UPDATE: All marijuana vape and aerosolization products not specifically for medical marijuana flower vaping were ordered quarantined in Massachusetts Tuesday afternoon by the Cannabis Control Commission.
A part of the Baker administration’s ban on vape-related products has been lifted Tuesday for medical marijuana users, as ordered by a Superior Court judge.
Judge Douglas Wilkins ruled last week that the state cannot enforce the vaping ban on medical marijuana card holders because only the Cannabis Control Commission has the authority to regulate medical marijuana. The ban expired for medical marijuana users at noon Tuesday.
Gov. Charlie Baker declared a public health emergency in Massachusetts in September and ordered a four-month ban on sales of vaping-related products. His decision came as the nation grew more concerned with vaping-related lung injuries and deaths.
The Baker administration said it ordered the temporary ban on vape products sales to give researchers time to study why the products make people ill.
"To date, 231 suspected cases have been reported in Massachusetts, including three confirmed deaths, and the administration is encouraged that the Centers for Disease Control is making progress in identifying possible elements that could be causing these illnesses," the administration said in a statement.
The deceased have been identified as a woman in her 60s from Hampshire County, a woman in her 40s from Middlesex County and a man in his 50s from Worcester County.
