Pennsylvania will continue sales of medical marijuana vape products amid an ongoing investigation into lung injuries associated with e-cigarette use, or vaping, according to the state Department of Health.

“None of the cases have been associated with our medical marijuana program,” department spokesman Nate Wardle said this week.

Pennsylvania, like New Jersey, is among 38 states where more than 500 cases of lung injury linked to vaping have been reported, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The investigation has not identified any specific e-cigarette or vaping product that is linked to all cases, the CDC says: "Until we know more, if you are concerned about these specific health risks, CDC recommends that you consider refraining from using e-cigarette or vaping products."

Vaping products containing marijuana’s constituent chemicals, like high-inducing THC, is permitted under Pennsylvania’s medical program for patients who qualify for and get a prescription card. Smoking it remains illegal.

Among the 530 cases of lung injury reported by the CDC as of Sept. 19, there have been seven deaths in six states. All reported cases have a history of e-cigarette product use or vaping, the federal agency says.

“Based on initial data from certain states we know: Most patients have reported a history of using e-cigarette products containing THC,” the CDC says. “Many patients have reported using THC and nicotine. Some have reported the use of e-cigarette products containing only nicotine.”

Some officials believe the root of the problem lies not with regulated products, but with those on the illicit market.

The mysterious lung disease outbreak prompted Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker this week to ban the sale of all vaping products in the state for four months. That includes those made with nicotine and marijuana. (The state is alone, for now, east of the Mississippi River in permitting the sale of marijuana products for recreational use to adults 21 and older.) The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is fining retailers up to $1,000 per vape sale, masslive.com reports.

In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy convened a task force that met Tuesday to take testimony on a proposal banning the sale of vape products, nj.com reports.

The task force will make recommendations on how state government can respond to the growing concern over vaping in a report due by Oct. 3, Murphy said. The task force was created a day after state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, announced his interest in making New Jersey the first state to ban all vaping products.

President Donald Trump said earlier this month the federal government will act to ban thousands of flavors used in e-cigarettes. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used emergency rules to ban the sale of flavored nicotine vaping products starting on Oct. 2, according to mlive.com, sparking a lawsuit filed this week by a vape business.

In Pennsylvania, the state Senate on Wednesday sent the House a bill proposed by Sen. Mario Scavello, R-Monroe/Northampton, that would raise the minimum legal age to buy tobacco and vaping products in Pennsylvania from 18 years of age to 21. In addition to that proposal, Senate Bill 473, state Sen. Lisa Baker, a Republican from northeastern Pennsylvania, proposes Senate Bill 396 that would spell out a ban on sales to minors of any so-called Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) and Alternative Nicotine Products.

ENDS include vapor products such as e-cigarettes, cigars, pipes or similar products that use vapor cartridges or other containers of nicotine in a solution. Alternative Nicotine Products include noncombustible products containing nicotine that can be chewed, dissolved, absorbed or ingested such as gum and patches.

"As for any changes that would potentially ban e-cigarettes or vape sales, that would need to be action by the Legislature," Wardle, from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, told lehighvalleylive.com.

The office of Senate Health & Human Services Committee Chairwoman Michele Brooks, a Republican from western Pennsylvania, was unaware of any proposals to suspend or ban vape sales.

Amid state and federal concerns over vaping, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday threw his full support behind “making adult-use regulated marijuana use legal.”

Pennsylvania House Republican Leadership blasted the Democrat’s announcement, which followed Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s statewide listening tour on legalization. Easing restrictions on what federal law labels an illegal narcotic is the wrong direction for a state “in the midst of an opioid epidemic,” the caucus that controls the House said in a news release Wednesday.

“Young people across the Commonwealth and our country are causing harm to themselves using vaping products, and the long-term impacts are still unknown,” the release continues. “For Gov. Wolf and Lt. Gov. Fetterman to choose now as the time to promote recreational marijuana is irresponsible and raises serious questions about their judgement over what they believe is the right direction for young Pennsylvanians.”

Included in Scavello’s bill to raise the minimum age of sale for tobacco products is a provision added by Sen. Larry Farnese, D-Philadelphia, that would ensure minors who are prescribed medical marijuana can still legally use vapes.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.