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Cannabis Vaporizer Safety, Standards, and Common Issues: Insights from a GMP Collective Webinar
The 23rd episode in the monthly webinar series discusses vape manufacturing, consumers, and solutions to health and safety risks.
On July 31, 2024, the GMP Collective, an organization comprised of industry professionals advancing the science and safety of cannabis, presented their latest webinar, “Vaporizer Vigilance: Navigating Standards, Risks, and Common Issues in Cannabis Vaporizers.” Moderated by Bethany Moore, Director of Content Strategy and Market Growth for the GMP Collective, the webinar featured perspectives from three guest speakers: Darwin Millard, Technical Director at Cannabis Safety & Quality (CSQ); Shawna Vreeke, Head of Research and Toxicology at True Terpenes; and Audra Horridge, Vice President of Technical Solutions at ACTIVE.
The first question in the webinar addressed the current state of the vaporizer marketplace in terms of safety standards and regulations and how they're evolving. Shawna Vreeke noted the practice of adding non-cannabis ingredients to vaporizers and her work on developing a standard designed to protect the safety of the consumer from these exogenous ingredients.
The speakers then discussed common issues with design and functionality associated with vaporizer devices along with steps that both manufacturers and consumers could take to prevent risks. Darwin Millard explained that clogging and leaking are top concerns with vaporizer hardware, and he and Audra Horridge further elaborated on all the variables, including the consumer, that can cause a device to fail. “There rarely is one finger to point at one particular cause; we all need to be mindful about how we manufacture, fill, and handle these devices for the best performance,” Horridge stated.
The webinar also discussed the health and safety risks of poorly manufactured vaporizers. Horridge identified overuse of adhesives, the ohm of the coil, and ceramic mouthpieces as potential for risks, and Millard agreed that the industry needs to ask more questions, conduct more research, and develop more standards in this area to assess their health implications. One action Vreeke suggested consumers take is checking labels for cannabinoid percentages—low cannabinoid content could possibly indicate the presence of toxic dilutants. Millard also pointed out that legitimate cartridges will have serial numbers that consumers can look up.
A significant real-life example of health and safety risks is the 2019 e-vaping product-use-associated lung injury (EVALI) outbreak that resulted from dangerous compounds inhaled from the devices. “Vitamin E acetate during the EVALI crisis is the best example that we have, and I think it was really important for the industry to get that wake up call and realize that we can't just put whatever we want in these products,” Vreeke stated. She and Millard also discussed the capping of terpene concentrations, as higher concentrations of terpenes can cause irritation and inflammation.
In offering suggestions for consumer education, Horridge recommended more consumer outreach from brands. She stated, “I don't want to go as far as to say regulation for notices or pamphlets or labeling, but maybe some very minimal regulations on what is printed on these boxes in terms of best use…tips and tricks on their social media and other marketing and at the dispensary level with literature, is what I would love to see.” To this, Millard added, “consumers are really their first and last source of protection of for themselves. So the more they can arm themselves with education, the better and the more that the industry can help generate those resources.” Vreeke noted that the more information a consumer has, the more they are able to weigh risks for themselves and make informed choices.
The speakers also discussed regulatory challenges faced by manufacturers and retailers in ensuring vaporizer safety. Millard explained the proposed standards from the Vape Device Safety and Testing Initiative from ASTM International’s D37 Committee on Cannabis and how they are going to help regulators, manufacturers, and consumers. Horridge provided more specifics on the toxicology tests on aerosols and puff topography studies being conducted. “We need this research and this data,” explained David Vaillencourt, CEO and founder of the GMP collective. “Science is always evolving, so it's really exciting. Trying to keep up with the regulations and the safety parameters based on the latest research is just part of the part of the equation. The industry evolves and we get more mature as more states come online.”
Live questions from attendees included topics such as vape hardware originating in China, health concerns and or improvements to all-in-one vapes, and heavy metal testing.
Written responses to questions submitted by attendees are available here. Watch the full recording of this episode here.