Wood County Prevention Coalition
Uniting For A Drug-Free Community Since 2004
Vaping's Dirty Little Secret
MOTHERBOARD WRITTEN BY KALEIGH ROGERS
April 7, 2016 // 09:00 AM EST
A stained concrete floor is littered with cardboard boxes, large plastic jugs half filled with liquid flavorings, and milk crates full of empty containers. A stainless steel cart holds a precarious arrangement of pump-topped bottles, measuring cups, and a pad of folded paper towel stained with candy-colored rings. A bug clings to a mound of plastic lids.
Last fall, images of these scenes surfaced online, depicting the manufacturing facilities of Dr. Crimmy’s, a fast-growing e-liquid company based in Gainesville, Georgia. Many in the vaping community were disgusted, and vowed to drop the brand from their rotation. The company’s owner defended the photos—reportedly taken by a former employee and leaked to Convicted Vapes, an e-liquid review YouTube channel—saying they were not only months old, but also taken out of context, and mostly depicted areas where production was not taking place. The company currently works out of a lab that, at least on the surface, appears to be much more sanitary and controlled.
But the incident was illustrative of a pervasive problem in vaping. Because the industry is federally unregulated, e-liquids can be manufactured just about anywhere: in a controlled, sterile lab, on a tool bench in a garage, or anything in between. With no oversight or governing agency, consumers often have no idea where on this spectrum the lab making their favorite juice falls. It’s only when companies get publicly outed, or post carefully-choreographed lab tour videos, that customers get a glimpse at how the sausage (-flavored e-liquid) is made.
And so the idea of a garage lab has become a part of vaping mythology that’s difficult to shake. As far as I can tell, no company has been publicly exposed for mixing juice in an actual garage, but many in the industry tell me there are some set-ups that are little better.
Though federal regulations are coming, the industry has been attempting to self-regulate for years, both to root out any bad actors and to prepare for the new laws. With hundreds of vaping companies in the US, it hasn’t been an easy task, especially because there’s still no consensus on exactly what a “good lab” should look like.
It’s left the vape industry facing some difficult questions. Pictures and the remaining portion of the article can be seen here: http://motherboard.vice.com/read/vapings-dirty-little-secret-e-cigarettes-vape-manufacturing-regulations
Questions fill Ohio House committee’s first hearing on medical marijuana bill
The House Select Committee on Medical Marijuana kicked off its initial hearing Tuesday with plenty of questions about a bill that seeks to create a strictly regulated system in Ohio.
State lawmakers are trying to get ahead of potential marijuana legalization amendments that could make the November ballot. Each legislative chamber has been working on the issue, and the House likely will act within the next two or three weeks.
Rep. Ryan Smith, R-Bidwell, a leader in the House GOP caucus and member of the select committee, said the framework of House Bill 523 is “well thought out and a good starting point,” but he still has more questions than answers right now.
Smith’s southern Ohio district has seen massive increases in drug overdoses in recent years, making him sensitive to drug issues. He said he’s still looking for people to convince him that marijuana is necessary for medical treatment.
“Like most people, my heart goes out to the parents of particularly little ones who think this could help,” he said. “I’m willing to have the conversation.”
Smith said he wants to know how narrow the bill needs to be — for example, he favors a ban on prescribing the smoking of marijuana, a concern also raised by some Senate leaders. He also wants to better understand CBD and THC, the two main ingredients in the marijuana plant.
“Is there a way we can offer it to people who need it in a form that’s acceptable for medical purposes?” he said. “But coming from where I have, the time we’ve spent fighting this drug epidemic, I’m going to be very guarded in what I can support going forward.”
The bill would not allow home-grown marijuana, and those who want to join any level of the growing and distribution process would be subject to background checks. It also would require physicians to report every 90 days how many marijuana prescriptions were written and why.
To read the remainder, click here: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2016/04/20/questions-fill-first-hearing-on-medical-marijuana-bill.html#
WCPC Sector Leaders Hold Election, Elect New Officers for 2016-2017
President, Bowling Green Police Chief, Tony Hetrick
Previous to this term, Chief Hetrick served as the coalition's vice-president. Chief Hetrick holds an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice from The Community College of the Air Force. Chief Hetrick is a graduate of the FBI National Academy’s 231st Session, a graduate of the Ohio Certified Law Enforcement Executive program, the Police Executive Leadership College and the Northwestern University Traffic Institute, School of Police Staff and Command.
He also currently serves as President of the Bowling Green Community Foundation, and President of the Wood County Law Enforcement Executives Association.
Vice President, Co-Occurring Disorder Program Coordinator at the Children's Resource Center, Fracesca Leass
Francesca provides a comprehensive approach for adolescents struggling with mental health and alcohol or drug use and multiple levels of care to meet the needs of each teen including individual therapy, outpatient group counseling, and a continuing-care program.
Francesca also serves on the Wood County Opiate Task and Supervises Masters and Bachelor level interns coming into the field of Social Work, as well as an active core team member for the implementation of Sanctuary at Children's Resource Center.
Secretary, Health Educator and Public Information Officer (PIO), Wood County Health District, Jennifer Campos
As a health educator, she oversees several health education programs in Wood County schools and in the community. She also conducts outreach activities at community events and health fairs, presents on health topics in the community and writes grant proposals. As a PIO, she manages WCHD social media accounts, and works on media relations, public relations, marketing, and crisis communication in emergencies.
To view a complete list of the WCPC sector leaders, officers, and staff please click here: http://wcprevention.org/?page_id=59
Wood County Prevention Coalition Meeting
Friday, May 13, 2016, 08:30 AM
Wood County Educational Service Center 1867 N Research Drive, Bowling Green, OH, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
About Us
Our Vision: Helping youth be drug-free, productive and responsible citizens.
Our Mission: We are a coalition of compassionate community members working together to coordinate high quality programs for the prevention of youth substance abuse in Wood County.
Email: mkarna@wcesc.org
Website: wcprevention.org
Location: 1867 Research Drive, Bowling Green, OH, United States
Phone: (419)-354-9010
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCPCoalition
Twitter: @woodpccoalition