Illinois’ chief public health official testified Monday the vast majority of recent vaping-related illnesses in the state have been attributed to the use of marijuana vaporizers.
IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike told the Illinois House Mental Health Committee that 75% to 80% of the 69 people who have been sickened by a mysterious vaping-related respiratory illness had vaporized THC, the psychoactive ingredient found in cannabis. As of Sept. 19, one of those people had died and 13 other cases were still being investigated.
The news comes just months before Illinois is set to allow recreational use of marijuana, a move that will almost certainly increase the number of pot users within the state.
State Rep. Grant Wehrli, R-Naperville, who voted against the recent pot legislation, said “it sounds like we need to ban vaping and THC before” the drug is fully legalized next year.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said a ban on THC vaporizers merited “a worthy discussion” but noted he is only pushing a ban on flavored nicotine products for e-cigarettes. Both Raoul and Ezike claimed those products are stoking the crisis and attracting younger users.
Raoul said the vaping problem is “more comprehensive than that.”
As a result, he said his office is in the midst of a “comprehensive investigation of the e-cigarette industry.” He said that includes a probe of both legitimate and bootleg vaping products, as well as how those products are produced and promoted.
“The products are marketed as products to reduce the reliance on smoking. With youth in particular, it’s the other way around,” Raoul said.
Ezike can't say how many of the state's illnesses are linked to flavoring. “We don’t know which compounds are causing the illness," she said.
— Tom Schuba (@TomSchuba) September 23, 2019
Check back for updates. This is a developing story.
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