The cannabis industry calls for legalization in the midst of a vaping problem

However, some industry stakeholders believe that the problem could also be an opportunity to help users and promote wider legalization in the United States.

On Wednesday, the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) called on Congress to treat vaping-related diseases, legalize cannabis and regulate us.

The status of cannabis as an illegal substance at the federal level is fueling illicit products, hindering research and limiting the possibility of developing consistent regulations, said Wednesday the president of the professional cannabis association.

"These regrettable diseases and deaths are another terrible and largely preventable consequence of unsuccessful prohibition policies," said Aaron Smith, executive director of the NCIA, in a statement.

Federal and state health authorities are scrambling to identify the causes of an outbreak of lung disease in several states, linked to the recent use of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 450 people have been sick and six people have died.

No companies or products were involved in the outbreak, but some of the products in question contained cannabis compounds, including psychoactive THC, according to the CDC. Suspicions have been raised about illicit or unauthorized THC vaping devices, as well as additives, and many of the reported illnesses and deaths have occurred in states where recreational cannabis programs are not regulated. .

"We are still in a bathtub gin era with cannabis where there are many people without access [to legal cannabis] and people who are not part of the regulated market benefit, and newcomers to the market, benefit, "said AC Braddock, CEO of Eden Labs, based in Seattle, manufacturer of equipment extracted vegetable oils.

Even if the problem is rooted in the black market, the situation could become a serious threat to the legal cannabis industry as more and more authorities warn against vaping or take action to repress it. Until July, spray products accounted for 25% of licensed cannabis sales in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon, according to BDS Analytics cannabis research company.

"This is, I think, a reminder to industry and consumers that a very safe product can be made dangerous if people who treat it are not held to account," said Taylor West, former MP. NCIA Director and founding partner of the strategic communication company Heart + Mind Media.

But it is not entirely clear that THC products sold by legal companies are irreproachable.

In Oregon, one of the deaths involved a person who had recently purchased a spray product at an accredited clinic, said Delia Hernandez, spokeswoman for the Oregon Health Authority. The investigation is ongoing and on Wednesday, health officials have asked stores to check their inventory.

Some members of the industry do not expect to act. At the owner of the Urban Farmacy dispensary in Portland, Oregon, the owner, Margo Amala, announced that she had removed products containing additives or unknown ingredients.

"We have certainly looked at all the products on our shelves," she said, adding that she planned to shoot more.

Jonathan P. Caulkins, a drug policy researcher and professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said the outbreak could prompt the US Food and Drug Administration to regulate cannabis and its derivatives as drugs and vape pens as devices. administration of drugs.

One objective of the regulation could be to help ensure that products have consistent quality and properties, he said.

"I do not really see this as a total reversal of legalization," he said. "I hope this will push us a little towards a more cautious legalization.The amount of naivety that the country has shown about legalization is completely painful."