Massachusetts’ Ban on THC Vape Pens Is Over Now, Too

The state's ban on THC vaporizers has come to an end following a vote from the Cannabis Control Commission.

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So on Wednesday we reported on the news that Massachusetts’ vaping ban had officially come to an end after three months. Beginning Wednesday, people who use e-cigarettes to get their nicotine fix can resume buying vapes and vape products—so long as they’re unflavored and conform with new rules from the Department of Public Health.

But a ban on THC vapes in pot shops remained in place. Now, one day later, that ban has been lifted, too.

The decision comes from the Cannabis Control Commission, which had quarantined the sale of cannabis vaporizers—including pens and cartridges loaded with THC oil—that are popular among marijuana users. As of 2 p.m. on Thursday, the CCC has just announced, Massachusetts marijuana retailers can resume buying those products.

If you care about this topic, I highly recommend you read our staff’s entire amended quarantine order, particularly the Factual Findings since the investigation began. It’s the comprehensive, forthcoming, thoughtful update that the public deserves. https://t.co/ZB1fAv3eZ9 — Shaleen Title (@shaleentitle) December 12, 2019

There are some new rules, though. Before they can be sold, the vaping products have to be fully regulated, produced on Thursday, December 12, or later, and pass inspections to prove they do not contain vitamin E acetate, a chemical compound that is believed to be linked to this year’s outbreak of a vaping-related lung disease.

In its announcement, the CCC said it has not seen evidence that anyone stricken with the mysterious and in some cases deadly lung condition bought their vape products from a licensed pot shop or medical dispensary. They are instead believed to have been sourced from the black market.

Investigators who have inspected THC vape products from legal pot shops over the past several weeks have also not found vitamin E acetate or in their samples. Those tests are still ongoing, the CCC says.

Under the new rules, marijuana retailers will be required to disclose which additives are used in THC vaping products, and provide those lists to consumers if requested. Pot shops will also have to include this warning with those products: “This product has been tested for contaminants, including Vitamin E Acetate, with no adverse findings. WARNING: Vaporizer Products may contain ingredients harmful to health when inhaled.”

Vape pens had become a popular option for customers at recreational marijuana shops, with some reporting that vaping products made up as much as 40 percent of sales before the ban.

Long story short, for a lot of cannabis users in Massachusetts and the shops that sell to them, it will soon be back to business as usual.