Dan Adams: Medical Marijuana Patients Feel 'Frozen Out' By Baker's Vape Ban

Teen Vaping Addiction — FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2018, file photo, a man displays his Juul electronic cigarette while shopping at a convenience store in Hoboken, N.J. U.S. health officials are scrambling to keep e-cigarettes away from teenagers amid an epidemic of underage use. But doctors face a new dilemma: there are few effective options for weening young people off nicotine vaping devices like Juul.

Zoe Mathews is a producer for Boston Public Radio and the producer of The Scrum podcast.

October 30, 2019

Updated August 07, 2023

Gov. Charlie Baker's four-month ban on all vape product sales in Massachusetts hasn't been without controversy.

Boston Globe Cannabis Reporter Dan Adams joined Boston Public Radio Tuesday to discuss concerns he's heard from those in the marijuana industry, and from patients who use marijuana for medical purposes.

"One [concern] is medical marijuana patients not having access to medicine they might need to treat a really serious ailment," said Adams. "For people who are sick, smoking is very harsh, hard on the body, it's not something you want to do unless you have to. But some people still need that quick delivery of the pain relief or seizure relief or whatever they're using the marijuana for, and vaping provides a way to get that quicker ingestion of it."

While other states have banned flavored vaping products in an effort to deter teens, the ban in Massachusetts is the most comprehensive in the nation: It covers all e-cigarettes, including those that burn marijuana flower using a coil instead of a traditional lighter flame, which is different than the oil vaporizers that the CDC is investigating in connection with lung illnesses.

"I have to say, objectively, I really don't understand that," said Adams. "It's not generally my place to take a position on policy or something as a reporter, but I'm really puzzled by the inclusion of these flower vapes. They're totally different."