Extravaganja organizers expecting 6,800 at 25th anniversary event, first-time in Northampton

AMHERST – It's taken more meetings and negotiations with Northampton officials but those putting on the 25th annual Extravaganja say they're ready for the event Saturday, the first time it will be held at the Three County Fair grounds in Northampton.

For many of the previous 24 years the University of Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition festival was held in downtown Amherst.

Last year officials said it had grown too large for the Town Common and would not issue permits for it to be held here.

More than 6,000 attended.

Niki Striar, coalition president, said they are expecting about 6,800 to attend the festival this year.

There will be some changes, she said.

They've hired private security to be on site and those officers will also be checking bags for weapons, alcohol and any drugs other than cannabis as people enter.

Also she said, a few city police will also be on the ground "to ensure safety."

She said police will not be citing anyone for smoking or cannabis possession but will be looking for people selling it or in possession of other drugs.

"It's not an ideal situation but we understand their concerns," she said.

But Northampton Police Chief Jody Kasper said people will be cited if they're smoking cannabis in front of police. "It's not a free for all," she said for people to be smoking marijuana.

Kasper said the department will have about 15 officers assigned to the event. Many will be directing traffic with others to ensure safety or medical emergencies.

Striar said they had to work out the sale of glass products on the grounds with health officials. She said any glass pipes for sale will be labeled for tobacco use only.

Working out the sale of glass products "was definitely an unforeseen road block."

Health officials saw the pipe sales as falling "into a grey area," because of their intended use, she said.

The event, as in the past, will feature bands and speakers. She said this year, they will have 11 or 12 speakers, about two times as many as in the past.

"It's really great to provide more information."

Speakers include hempologist John Dvorak, who has been researching and writing about cannabis hemp and its prohibition for over 20 years;

Kathleen McKinnon from CannaCare Docs, a medical marijuana health care facility with offices in six states including Massachusetts and in Northampton;

Marvin Cable, a cannabis lawyer, who has offices in Amherst and Northampton;

and Donna Hackett from the Rhode Island-based International Women's Cannabis Coalition, founded with the intent of bringing pro-cannabis women together in an alliance to end cannabis prohibition worldwide, according to its Facebook page.

Striar said they will be celebrating the even'ts 25th anniversary in some way, they just don't know how yet.

"We're anticipating a great event this year."

She is asking that everyone who comes to be "safe in their consumption. We want everyone to be safe afterwards."

That means making arrangements to travel safely home either using public transportation or a designated driver.

And while some have suggested this might be the last festival should voters legalize marijuana, she said "we don't have any intention of stopping the rally."

But she said, "We'll see what legalization brings."

Voters in November will be asked to vote on a ballot question that would legalize recreational marijuana in Massachusetts.

Resource :http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/04/extravaganja_organizers_expect.html

Vaping on the Rise in China

2015 was a busy year for 25-year-old Pan Weiren’s chain of vaping supply shop. Earlier this year, his e-cigarette shop and bar Mr. Vape opened a fifth location in Wangjing, a busy neighborhood in Chaoyang district.

Pan got into vaping while he was studying abroad in California. But it wasn’t to wean himself off cigarettes. Pan remains a dedicated smoker who sees vaping as a lifestyle choice and hobby.

“I like the design of the vape pens, and I like to get creative when mixing my own vape juice,” Pan said.

Like many vape store owners in China, Pan got his start by selling vape pens and juice on Taobao. He also exported Chinese-made vape pen to the US.

“The US is probably the world’s largest market for vaping. But young Chinese are very open to new things too. So I started selling [e-cigarettes] to my friends and the product was received very well. Then I opened a store on Taobao.”

Pan opened his first store by Ritan Park in 2014.
World’s Leading Producer

Hon Lik, a Chinese pharmacist, is considered the father of modern vaping. About a decade ago he invented the first EGO style vaporizer to help himself quit smoking. Today China is the world’s leading manufacturer of vaporizing products. The industrial city of Shenzhen is widely considered to be the center of the entire vape pen supply chain. Its factories there produce the entire spectrum of products from ciggalikes to high wattage box mods.

Although China has the world’s largest smoking population, with an estimated 300 million daily smokers, vaping is still an uncommon practice – even in first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai. In 2012, China smoked a total of 2.4 trillion cigarettes: – roughly 5 cigarettes per person per day.

