The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a series of reports on Friday indicating that the outbreak of vaping-related lung injuries appears to be waning, as evidence mounts that vitamin E acetate, a cutting agent used in marijuana vape cartridges, is playing a role in the illnesses. In a telephone briefing with reporters, Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, said evidence now suggests that vitamin E acetate was increasingly being added to cartridges containing THC – the high-producing compound in marijuana – beginning in June, when the outbreak began to ramp up. Schuchat said THC vaping “largely explains” the big increase in acute cases that spiked over the summer, but the findings do not imply that nicotine vaping is entirely safe.
