That’s because the e-cigarettes he vapes don’t contain CBD, a surprisingly popular compound from the cannabis plant that marketers say can treat a range of ailments without making users high. Instead, a powerful street drug is added to the oil.
Some operators are cashing in on the CBD craze by replacing cheap and illegal synthetic marijuana with natural CBD in e-cigarettes and products like gummy bears, an Associated Press investigation found.
Over the past two years, this practice has sent dozens of people like Jenkins to emergency rooms. However, those behind spiked products are getting away with it, in part because the industry has grown so fast that regulators can’t keep up and law enforcement has a higher priority.
AP ordered lab testing of the e-liquid used by Jenkins and 29 other vaping products sold under the name CBD across the country, focusing on brands flagged as suspicious by authorities or users. Ten of the 30 contained synthetic cannabis — a drug commonly known as K2 or spice that has no known medical benefits — while others had no CBD at all.
These include the Green Machine, a pod compatible with Juul e-cigarettes that reporters bought in California, Florida and Maryland. Four of the seven boxes contained illegal synthetic marijuana, but the chemicals varied in taste and even where they were purchased.
”It’s Russian roulette,” says James Neal-Kababik, director of Flora Research Laboratories, which tests the products.
Vaping in general has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after hundreds of users fell ill with mysterious lung diseases, some of whom have died. The Associated Press investigation focused on a different set of cases where psychoactive substances were added to products in the form of CBD.
The results of the Associated Press laboratory tests echoed the findings of the authorities, based on a survey of law enforcement agencies in all 50 states.
Of more than 350 samples tested by state labs in nine states, nearly all in the South, at least 128 contained synthetic marijuana in products sold as CBD.
Gummy bears and other food products accounted for 36 hits, while nearly all of the rest were vaping products. Mississippi authorities have also discovered fentanyl, a potent opioid responsible for 30,000 overdose deaths last year.
The reporters then bought the brands that were ranked as the top picks in law enforcement tests or online discussions. Since the tests of both the authorities and the AP focused on suspicious products, the results were not representative of the entire market, which includes hundreds of products.
“People have started noticing that the market is growing and some unmanaged companies are trying to make a quick buck,” said Mariel Weintraub, president of the US Hemp Administration, an industry group that oversees the certification of CBD cosmetics and dietary supplements.
Weintraub said synthetic marijuana is a concern, but she said there are many big names in the industry. When a product gets a splash, the people or companies behind it often blame counterfeiting or pollution in the supply and distribution chain.
CBD, short for cannabidiol, is one of the many chemicals found in cannabis, the plant commonly known as marijuana. Most CBD is made from hemp, a strain of hemp grown for fiber or other uses. Unlike its more well-known cousin THC, cannabidiol does not cause users to get high. Sales of CBD are fueled in part by unsubstantiated claims that it can reduce pain, soothe anxiety, improve concentration, and even prevent disease.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a CBD-based drug for the treatment of seizures associated with two rare and severe forms of epilepsy, but says it should not be added to food, drinks or supplements. The agency is currently clarifying its rules, but aside from warning manufacturers against unsubstantiated health claims, it has done little to stop the sale of spiked products. This is the work of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, but its agents specialize in opioids and other drugs.
There are now CBD candies and drinks, lotions and creams, and even pet treats. Suburban yoga studios, well-known pharmacies and Neiman Marcus department stores sell beauty products. Kim Kardashian West hosted a CBD-themed baby shower.
But it’s hard for consumers to know how much CBD they’re really getting. As with many products, federal and state regulators rarely test their own products—in most cases, quality control is left to the manufacturers.
And there is an economic incentive to cut corners. One website advertises synthetic cannabis for as little as $25 a pound – the same amount of natural CBD can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Jay Jenkins had just completed his freshman year at the South Carolina Military Academy, The Citadel, and boredom led him to try what he considered CBD.
It was May 2018 and he said that a friend of his bought a box of blueberry flavored CBD vaping oil called Yolo! — an acronym for “You Only Live Once” — at 7 to 11 Market, a modest white-clad building in Lexington, South Carolina.
Jenkins said that the tension in the mouth seemed to “increase 10 times.” Vivid images of a circle shrouded in darkness and filled with colorful triangles filled his mind. Before he passed out, he realized he couldn’t move.
His friend ran to the hospital, and Jenkins fell into a coma due to acute respiratory failure, his medical records show.
Jenkins awoke from his coma and was released the next day. The hospital staff sealed the Yolo cartridge in a biosecurity bag and returned it to them.
At least 11 people in Europe have died after lab tests commissioned by the Associated Press this summer found a form of synthetic marijuana.
State and federal authorities have never determined who created Yolo, which sickened not only Jenkins but at least 33 people in Utah.
According to documents filed in a California court by a former corporate accountant, a company called Mathco Health Corporation sold Yolo products to a reseller at the same address as the 7 to 11 market where Jenkins was staying. Two other former employees told AP that Yolo was a product of Mathco.
