The cartridges were tested for pesticides, potency and heavy metals

A cannabis testing lab in San Diego, Calif. has released the figures for its testing of vape products, and the numbers aren’t good. In fact, they are highly concerning.

Close to 80 percent of the illicit cannabis vape cartridges tested by Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs (InfiniteCAL) were deemed “unfit for consumption.”

Of the cartridges were tested for pesticides, potency and heavy metals, 79 percent didn’t pass muster with regards to safety. In all, 62 percent failed the pesticide test and 40 percent failed due to a high content of lead.

“One of the vape pens had almost a hundred times the legal limit [of lead],” InfiniteCAL co-founder David Marelius told 10News.

Lab results also revealed about 50 percent of the cartridges tested contained less than 50 percent THC, and others contained high levels of vitamin E acetate, an additive ingredient that is the suspected culprit in theoutbreak of vape-related illnesses in late 2019. The ingredient is banned from Canadian vape products.

“Twenty percent of them had a significant amount [of vitamin E acetate],” Marelius noted.

The catalyst for the tests was a move by Platinum Vape manufacturing company, which produces pesticide-free, high-potency cannabis products that undergo meticulous testing.

Company co-founder George Sadler became so concerned with vape-related illnesses and product safety that his company teamed up with nearby dispensary Mankind to buy back illicit and counterfeit vape cartridges, exchanging them for heavily discounted Platinum Vape cartridges.

“It’s horrible,” Sadler said. “It’s doing so much harm to people, versus walking into a licensed store.”

Mankind chief operating officer Vera Levitt concurred. “We wanted to encourage [clients] to replace something that could make them sick with something that was safe,” Levitt said. “It’s sad for me. Public safety is a really important part of what we do and what we believe in.”

Want to keep up to date on what’s happening in the world of cannabis? Subscribe to the Cannabis Post newsletter for weekly insights into the industry, what insiders will be talking about and content from across the Postmedia Network.