To:       Cannabis Licensees

Fr:        Liquor and Cannabis Board

Re:       Ban on Vapor Products Containing Vitamin E Acetate;

            Implementation of Recall Procedures; and

            Deadline for Product Disclosure

Ban on Vitamin E Acetate

Following a presentation on recent severe lung injury findings from the Department of Health, the Washington State Board of Health today banned the sale and distribution of products that contain vitamin E acetate. This ban is effective this Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019.

The Liquor and Cannabis Board, together with the Department of Health, recently requested that licensed cannabis processors voluntarily cease production of vapor products containing vitamin E acetate. Per today’s State Board of Health action, the ban on production and distribution is now mandatory.

Per WAC 314-55-225 (3) (b), immediately invoke your recall plan for any vapor products containing vitamin E acetate. All products available for retail sale are required to have documentation available that lists ingredients. If unclear, please contact the processor from whom you purchased the vapor product.

December 1, Deadline for Marijuana Vapor Product Ingredient Disclosure Forms

The deadline for all processor licensees to submit the vapor product ingredient disclosure forms to the LCB is December 1, 2019. The emergency rules filed Oct. 16, 2019 require cannabis processors to disclose all compounds, including but not limited to ingredients, solvents, additives, preservatives, thickening agents, terpenes and other substances used to produce or added to marijuana concentrates for inhalation or marijuana-infused extracts for inhalation at any point during production and processing, regardless of source and origin. All processors, regardless of whether or not they produce vapor products, must return the form.

• The disclosure form can be found here. Please follow the instructions within the document and submit to mjdisclosureform@lcb.wa.gov.
• For tips and answers to frequently asked questions about the disclosure form click here.

Findings

While it appears that vitamin E acetate is associated with vaping-associated lung injury, these findings do not rule out other possible compounds or ingredients that may be causing these lung injuries. There may be more than one cause of this outbreak.

The LCB remains in close contact with health officials. We will continue to communicate with you as appropriate. Thank you for your attention to this important public health mater.

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