But with rising public awareness about the hazards of smoking and the Chinese government’s hardening stance on smoking in public, more and more people are thinking about switching from smoking to vaping.

Last year, after years of aborted attempts, Beijing banned public smoking and increased the consumption tax on wholesale cigarettes from 5 percent to 11 percent. Li Baosheng, general manager of e-cigarette maker Smoore, told Reuters that the harsher control of tobacco is great news for e-cigarettes, adding that lax smoking rules had previously slowed the country’s vaping business.

“My sales have been increasing on Taobao,” Pan said. “Roughly, I see 800 more customers each month.” Indeed, even a tiny portion of the 300 million daily smokers would offer an attractive prize for China’s domestic market.

International traders also showed an interest in China’s e-cigarette market. According to CECMOL, China’s largest platform for e-cigarettes, the British tobacco company Imperial Tobacco Group has already registered to attend the third VapeExpo this April in Shenzhen. As a traditional tobacco company, Imperial has been showing interest in e-cigarettes. Last February the company created e-cigarette brand JAI; it acquired popular e-cig brand Blu later in the year.

Analysts are also optimistic about China’s vaping market.

“China won’t be able to become a kind of ghetto of tobacco, so there will have to be some movement towards an alternative,” Shane MacGuill, London-based tobacco analyst at Euromonitor told Reuters.

However, current tobacco sales in China are largely governed by state monopolies. Tobacco imports made up less than 1 percent of China’s tobacco industry in 2012, according to Euromonitor. E-cigarettes might offer an alternative way for international companies to enter China, but to what extent the government is willing to promote the e-cigarettes and to what extent it will allow outsiders to play in the China market remains unclear.

“It will happen, but it will take longer,” MacGuill told Reuters.
Health Concerns

Most of Pan’s customers are young Chinese males between 20 to 35. A lot of them learn about vaping because they want to quit smoking. Vape juice comes in many varieties: some contain zero nicotine, some contain 6 milligrams and some contain more; customers can choose the amount of nicotine based on their preference.

For non-smokers who decide to vape, the effects of inhaling vape juices are also under-explored. Last year, a San Diego-based researcher published a study in the journal Oral Oncology, arguing that vaping may be “no better” than regular cigarettes. The scientists treated cells in petri dishes with vapor from a nicotine-based e-cigarette and a nicotine-free e-cigarette and found that the cells exposed to either vapor were more likely to become damaged or die than those that had not.

Prior to that research, a study by the Harvard School of Public Health found the artificial flavorings used in e-cigarettes also contained harmful chemicals. However, to what extent these chemicals damage cells and to what extent they may cause disease remains unclear.

The unclarified health risks and contradictory media coverage about e-cigarettes have made it hard for the government to regulate the industry. China currently has no regulations on vaping.

The majority of US states and most of Europe countries have banned minors from using e-cigarettes. The US Food and Drug Administration tried to regulate e-cigarettes in early 2014 and received more than 100,000 public comments on their proposed rules, which today are awaiting final action from the Office of Management and Budget.

Small business owners in US are under pressure because the rules would require federal approval for most flavored liquid nicotine juices and e-cigarette devices sold in shops. George Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, an advocacy group, told Fortune that it might affect 8,000 to 12,000 vape shops in the US and the estimated 1,000 manufacturers and wholesalers of vaping equipment.

While US departments are taking time to make the tough decision, China’s regulations seem in flux. “I think China will just follow US or Europe policies,” Pan said.

“Most of the people in China’s industry are small business owners. There are not many giants in the e-cig business,” Pan said. The young entrepreneur owns 11 vape stores across the country and he is the supplier for many other vape businesses.

For Pan, vaping is not just business. “In my eyes, vaping is a lifestyle and a tool for young Chinese to find likeminded friends. China is developing too fast: people need to slow down and enjoy life,” Pan said.

Resource  :https://beijingtoday.com.cn/2016/04/vaping-rise-china/

Exploding e-cigarette victim might never walk again

Cordero Caples, a 29-year-old college student from Colorado Springs, sustained heavy injuries after an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) exploded in his face. The man was in surgery for most of the day Sunday, having suffered a fractured vertebrae, facial fractures, and teeth damage on Friday, during a smoke break. Apparently, the device he was using wasn’t properly configured, causing the explosion that might keep him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

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While he’s in stable condition right now, doctors aren’t sure whether he’ll be able to walk again, according to Caples’ sister, Colessia Porter.

