Possible misinformation on Vaping... er..CBD...er...Vaping

2018JAN30- @bmania

Full disclosure up front- I own some vape shops and websites; I constantly see misinformation being spewed about the vaping industry by journalists who do little to no fact finding prior to writing. Now, my company is admittedly fairly new to the CBD market but have been in the vape business for over 5 years. After months of research, product testing, and inspecting different manufacturers, we decided to bring in a line of hemp based CBD that is zero THC, organically farmed, and regionally based. We went with a manufacturer that encourages their distribution partners to visit their farms and independent labs to learn about the product, because we ultimately want something that our customers can trust... as we want them to continue to trust and patronize us.

Unfortunately, with the explosion of popularity in CBD over the past few years some less than reputable characters have emerged to take advantage of an unregulated emerging industry. This is going to be the case in any new industry- some people will see dollar signs and gravitate towards the easiest path. However, I believe the majority of people and businesses are truly attempting to meet a consumer demand in an honest way.
( NOTE: Before we get too far- in order to dispel any thoughts you may have popping in your mind- NO!! I do not believe regulation is the answer for much of anything. A truly unregulated free market will always create or abide by existing industry/public standards for health, optimize the product, self correct bad characters, and overall govern itself better than any heavy handed regulations because it is competition and consumer based. There, that was my full libertarian spiel.)

So along with any new industry or industries that carry a public stigma, pundits will undoubtedly call for prohibition, regulation, further stigmatization, etc, blah...blah...blah, yackity-smackity. For example, I ran into this article today originally published in the Fayetteville Observer:
http://www.fayobserver.com/news/20180130/army-warns-of-emerging-public-health-threat

"60 soldiers at Fort Bragg suffering seizures from vaping, Army sends out warning

The U.S. Army Public Health Center has issued a warning to users of e-cigarettes and other vaping products after approximately 60 troops in North Carolina experienced serious medical issues.

A public health alert was issued by the center on Monday. According to officials, soldiers from Fort Bragg and Marines from Camp Lejeune have reported adverse health effects believed to be caused by vaping products that are marketed as containing cannabidiol, or CBD, oil...

...The service members reported headaches, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, dilated pupils, dizziness, disorientation, agitation and seizures, officials said. Those are all symptoms associated with synthetic cannabinoids...

...They attribute the adverse health effects to man-made chemicals that are meant to replicate those found in marijuana. Army regulations prohibit soldiers from using such products.

'Although pure CBD oil has not yet been associated with adverse health effects, CBD vape oils most likely contain synthetic cannabinoids, concentrated tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and/or other hazardous compounds in addition to, or in place of, CBD oil,' officials said..."

So you get the point...maybe, most likely. The full article basically states the Army has declared a warning for all Vapers to be careful, because your eJuice might be spiked with synthetic cannibinoids that may or may not be responsible for up to 60 service members falling ill. Also that you as a service member might be too stupid to notice that you are buying something with synthetic chemicals in it. (As a service member that vapes, uses CBD, owns Vape Shops, and sells CBD- I take exception to this)

Here is where I am at with this...

If you are a distributor, reseller, manufacturer: Get your poop together! A fledgling industry does not need further bad publicity because you are more interested in making a buck than ensuring your customers have a quality product. Ensure you are using natural products and abide by laws governing your area.
If you are customer: Get your poop together! Understand what you are buying and consuming into your body. Spend a few minutes fact finding on Dr. Google, Professor Bing, or Mr. Ducky McDuck Go and then ask semi-informed questions to your retailer.
If you are a journalist: Get your poop together! Perform some more research, clearly delineate between Vaping and the use of CBD additives, and maybe get more than one official source(s) as you clearly found no corroborating sources from the civilian sector.

Everyone just needs to get better informed for themselves, the industry, and the general public.