Shopping for cannabis vape carts? Think twice before inhaling this brand.
Black-market cannabis vaping cartridges sold with the (bogus) "Dank" label figure prominently in the ongoing federal investigation into an outbreak of mysterious, sometimes deadly lung illnesses.
The images in this post were released on Monday, Sept. 23, 2019, by the Minnesota Departments of Public Safety, and show "Dank" packaging from some of the 75,000 THC vaping cartridges seized in a record drug bust in Anoka County, MN.
(Minnesota Northwest Metro Drug Task Force)
Dank is a widely sold illegal product under the scrutiny of investigators trying to find out why so many vapers are getting sick or dying around the U.S.
Investigators haven't identified a culprit in the outbreak but say many patients have mentioned using Dank vapes.
From the Associated Press:
Last month, Wisconsin authorities uncovered an illegal vaping-cartridge operation that they said was producing thousands of cartridges loaded with THC oil every day for almost two years. Photographs released by the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department showed neatly stacked Dank boxes and cartridges, apparently ready for shipment.
Also last month, Minnesota authorities seized nearly 77,000 THC vaping cartridges, some of which were packaged in Dank boxes.
In November 2018, authorities in Lorain County, Ohio, intercepted four packages mailed from California holding individually wrapped and sealed packages of Dank cartridges. They believed numerous similar packages were sent to the area previously.
"Dank Vapes appears to be the most prominent in a class of largely counterfeit brands, with common packaging that is easily available online and that is used by distributors to market THC-containing cartridges with no obvious centralized production or distribution," said a report by Illinois and Wisconsin officials, and from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Doctors say the illnesses resemble an inhalation injury. Symptoms have included shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, diarrhea and vomiting.
READ MORE:
Dank, the brand that isn't, scrutinized amid vaping illness
(PHOTO: Northwest Metro Drug Task Force/Minnesota Departments of Public Safety)
