On Wednesday, Massachusetts announced its fifth death credited it to the vaping illness that triggered a national crisis. <\/p>\n
The latest victim, an unidentified man in his 40\u2019s from Suffolk County, told doctors that he vaped THC, the intoxicating compound found in marijuana and cannabis vape pens. The US Centers for Disease Control noted that an alarming number of vaping illness patients said they vaped black market THC products, though other EVALI patients<\/u><\/a> claim they only vaped nicotine and have denied ever vaping THC or cannabis oils.<\/p>\n \u201cMy condolences go out to the family of this patient who has died from a vaping-associated lung injury,\u2019\u2019 said the state\u2019s Public Health Commissioner, Monica Bharel, MD, MPH, in a press release<\/u><\/a>. \u201cThis tragedy reminds us of the dangers of vaping and the reasons we strengthened our laws regarding vaping products.\u201d<\/p>\n The vaping illness, dubbed e-cigarette and vaping-associated lung injury, or EVALI, has hospitalized at least 2,800 Americans since August 2019, when the crisis began. As of February 18, 2020, the CDC confirmed that 68 Americans have died<\/u><\/a> from EVALI. That means the latest death in Massachusetts officially brings that tally to 69.<\/p>\n