Ann Arbor Times

The Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA) has recalled a number of marijuana vaping products after the agency concluded that they contain a high amount of vitamin E acetate.

Reports have stated that several products sold in the Flint region contained nearly 500 times the legal limit of vitamin E acetate – which could lead to serious injury, illness or worse if consumed at a habitual level.

Vitamin E acetate is used across the vaping industry as a thickening agent but at that volume could become toxic, specifically to the lungs, and has recently sent several Michigan residents to the hospital. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has linked a high number of connections between those patients’ lung problems and the products they use back the additive.

The banned ingredient is suspected of causing 52 lung-related deaths and more than 2,400 hospitalizations across the country since March – at least two of those deaths were in Michigan. December’s outbreak is just the most recent wave.

“The recall affected 64,724 cartridges, of which approximately 5,000 were sold and approximately 60,000 will be destroyed,” said MRA spokesman David Harns in a statement.

Last month, state officials began mandatory testing for the additive in wake of the harm that it has caused. Certain vaping products around the state and country have now been restricted or pulled from the shelves altogether. However, there is now a concern that some banned products are still out there in the hands of unaware consumers.

The state’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs has noted that all affected vape cartridges will have a label that indicates the license number of the marijuana facility that packaged the marijuana product as well as a tag number assigned to the product in the statewide monitoring system.

Visit the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs' website for more information and a complete recall list.