“He has a very outgoing personality. He’s that guy that can do whatever in the world he wants to do,” she said. “He’s really, really into fitness, and he’s really good at it. That’s what he was in school to do, but with an injury like this, it puts those things in question. I’m just hopeful he can make a speedy recovery and a full recovery.”

Meanwhile, an employee at a smoke shop in Memphis told Fox Memphis that the e-cigarette Caples used wasn’t configured correctly. E-cigarettes are sold in parts, and they’re “100 percent” safe to use according to Mary Grace Burns, but only if the user knows what he or she is doing.

“As long as you get direct instruction, and you know what you’re doing, and you feel comfortable enough to do it, I think it’s completely safe,” she added.

“This is way too powerful to power this,” Burns said after seeing pictures of Caples’ e-cigarette device. “Way too hot of a battery. You can have a way-too-high amped battery in there or something like that could easily misfire and cause something like that. It’s operator error, though.”

According to her, buyers looking for e-cigarettes should purchase them from authorized, trusted, stores rather than online shops, and they should undergo proper training, either from these specialized sales people or from YouTube.

“They think it’s just an easy little hobby, but they aren’t watching the videos on YouTube of how to do it, or coming in here, to get us to teach them how to do it,” Burns said.

Resource  :http://bgr.com/2015/11/24/exploding-electronic-cigarette-safety/

E-cigarettes 'could be taxed at the same rate as tobacco products

EU member countries have reportedly agreed to change the tax status of e-cigarettes so they are taxed the same as tobacco products.

This will allow member states to levy more tax on the products. According to a report in The Times, ambassadors for all the EU member states have asked the European Commission to create plans to class vaping as a tobacco product by as early as next year.
How prices could be affected

At present e-cigarettes are not included in the tax regime for tobacco products. Instead they just carry a VAT levy of 20%.

If they are moved into the tobacco camp then the price of vaping could double. Tax must make up at least 57% of the retail price of cigarettes with VAT charged on top of that.

It means an e-cigarette that currently costs £23 could leap in price to more than £53.

Product	Current price	Predicted price if taxed as cigarettes
Cigalike	£22.99	£53.47
Vape pen	£32	£74.42
Box mod	£43	£100

The move is being taken to counteract falling tax revenues as smokers switch to e-cigarettes. Last year the European Commission stated that it had recommended plans to “include e-cigarettes in the scope of excise duty on tobacco products”.

It warned at the time that a failure to do so “might have significant long term budgetary implications for member states.”

It comes at a time when the pharmaceutical industry is lobbying hard for stricter rules on vaping as it is worried the competition is affecting sales of nicotine patches and gum.

We could be set to see all-out lobbying war over how e-cigarettes are taxed with the pharmaceutical industry coming up against the tobacco industry. The latter wants legislation limiting e-cigarette sales minimised as e-cigarette sales help mitigate falling sales of traditional tobacco products.

However, it isn’t just the tobacco industry that isn’t keen on a big tax rise on vaping. Health experts are concerned too.

“If the EU were to require member states to tax electronic cigarettes like tobacco products it would be seriously detrimental to public health,” says Deborah Arnott from the health campaign group ASH. “It would lead to increased prices and discourage smokers from switching.”

Currently around 2.2 million Brits use e-cigarettes rather than traditional tobacco products.

Resource :http://home.bt.com/lifestyle/money/mortgages-bills/e-cigarettes-could-be-taxed-at-the-same-rate-as-tobacco-products-11364043835838

Madvapes Continues Expansion With Franchise Division

MOORESVILLE, N.C., Feb. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --  Madvapes Holdings, LLC ("Madvapes"), a leader in electronic cigarettes and vaping supplies announced today that it has launched its new franchising unit, Madvapes Franchising LLC and registered its franchise disclosure document ("FDD") in a growing number of states.  Madvapes, which currently has over eighty operating company and affiliate store locations in eight states, now plans expansion throughout North America through its franchising division.

Madvapes is already working with several area developers in southern markets and has growth plans to more than triple operating locations and have a store in most states by 2018. Madvapes franchisee's receive complete training and counsel that includes lease negotiations, product knowledge and inventory recommendations built into their support system. Madvapes strives to provide franchisees the best tools, training and industry knowledge to help run a successful vaping business.

