MedPharm Holdings addresses outbreak of vape-related lung illnesses

MedPharm Holdings, to be acquired by Medicine Man Technologies, was out spoken in a press release Thursday.

MedPharm reiterated its own formal policy prohibiting the use of suspected unsafe chemical additives in products, including the concentrates used in vape products.

But MedPharm and it’s anticipated owner, Medicine Man Technologies went a step further, calling on industry officials and state leadership to enact industry-wide standards which would prohibit certain excipients in vape products.

In recent weeks, reports of dangerous and deadly cannabis vaping-related respiratory illnesses and lung injuries, characterized by severe pneumonia symptoms, shortness of breath, coughing, fever, fatigue, and respiratory failure.

While the exact root cause has yet to be definitively determined, health officials are focusing on chemical additives found in vaping oils. Specifically; vitamin E acetate, propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), and medium chain triglycerides (MCT), which are all popular cannabis thinning agents.

Some of these chemical additives (particularly PG and VG), when excessively heated, a common occurence during the vaping process, can degrade into harmful byproducts and known carcinogens, such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein.

The additives have also been linked to the presence of lipid-laden macrophages found in the lungs of people who suffer from this new vape-induced lung disease. The presence of these lipid deposits can, in turn, trigger inflammation in the lungs, a condition known as lipoid pneumonia.

Almost all of the afflicted have had exposure to black-market or counterfeit vape cartridges. With no regulation or testing, counterfeit cartridges often contain undisclosed additives that can inhibit the proper functioning of the vaporizer and/or cartridge, which can also lead to safety risks and health issues for consumers.

“Since its inception, MedPharm’s philosophy has been to always provide cannabis products of the highest quality, purity, and safety,” said Dr. Tyrell Towle, MedPharm’s Director of Chemistry and Extraction. “We have always gone above and beyond to tightly control our processes and inputs. That is how we create products that are consistent from batch to batch and free from contamination. In fact, we have voluntarily implemented Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and received third-party GMP certification in early 2019.”

MedPharm stated in its release that it will use its research license in Colorado to investigate the safety of vaporizing cannabis and substances that are commonly used in inhalable cannabis formulations.

“At MedPharm and Medicine Man Technologies, we have always respected the health and safety of cannabis consumers and always used a science-based public health approach in our product development,” commented Andy Williams, Co-Founder of MedPharm and Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Medicine Man Technologies. “The cannabis industry simply does not need any bad actors or black-market manufacturers using questionable manufacturing practices and additives that may lead to a health crisis and additional public skepticism regarding the safety of our industry and products.”

Williams continued, “We are also going beyond simply sharing our policy statement prohibiting the use of dangerous additives internally. We are now asking for the pioneering state of Colorado to yet again lead the way for the cannabis industry and ban the use of such chemical additives in all cannabis products, including the concentrates used in vape products. Additionally, we hope that the other 49 states will follow suit and ban these additives as well. Too much is at stake for consumers and for the responsible cannabis companies that do place a priority on the health and safety of the public to not take action. Just because cannabis is still federally illegal and there are no current manufacturing regulations in place does not mean we as an industry cannot do the responsible thing for the good of all involved.”

Williams concluded, “Lastly, we also ask cannabis consumers to only buy reputable vape products that are free of these harmful chemical additives and only buy from a licensed dispensary. There are plenty of vape concentrates on the market that use all-natural, cannabis-derived terpenes instead of these potentially harmful chemical additives or are specially extracted without these or other potentially harmful additives.”