Entering an Age of Prohibition

On Tuesday, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced a four month ban on all vaping products, including medical cannabis products, after dozens of cases of respiratory disease associated with vaping were reported to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The ban is in effect immediately, and lasts through January 25, 2020.

No more cartridges in 2019. And although speculatory, possibly longer than the four month sentence granted by Mr. Baker. How does stopping the legal sale of regulated vape products make the public safe when the issue is unregulated vape products entering the market? If anything this ban will propagate the use of third-party unregulated vapes and create more of a crisis.

What a blow to not only my field of extraction, but the Massachusetts cannabis industry. We do not use any cutting agents or diluents such as propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, Vitamin E acetate, MCT oil and other ingredients linked to the vaping crisis. Not to mention that in accordance with state law, all of our products must pass testing to confirm that they are free of contaminants and heavy metals.

Patients who relied on vaping as their form of medicine to sleep free of pain, no longer have that option. The cannabis industry is pissed. Just check out the latest on Boston Trees Reddit — Charlie Baker is a Weak, Reactionary Snowflake Megathread. After scrolling endlessly, I couldn’t help but wonder, is Mr. Baker causing dispensaries to be non-compliant with state law? Or does this public health crisis supersede the law?
501.100: Registration of Registered Marijuana Dispensaries
(1) General Requirements.
(c ) An RMD must make vaporizers available for sale to registered qualifying patients.

Anyway, my team and I are still trying to wrap our heads around the ban and figure out how to best pivot from pumping out cartridges.