"We are pleased to offer Madvapes franchising to investors who seek an advantage in the fast growing e-cigarette/vapor market. Through our e-commerce and aggressive event schedule during the past 6 years, the Madvapes name is at the forefront of the industry allowing our partners to capitalize on instant name recognition. More importantly the Madvapes franchise model offers franchisees an affordable business opportunity to capitalize on consumers seeking a cleaner alternative", states Tom Bright, President of Madvapes Franchising LLC.

"Managing a footprint of 80 operating locations provides us key insight into consumer trends from new vapers all the way to the die-hard hobbyist.  The Madvapes juice bar system provides Madvapes stores key competitive advantages in their markets, offering thousands of combinations of liquid type, size and flavor profiles.  Additional organization investments over the last year, including upgrades to our AMESA certified production facility, make Madvapes an ideal partner for new and existing store owners in this fast moving industry."

It has been recently reported that the e-cigarette/vapor industry is now approaching $4 billion in sales, leaving the industry with massive growth potential given the current size of the $80-90 billion cigarette market.

For more information please contact: Franchising@madvapes.com

About Madvapes:
Madvapes is based in Mooresville, NC and was originally established in 2009.  "The True Experts in Electronic Cigarettes", Madvapes remains the leader in e-commerce, retail stores and wholesale of electronic cigarettes, mods, e-liquids, parts and accessories. In addition to its industry leading operating retail footprint, Madvapes has affiliates operate an AMESA certified liquid production facility that produces a number of proprietary branded and contract e-liquid lines.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160224/337185

SOURCE Madvapes


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Resource : http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/madvapes-continues-expansion-with-franchise-division-300225875.html

Ridge woman arrested after trying to flee cops in Riverhead

New York State Police arrested a Ridge woman for attempting to flee police after she was found with drugs during a traffic stop Thursday in Riverhead.

Lori Baussman, 27, was a passenger in a gray Nissan on Route 58 that a trooper stopped for speeding and having tinted windows at about 11:30 p.m. While interviewing the driver, a trooper reportedly smelled marijuana coming from the car. The driver replied that people had been smoking in the car earlier that day, police said.

The officer searched the car and its passengers and found that Ms. Baussman, a backseat passenger, possessed used hypodermic needles, two glass pipes and one metallic spoon containing a white residue believed to be heroin, officials said.

While she was being placed under arrest she allegedly tried to run away, but was quickly apprehended. She also gave the trooper a fake name in an effort to hide the fact that she had active arrests warrants from Suffolk County, officials said.

She was charged with four misdemeanors: seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, possession of a hypodermic instrument, resisting arrest and criminal impersonation.

She was scheduled to have a morning arraignment Friday, police said.
Resource : http://riverheadnewsreview.timesreview.com/2016/04/72806/ridge-woman-arrested-after-trying-to-flee-cops-in-riverhead/

Wichita police crack down on head shops

WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) -- Wichita police cracking down tonight on shops that sell illegal drug paraphernalia.

Gage Conway and Talya Stegeman stood in line for more than two hours at the store 42 Below in hopes of getting glass supplies for smoking.

"If you smoke tobacco out of this for awhile, it turns blue," said Conway as he shows off the glass pipe he just bought. "It's artwork."

Conway says he smokes tobacco out of the glass pipe, but law enforcement calls this and other glass products drug paraphernalia. Wichita police are handing out fliers to head shops and gas stations around town reminding them bongs, pipes disguised as pens, incense or key chains are all illegal.

'I don't understand why," said customer Jesse Watson. "They're going to have the paraphernalia whether they drive 300 miles or not."

Customers say they've heard the police are giving stores just a few days to get rid of the illegal items or they'll be shut down.

Police tell me they won't be shutting down these stores, but they will be confiscating these items and citing the owners.

Resource  :http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/Wichita-police-crack-down-on-head-shops-373441651.html

Chemical That Can Irritate Lungs Found in Flavored E-Cigarettes

FRIDAY, Jan. 29, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- People using flavored e-cigarettes, particularly ones that taste like cherry, are likely inhaling a chemical that can irritate their airways, a new study suggests.

"It might be the case that if the user of an electronic cigarette experiences some side effects, like coughing, it might be attributed to the flavorings," since the chemical benzaldehyde was detected in 108 of the 145 flavored cigarettes tested in the study, said senior author Maciej Goniewicz. He is an assistant professor of oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y.

Benzaldehyde is a widely used flavoring agent found in foods as well as medicines, such as cough syrup, Goniewicz said. It can taste like cherries or almonds.

