Vape crisis forced cannabis sector to increase focus on technology, testing and transparency

(This is an abridged version of a story that appears in the February issue of Marijuana Business Magazine.)

Though it happened in the second half of the year, the vaping crisis commanded the marijuana industry’s attention in 2019.

A health emergency in which dozens of people died and 2,600-plus were admitted to hospitals immediately took its toll on vape-related companies, and all signs pointed to an additive, vitamin E acetate, which officials found in some of the implicated THC vaping products.

The marijuana industry has seemingly emerged from the situation relatively unscathed – in fact, vape sales are climbing again – but businesses could stand to learn from the experience.

The emergency seems to have increased the public standing of state-legal marijuana companies. But, perhaps more important, cannabis company executives have taken the cue to review their processes – especially as they relate to technology – and pay more attention to testing as well as their interactions with customers.

The staff of Marijuana Business Magazine took a deep dive into the cannabis industry’s takeaways from the vape crisis and how they can best operate moving forward, including:

• Determining what additives are safe for vape products.
• The importance of vetting hardware suppliers as well as testing vape components.
• Adopting technology that can make vape products more transparent and help combat fakes.
• Devising strategies for navigating the industry’s next critical situation.

Marijuana Business Magazine took a comprehensive look at state-by-state response to the vaping crisis. That information is available here.