The cannabis vape cartridge market has experienced an increase in the number of fake products, especially in unregulated states.

Vaping is an amazing way of enjoying cannabis. Yes, smoking directly and even munching on edibles are great, but vaping is rapidly becoming the preferred method of consumption for most cannabis users.

Sadly, as vaping gains popularity, the number of fake vape cartridges in the market increases, threatening the cannabis vaping process. The issue with fake vape cartridges goes beyond just having a phony item; this is an item you use to take a substance into your body which means you are vulnerable to contamination.

The number of patients at the hospital sick because of vaping-associated pulmonary injuries has also increased thus making it a dire problematic situation that needs to be addressed swiftly.

If you love and enjoy using a disposable vaporizer cartridge, you’ve got to ensure it is not a fake, and this article will help you. Generally, the first step to ensuring you don’t get a fake vape cartridge is buying from legit sources. Always ensure that you purchase the vape cartridges from a licensed dispensary: please don’t buy from anyone who is not authorized.

Here are some other helpful tips that can help you avoid purchasing a fake vape cartridge.

Ensure that the license is authentic and it exists

The first rule for ensuring that a vape cartridge is genuine is to check for a permit. The manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers should have rights, so it is probably fake if it is too difficult to verify its approval.

Legal stores and products should post their license number; this shouldn’t be ignored. Please check out The Bureau of Cannabis Control Website to check if a store is registered with a licensed retailer.

If there is no licensed number, the store is not regulated, and a lack of regulation means the store is running its show. You don’t want to get vape cartridges from a store running its show.

Always check the vape cartridge packaging

The packaging will always reveal itself; if it looks fishy, it is definitely fishy! The original vape labels will always have the following: A batch number, a packaging date, manufacturing date, manufacturer’s location, and many numbers.

If you don’t see these details on the packaging, please don’t justify it and don’t get it. You are looking at a fake product, and if you ahead to buy it, you will be putting your lugs at risk.

Avoid fake copycats 

There are lots of fraudulent vape cartridges manufactured by fictitious brands containing toxic products. These fake products are adaptations of famous brands with websites selling pack cartridges in 100s.

RELATED: Is Vaping Cannabis Really Worse For Teen Lungs Than Vaping Tobacco? 

You will know it is a copycat when you see the counterfeit labels that mimic the legal cannabis brand, which means you should know the differences between the original and a copy.

Read about the ingredients

Many vape tanks contain diluents like propylene glycol, medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil, and vegetable glycerin. These oils are added to give the cannabis extracts a liquid consistency so you can easily vape.

But not all diluents are right for you, so always read the labels and ingredients to ensure that you do the right thing. For example, a new thickener called Vitamin E acetate is under investigation for being a potential cause of vaping-related illnesses.

RELATED: Fake Cannabis Vapes Are Everywhere And Poisoning Folks

Avoiding certain ingredients will help you stay healthy and safe as you vape cannabis. Remember that you will expose your lungs to the vaping process, and don’t take this idea for granted.

Know the brands

This is not a good time to experiment with new brands; you are safer with a known and established brand with a record of producing healthy cartridges. All major brands will most likely be licensed, so start by looking for the brands that have existed for many years.

Buy from brands with an established reputation and those with an active social media platform. These brands will get things right by the book because they don’t want to put a dent in their reputation.

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New ad unknown brands can do whatever they like because they have nothing to lose. Such brands can be dangerous to users, and unsuspecting wholesalers will sell these products to retailers, reselling them, thus putting them at risk. Buy from known brands: this is a simple and easy way to get the correct vape cartridge.

Check lab results 

All licensed brands provide and publish test results so retailers can understand the scientific process involved with creating the cartridges. So always ask your budtender for the product’s certificate of analysis (COA) before purchasing the item.

RELATED: How To Tell If Your Vape Pen May Be Harmful

Some fake brands may also have illicit lab results with photo-shopped COA, so please be careful with this idea. Licensed dispensaries should also check all COAs to avoid putting illegal products in their shops. You can also check with the lab where the product was tested to confirm that all results are accurate. You find information about the lab on the COA as well, and if it is not an actual lab address, then the product is fake.

Trust your instincts about a product

Lastly, when you go shopping for vape cartridges, if you feel like something is not right about the product, please go with your instincts. If you have already bought it and you’re already using it, stop using it immediately.

Most diluents are colorless, odorless, and tasteless, making it even more difficult for lab analysis to detect them. So taste and smell wouldn’t be beneficial to you all the time. However, if you feel like something is wrong, don’t take unnecessary risks.

Bottom line

The cannabis vape cartridge market has experienced an increase in the number of fake products, especially in unregulated states. If you don’t take the precautions we have discussed thus far, you may end up with one and expose yourself to contamination.

Those in the illicit market copy legitimate brands so brilliantly that if you don’t pay close attention, you may end up with a fake thinking it’s the real deal. As we enjoy the benefits of cannabis, we should also ensure that we are protected with the tools we use, for that is how to maximize the benefits of cannabis.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and has been reposted with permission.