INTO THE VAPE UNDERGROUND
The New York Times explores what a bust in small town Wisconsin tells us about the vape underground. Police found 98,000 empty vape cartridges and 57 mason jars of THC oil. Two brothers, 20 and 23, are in custody. They have not been connected to any patients with the disease.
- N.Y.T.: “The operation employed at least 10 people, the police said, who were paid $20 an hour to use syringes to fill cartridges with oil. The [brothers] kept meticulous records, using timecards to note when employees worked. The cartridges were sold in packs of 100, through channels that authorities, who also seized 18 pounds of marijuana and three money-counting machines, said they did not yet fully understand.”
- “These types of operations are integral to the distribution of contaminated THC-based vape carts in the United States,” Leafly reporter David Downs told the Times.
- While good quality THC oil can cost $8,000/kg, potentially dangerous additives cost a tiny fraction of that.
- Some underground products are counterfeits of products legally available in Colorado and California.
- Amazon has taken down several products which can be used to make counterfeit vapes.
Minnesota Public Radio
New York State subpoenaed Mass Terpenes, a Massachusetts company, and two competitors saying they sell vitamin E acetate online. Rolling Stone has more.
MassLive