Mathco CEO Katarina Maloney said in an interview at the company’s headquarters in Carlsbad, California that Yolo is run by her former business partner and she doesn’t want to discuss it.
Maloney also stated that Mathco is not “engaged in the manufacture, distribution or sale of any illegal product”. Yolo products in Utah “are not purchased from us,” she said, and the company has no control over what happens after the products are shipped. A test of two CBD vape cartridges sold under the brand name Maloney’s Hemp Hookahzz commissioned by the Associated Press found no synthetic marijuana.
As part of an employment complaint filed in court records, a former accountant said that Maloney’s former business partner, Janelle Thompson, was “Yolo’s only salesperson.” Thompson hung up after receiving a call asking how Yolo was doing.
“If you want to talk to someone, you can talk to my lawyer,” Thompson later wrote, without providing a name or contact information.
When the reporter visited the 7-11 market in May, Yolo stopped selling. When asked about something like this, the salesperson recommended a cartridge labeled Funky Monkey, then turned to a cabinet behind the counter and offered two unlabeled vials.
“These are better. It belongs to the owners. They are our bestsellers,” she says, calling them 7 to 11 CBDs. “It’s here, you can only come here.”
Tests have shown that all three contain synthetic marijuana. The owner did not respond to a message asking for comment.
The packaging doesn’t identify the company, and their brand has little presence on the internet. Beginners can simply design a label and outsource production to wholesalers on a wholesale basis.
An opaque system of production and distribution hinders criminal investigations and leaves victims of spiked products with little or no remedy.
The Associated Press purchased and tested Green Machine pods in a variety of flavors including mint, mango, blueberry, and jungle juice. Four of the seven pods had added spikes, and only two had CBD above trace levels.
Mint and mango pods purchased in downtown Los Angeles contain synthetic marijuana. But while the mint and mango pods sold at a Maryland vape shop weren’t studded, the “jungle juice” flavored pods were. It also contains another synthetic cannabis compound that health authorities have accused of poisoning people in the US and New Zealand. A blueberry flavored pod sold in Florida also contained thorns.
Green Machine’s packaging says it’s made from industrial hemp, but there’s no word on who’s behind it.
When the reporter returned to CBD Supply MD in suburban Baltimore to discuss the test results, co-owner Keith Manley said he was aware of online rumors that Green Machine could be beefed up. He then asked an employee to remove any remaining Green Machine capsules from store shelves.
Through interviews and documents, the Associated Press traced the reporter’s purchase of Green Machine capsules to a warehouse in Philadelphia, then to a smokehouse in Manhattan, and to counter entrepreneur Rajinder Singh, who said he was the first manufacturer of Green Machine capsules. , dealer.
The singer, who is currently on probation on federal synthetic marijuana charges, said he paid cash for Green Machine pods or hookah pipes from a guy friend named “Bob” who drove in from Massachusetts in a van. To back up his story, he provided a phone number associated with the man who died in July.
In 2017, Singer pleaded guilty to federal charges for selling a smoking “potpourri” he knew contained synthetic marijuana. He said the experience had taught him a lesson and accused the synthetic marijuana found at Green Machine of being counterfeit.
The American Association of Poison Control Centers considers CBD an “emerging hazard” due to the potential for mislabeling and contamination.
According to a study published in May in the journal Clinical Toxicology, in one case last year, an 8-year-old boy from Washington DC was hospitalized after taking CBD oil his parents ordered online. Instead, synthetic marijuana sent him to the hospital with symptoms such as confusion and heart palpitations.
The labeling of many CBD products has been documented to be inaccurate. A 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 70 percent of CBD products are mislabeled. Using independent laboratories, the researchers tested 84 products from 31 companies.
Counterfeit or fortified CBD was enough to cause concern among the leaders of the US Cannabis Administration industry group, which created the certification program for CBD skin care and wellness products. Vapes are not included.
Georgia authorities began scrutinizing local tobacco shops last year after several high school students passed out after smoking. One of the CBD vape brands they are targeting is called Magic Puff.
Narcotics departments in Savannah and nearby Chatham counties arrested the store owner and two employees. But they were unable to investigate further because the products appear to have been manufactured elsewhere, possibly overseas. Group Assistant Deputy Director Gene Halley said they have provided a report to federal drug enforcement agents who handle such cases.
This summer, Magic Puff was still on the shelf in Florida after AP tests showed boxes of blueberries and strawberries contained synthetic marijuana. Preliminary results also suggest the presence of a toxin produced by the fungus.
Because CBD is an active ingredient in FDA-approved drugs, the FDA is responsible for regulating its sale in the United States. But if CBD products are found to contain drugs, the agency considers the investigation a job for the DEA, an FDA spokesman said.
Post time: Mar-16-2023