The Grant County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies are reporting on a disturbing new vape trend.
Warnings About Illegal and Counterfeit Vape Products
Over the last couple of years, counterfeit and illegal vape product sales have exploded in the US and internationally, in 2023, one US operation that was broken up netted over 1.4 million illegal cartridges.
Law enforcement and health officials say counterfeit or illegal vape products can contain elements that could actually kill you. Besides presticides, testing of these sezied vape products shows various amounts of what are called synthetic cannibinoids, or fake cannabis (pot).
What’s the Difference Between Real and Synthetic Cannabis?
Unlike the natural cannabis grown from plants, synthetic cannabis consists of psychoactive drugs which are applied to plants. They can provide anywher from twice ot 100 times the potency of even today’s stronger natural pot. The result can be extreme mental breakdowns and issues, and even death from respiratory and other issues.
Known by the street names of K2 or Spice, synthetic cannabinoids are prohibited from being utilized in legal vape products, because they are considered a controlled substance.
How Can You Spot Fakes?
According to the UK website Haypp:
“Counterfeit vape products are identified by low-quality packaging (misspellings, blurry logos), missing or non-functional QR/scratch-off verification codes, and suspiciously low prices. Physical indicators include unusual tastes, leaking liquid, rapid battery depletion, and over-5000 puff counts that bypass regulations.”
In the world of vaping, two discount brands, known as Elf Bar and Lost Mary, are the vape versions of dirt-cheap or discount cigarettes. Officials say because of their already low quality, they are among the most copies by counterfeit operations.
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