XPost: mi.misc, alt.smokers, alt.politics.democrats
XPost: talk.politics.guns, sac.politics, rec.arts.tv
From: leroysoetoro@barackobama.com

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/10/25/michigan-vape- related-lung-injury-deaths-flavored-vaping-ban/4071973002/

New details are emerging about the spate of e-cigarette-related lung
injuries that have killed one Michigander and sickened 44 amid a national outbreak that expanded this week to include 1,604 people and 34 deaths.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported Friday that
81% of the people who were sickened by vapes in Michigan used products containing THC, also known as tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical
responsible for most of marijuana's psychological effects.

Investigators from MDHHS, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are trying to pinpoint
what is causing these illnesses.

Although the cause is not yet known, one hypothesis under investigation is whether contaminants in THC vapes, such as vitamin E acetate, could be dangerous when aerosolized and inhaled, state health officials said.

Vitamin E acetate is an oil derived from vitamin E that is often used in
skin ointments or creams, ingested in food or supplements. It also has
been used as an additive in some vape products.

Patients who developed vape-related lung injuries in Michigan were asked
to provide any e-cigarette materials they had for FDA testing. Preliminary results from five patients in Michigan found:

Two patients’ products contained only nicotine
One patient’s products contained only THC
One patient’s products contained both THC and nicotine
One patient’s products contained THC and vitamin E acetate. One product, a
Dank Vape Birthday Cake THC cartridge, contained 23% vitamin E acetate
In addition, state health officials reported two vaping cartridges
submitted by a medical marijuana caregiver to a Michigan Marijuana
Regulatory Agency licensed safety compliance facility also contained 40%
or more of vitamin E acetate.

So far, no specific brand of device or e-liquid has been identified as a
source for the outbreak of lung injuries. Although the THC products, particularly those obtained illegally, appear to play a major role in this outbreak, nicotine products cannot be ruled out, the MDHHS reported.

All of the people who've been sickened by this illness have reported
breathing problems such as cough, shortness of breath or chest pain. Some
had to be hospitalized. Patients also have had nausea, vomiting, or
diarrhea; fatigue, fever, or abdominal pain.

All had an abnormal lung X-ray or CT scan, and all reported using e- cigarette/vaping products within the last few days or weeks before getting sick.

Teenagers and young adults made up the majority of people hospitalized for
this condition.

Other states are also finding vitamin E acetate in the products they have tested. The New York State Department of Health found high levels of
vitamin E acetate in nearly all cannabis-containing samples analyzed as
part of its own investigation of lung-injury patients.

And testing at the Utah Public Health Laboratory showed evidence of
vitamin E acetate in 89% of THC-containing cartridges provided by six lung injury patients.

“We urge Michiganders not to use e-cigarette or vaping products,
particularly those containing THC,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health for MDHHS said in a news release.
“This outbreak is still under investigation, and the exact substance or
devices that are causing the outbreak are unknown.”

The CDC and MDHHS recommend that no one use e-cigarettes or vape products,
but especially those that contain THC. In addition, they suggest:

E-cigarette and/or vaping products should never be used by children, young adults or women who are pregnant.
If you do not currently use tobacco products, do not start using e-
cigarette or vaping products.
Do not buy any type of e-cigarette or vaping products off the street, particularly those containing THC.
Do not modify or add any substances to e-cigarette or vaping products that
are not intended by the manufacturer, including products purchased through retail establishments.
Last month, Michigan became the first state to announce a temporary ban on flavored vapes as concern about the safety of vaping and e-cigarettes
grew.

The six-month ban on sales of flavored vape products, which took effect
Oct. 2, was administered by the MDHHS upon an order from Gov. Gretchen
Whitmer.

Whitmer pointed to research that showed e-cigarettes are the most
commonly-used tobacco product in the United States. Nationally, their use
rose 900% among middle school and high school students between 2011-15.

Sharp increases in the use of e-cigarette products among high schoolers
were reported in Michigan from 2015-16 and 2017-18, with counties
reporting an additional 30% to 118% increases, according to the MDHHS.

That, coupled with a national outbreak of vape-related lung injuries,
Whitmer said, constituted a public health emergency. She instituted the
ban through Michigan's administrative emergency rules process, which
allows state agencies to create regulations or policies that, once
authorized, act as laws.

It quickly met with legal challenges.

The Michigan Court of Claims stopped the state's ban on flavored vapes on
Oct. 15, when Judge Cynthia Diane Stephens issued a preliminary
injunction.

Her ruling said the harm done to vape businesses, which would have to shut
down because of the ban, outweighs the interest of the state in stopping
youths from using the products.

Whitmer filed an emergency leave Friday with the Michigan Court of
Appeals, asking the state Supreme Court to take the case directly.

“After seeing how the Flint water crisis was mishandled, it’s more
important than ever that we listen to our public health officials when
they make recommendations to protect our citizens,” Whitmer said in a
statement Friday. “Our Chief Medical Officer has found that the explosive increase in youth vaping that we’ve seen over the past few years is a
public health emergency. For the sake of our kids and our overall public health, we must act swiftly to get these harmful and addictive products
off the market. I’m hopeful that the Supreme Court will immediately take
up this case so we can ensure our kids’ safety.”

Contact Kristen Jordan Shamus: 313-222-5997 or kshamus@freepress.com.
Follow her on Twitter @kristenshamus. Free Press staff writer Kathleen
Gray contributed to this report.

How to get help

Help is available for people addicted to nicotine from vape products.

Health officials urge anyone who has vaped in the past not to switch to cigarette/cigar smoking as a replacement for nicotine. Instead, seek free
help by calling 800-784-8669 or consider an FDA-approved nicotine-
replacement product like gum, lozenges, nasal sprays or patches.

Teens who are trying to quit tobacco or stop vaping can call or text the
My Life, My Quit program at 855-891-9989 for real-time coaching. This
program allows teens to work with a coach who listens and understands
their needs, provides support and can help them build a plan to quit.

To learn more about vape-related lung injuries, go to
Michigan.gov/vapelung.



--
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.

Donald J. Trump, 304 electoral votes to 227, defeated compulsive liar in
denial Hillary Rodham Clinton on December 19th, 2016. The clown car
parade of the democrat party ran out of gas and got run over by a Trump
truck.

Congratulations President Trump. Thank you for cleaning up the disaster
of the Obama presidency.

The Obama-led Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) approved Uranium One in fall 2010. With a little luck, we'll see
compulsive liar Hillary Clinton in jail before she dies.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp.

Obama increased total debt from $10 trillion to $20 trillion in the eight
years he was in office, and sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood queer
liberal democrat donors.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: www.darkrealms.ca (1:229/2)