I knew I had to call the University of Washington after the man in Oregon died. The August death was part of a nationwide epidemic of people falling ill, and even dying, after using cannabis vaporizers and electronic cigarettes. Most of the cases appear to be connected to black-market pot vape cartridges, but this Oregon case was different. The state’s health department said the man had purchased pot vape products from a regulated dispensary, meaning he may have gotten sick from the same type of vape products that are on sale in Washington’s legal pot shops.
Are legal weed vape pens dangerous? Surely the University of Washington, the state’s largest research institution, would have some answers. So I asked: Had anyone tested what happens when humans use the pot vaporizers available on Washington’s shelves?
The university had a simple answer: No.
