E-cigarettes and vape pens are under fire due to an outbreak of lung illnesses around the country. Here is what we know and what you need to know about the issue
Do you know what's inside your vape cartridge?
The most popular cartridges today, are those made for vape pens. Vape pen devices are sleek and simple to use, they come in different styles and shapes and they vaporize the cannabis oil with a heating elements that works with a battery.
The cannabis oil is the result of distillation, a process that reduces the molecules down to cannabinoids.
Legit produces of cartridges follow strict practices and testing to ensure your vape pens don't end up full of pesticides and cutting agents.
One of these agents is Vitamin E acetate, while approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as safe for human ingestion, it is not certain that it is safe for inhaling.
Vaping technology is new and while producers claim it is safer than smoking the industry is not old enough to have enough data about the true repercussions of the practice
Other agents include Vegetable glycerin (VG), Propylene glycol (PG) and Polyethylene glycol (PEG)
Within the Cannabis Industry there are plenty of producers who prefer an organic approach and say NO to adding any agent to their oil.
If you are concerned about inhaling pesticides or additives you need to stick to "Clean Brands"
How to tell if you purchased a counterfeit cartridge.
1. Stick to Legal States
Sounds pretty simple to us, but if you are buying vaping cartridges outside of a state that has legalized marijuana you have a bigger chance to be purchasing counterfeit products. With the legalization of cannabis states have put in place rigorous processes to ensure legit sellers, provide quality products. And responsible retailers are very conscious of how important it is to take care of their customer's health. In Oregon, many dispensaries have pulled brands out of their shelves and started accepting returns of purchased cartridges as a fast response to the recent health crisis.
2. Research what you are buying and where you buy it from.
Many brands post their authorized retailers online, so if you purchased their product somewhere else you might have purchased a counterfeit product.
It is important that you buy well known brands, from verified dispensaries.
3. Price and Package Red Flag.
If you purchased a branded cartridge too cheap or without the typical package, there is a good chance that it might not be legit.
4. App ordering?
Use apps that actually verify the authenticity of the dispensaries they work with. Many app make money from advertising so they are not greatly motivated to screen them, also, apps tend to get valued based on the number of size of their network so they might aggregate venues indiscriminately.
WAAVE is getting ready to launch in Portland and we can assure you that we are only working with legit dispensaries who responsibly screen the product the sell to their customers. We take the time an effort to verify each partner before we give them access to our vast suite of loyalty and marketing tools, because ultimately, our users, are what really matters to us.
If you want to learn more about WAAVE explore our website or download the app on iOS or Android