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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission issued a quarantine order Tuesday for all marijuana vaping products and devices.
This means that products that vaporize oil cartridges are still banned in the Commonwealth, but products that vaporize traditional marijuana flower are still allowed for medical patients.
A Suffolk Superior Court judge ruled last week that Gov. Charlie Baker did not have the authority to ban vape products for medical marijuana patients when he issued his four-month ban on all vaping products in September. That ruling gave the Cannabis Control Commission until noon Tuesday to come up with regulations, or the outright ban would have been lifted.
At noon, the commission announced that pot vaping products "pose an immediate or serious threat to the public health, safety, or welfare," and ordered Massachusetts dispensaries and treatment centers not to sell them.
Cannabis Control Commissioner Shaleen Title spoke at a press conference Tuesday afternoon about the quarantine.
"It's really important to note that this is not an open-ended ban in any way," Title said. "This is a quarantine based on credible evidence. We've had quarantines before for things like pesticides. There is a very clear process in place as to what a quarantine is for under our regulations, and how to get back to regulated sales."
The move comes after the CDC reported there was direct evidence that Vitamin E Acetate is connected with vaping-related lung injuries that have sickened hundreds across the state—and left three dead and dozens hospitalized here in Massachusetts.
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