched to e-cigarettes to ease the transition to a smoke-free life.  E-cigarettes are devices that vaporize a nicotine-based liquid which is then inhaled, much like a cigarette.  Is the e-cigarette a better alternative to smoking tobacco?  Here... Read More