"It's safe when we eat it, or when we apply it to our skin, but inhalation is a completely different mode of exposure," Goniewicz explained.

Benzaldehyde can irritate the airways when inhaled, and vapor from the chemical also can irritate the eyes, he said.

However, the researchers also noted that the estimated daily inhaled dose of benzaldehyde from even cherry flavored e-cigarettes was more than 1,000 times lower than the maximum workplace exposure level set by federal regulators.

And the Smoke-Free Alternatives Trade Association, an e-cigarette industry group, said in a statement that these findings prove e-cigs are a better alternative to traditional tobacco cigarettes.

"Let's not lose sight that vaping presents substantially less risk than combustion cigarettes, which expose smokers to over 7,000 chemicals including more than 60 known or suspected carcinogens," the statement said. "This research shows that even with cherry e-cigs, it would take three years of vaping to reach the 8-hour work shift permissible occupational exposure limit."

But Dr. Norman Edelman, senior scientific advisor for the American Lung Association, said the study really shows the need for proper regulation of e-cigarettes.

"To me, it's another piece of evidence that we don't know what's in those things," Edelman said. "It's terribly important that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration use its power to regulate them. The first thing they can do is find out what is in them."

E-cigarettes work by heating a liquid solution to its boiling point, creating a vapor that users inhale. The liquid often contains nicotine, and sometimes also contains other flavorings.

Goniewicz and his colleagues measured the benzaldehyde contained in 30 puffs taken from 145 different e-cigarette liquids. In this study, they used an automatic smoke inhaler to measure the chemicals in the e-cigarettes.
Pause

The findings are published online Jan. 28 in the journal Thorax.

The researchers found benzaldehyde in three out of four e-liquid vapors tested. But the highest levels were in cherry-flavored products -- likely a sign that those liquids use the cherry-tasting chemical more heavily, Goniewicz said.

Goniewicz said "vapers" should know about this and switch if a flavored e-cigarette starts causing them to cough.

"If someone is using electronic cigarettes right now and experiences some of these side effects, this study suggests that they should try a different flavoring that might be less irritating to the users," he said.

But Goniewicz stopped short of calling on e-cigarette users to quit the devices, particularly if they are likely to take up tobacco cigarettes as an alternative.

"The evidence is really strong that the electronic cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco cigarettes," he said.

But Edelman noted that there's no solid scientific evidence showing that e-cigarettes help smokers quit, and that the devices instead help them maintain their nicotine addiction.

"People shouldn't vape," Edelman said. "If they're trying to stop smoking, there are FDA-approved nicotine-replacement products. If e-cigs are effective at smoking cessation -- and there's no evidence of that yet -- then they're no more effective than FDA-approved products already on the market."

Edelman added that flavorings are a way to entice young people to try e-cigarettes, which is one reason why the FDA has banned the use of flavorings other than menthol in tobacco cigarettes.

"There is a way to deal with this, and that's for the FDA to issue regulations," he said. "They said they were going to a year ago, and they haven't done it yet."

Resource : http://www.nwitimes.com/niche/get-healthy/chemical-that-can-irritate-lungs-found-in-flavored-e-cigarettes/article_d9749cc4-41cf-51c9-97b5-262d580c6ca1.html

E-Cig Flavors May Be Dangerous, Study Says

Why you might want to reconsider that cotton candy e-cig

The chemicals used to flavor e-cigarettes may surpass safe levels, a new study says.
The study, which is published in the journal Tobacco Control, reveals that high exposure levels of these chemicals could spur respiratory irritation. The chemicals used to flavor e-cigarettes are the same flavors often added to foods, so the FDA has determined them to be generally recognized as safe in food. However, the authors of the new study say the high levels raise concern for safety and need for regulation and that these chemicals may be more dangerous when inhaled than when they are ingested in food.

“Chronic inhalation of these ingredients has not really been studied much at all,” says study author James F. Pankow, a professor of chemistry and civil & environmental engineering at Portland State University.

In the study, Pankow and his colleagues assessed the levels and types of flavor chemicals used in 30 different e-cigarette refill bottles, including a wide variety of flavors like tobacco, menthol, vanilla, cherry, coffee, chocolate, grape, apple, cotton candy and bubble gum. In 13 of the 30 products, the flavor chemicals made up more than 1% of the refill liquid volume, the researchers found, and the chemical levels were higher than 2% in seven of the liquids. Two of the liquids had levels of flavor chemicals higher than 3%.

