How Cannabis Policy Reform Can Reduce Vaping-Related Illnesses

To avert similar future harms related to cannabis product quality, policymakers have several options ranging from supporting prevention and education campaigns to promoting the safety of vaping products by increasing enforcement against the illicit market. Another option is national cannabis policy reform. Federal policymakers could reform the scheduling of cannabis or limit federal interference with licit state markets. In states with legalized commercial sale, officials could implement additional testing and quality assessment requirements and consider other supply chain architectures beyond existing models.

The below proposals are by no means exhaustive of the panoply of options available to address potential harms associated with vaping. Our goal is to explore how cannabis policy reform could leverage regulatory controls to address the product quality concerns responsible for the recent vaping-related outbreak.