The researchers found that some of the flavor chemicals used were benzaldehyde and vanillin, which are known to be respiratory irritants and have exposure limits for the workplace. However, when Pankow and his colleagues estimated consumption rates, they found that an e-cigarette liquid consumption rate of about 5 ml per day puts users at an exposure of twice the recommended occupational limits. “That’s probably not a good thing,” says Pankow.

The study authors point out several concerns about flavoring, including the fear that flavored e-cigarettes might attract young people and the fact that flavored e-cigarettes don’t usually list the levels of specific chemicals that are present in the liquids.

“The point is that when e-cigarettes manufacturers talk about these things as being food grade or food-like, they are sort of suggesting that use of flavors is equivalent to using them in foods,” says Pankow. “Never mind the fact that these things have not really been tested for safety, but in food FDA requires labeling ingredients. If they are going to say these are food-like, then why don’t they list the ingredients? It’s also not food-like product because you are inhaling it not ingesting.”

The researchers note that the small sample size doesn’t necessarily represent the entirety of the growing e-cigarette market. But they conclude that the results are likely what a broad survey would have revealed and that their findings suggest high levels of certain chemicals are likely present in many products.

Resource : http://time.com/3822831/ecig-flavors/

Chemicals Linked to Lung Disease Have Been Found in More Vaping Liquids

Vapers have more than impending government regulation to worry about. A flavoring chemical linked to serious lung disease can be found in even more e-liquid flavors than previously thought, according to new research from Harvard.

Diacetyl is a chemical commonly used in food flavoring, giving products a creamy, smooth taste and finish. Eating something that contains diacetyl is considered harmless, but there are serious risks associated with inhaling the chemical (at least in a factory setting, we don't yet know for sure about the effects of vaping it).

Diacetyl is frequently found in flavored e-liquids, particularly dessert flavors like caramel or vanilla, as are its “sister chemicals” acetyl propionyl and acetoin, which are very similar to diacetyl and often used as substitutes. A study published last year specifically testing sweet-flavored e-liquids found 74 percent contained diacetyl, acetyl propionyl, or both. Now, a Harvard study published Tuesday in Environmental Health Perspectives, shows the chemical is common even in less-obvious flavors, including watermelon, menthol, and even plain tobacco-flavored e-juices.

“A lot of people think it ends with butter flavors,” said Joseph Allen, a Harvard researcher in environmental health and the lead author of the study. “But in fact if you look at where diacetyl and other flavoring compounds are used, it’s a really eye-opening list of flavorings that you wouldn’t think it’d be in.”

Allen and his colleagues tested the vapor from 51 unique flavors of e-liquid for the presence of diacetyl, acetyl propionyl, and acetoin. They found at least one of the three chemicals in 92 percent of the flavors, some with levels as high as 239 micrograms per e-cigarette.

E-liquids come in more than 7,000 flavors, so the researchers honed in on flavors they believed would be appealing to kids and adolescents—cupcake, pineapple punch, and something called “alien blood,” for example—to highlight the potential risk to young consumers.

But the news will likely cause concern for the vaping community at large, which has been discussing the potential risks of diacetyl for the last seven years. Three vapers even recently filed a class action lawsuit against a major e-liquid manufacturer, claiming it lied to consumers about the levels of diacetyl and acetyl propionyl in its products.

The problem, Allen said, is that because e-cigarettes are currently unregulated, it’s near-impossible for consumers to get accurate information about what’s in their e-juice. Combined with a lack of scientific studies on the effects of vaping means consumers are treading unchartered territory, with their health potentially on the line.

“The consumer doesn’t have the information to make informed decisions,” Allen said over the phone. “The flavoring industry is giving warnings to workers who are handling these chemicals and have the potential to inhale them, but we don’t see these warnings given to users of flavored e-cigarettes.”

Some vapers try to avoid these chemicals by ditching dessert flavors and seeking out liquids that are labelled diacetyl-free, but this new research pokes major holes in that strategy. Not only did it show that diacetyl isn’t limited to dessert flavors, but it also showed a great deal of variance within brands, indicating how difficult it is to be sure a flavor is truly diacetyl-free. Whether you go for “Crunch Berry” or “Peace Pipe,” until we have more information, no flavor can be guaranteed safe.

Resource : http://motherboard.vice.com/read/chemicals-linked-to-lung-disease-have-been-found-in-more-vaping-liquids