XPost: alt.politics.homosexuality, ca.politics, sac.politics   
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   From: homosexuals.are.enemies.of.women@cnn.com   
      
   Dank Vapes, a brand of black-market THC vaporizer cartridges   
   whose products have been linked to the outbreak of vaping-   
   related lung diseases, has an official verified account on   
   Instagram — despite the fact that it may not even be a real   
   company.   
      
   The brand claims "nothing is for sale" in its Instagram bio.   
   However, users can buy products with flavor names like "cotton   
   candy" and "banana split" through third-party distributors   
   advertising their services in the comments of Dank Vape's   
   verified Instagram posts.   
      
   Black-market weed vape company linked to lung crisis is verified   
   on Instagram   
      
   IMAGE: SCREENSHOT VIA INSTAGRAM   
      
   According to a report the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and   
   Prevention released Friday, a number of patients affected by the   
   vape-related lung diseases reported they used cartridges from   
   Dank Vapes.   
      
   "Dank Vapes appears to be the most prominent in a class of   
   largely counterfeit brands," the CDC says, "with common   
   packaging that is easily available online and that is used by   
   distributors to market THC-containing cartridges with no obvious   
   centralized production or distribution. The report comes from   
   health officials in Illinois and Wisconsin.   
      
   SEE ALSO: Vape lung crisis is a wake-up call for the weed   
   industry   
      
   Dank Vapes may not even be a real company at all. An Inverse   
   report in August concluded that the brand is "one of the biggest   
   conspiracies in all of marijuana" — a packaging company "with no   
   quality control or oversight."   
      
   The Instagram account appears to be registered in Los Angeles.   
   But there are no California state marijuana licenses in its   
   name. The California Cannabis Industry Association does not   
   recognize Dank Vapes as a registered brand.   
      
   And that means Dank Vapes is slipping through the cracks of   
   regulation. The state of California mandates rigorous testing   
   from cannabis labs to legally sell products. But as Vox found   
   when it looked into online vaping communities, just about anyone   
   can make and distribute their own vape juice.   
      
   The Dank Vapes account, which first posted in September,   
   advertises various flavors and doesn't directly link to   
   distributors. The account's comments are filled by people trying   
   to buy flavored cartridges — and by Instagram users warning   
   others.   
      
   Black-market weed vape company linked to lung crisis is verified   
   on Instagram   
      
   IMAGE: SCREENSHOT VIA INSTAGRAM   
      
   Black-market weed vape company linked to lung crisis is verified   
   on Instagram   
      
   IMAGE: SCREENSHOT VIA INSTAGRAM   
      
   Black-market weed vape company linked to lung crisis is verified   
   on Instagram   
      
   IMAGE: SCREENSHOT VIA INSTAGRAM   
      
   Instagram did not immediately respond to a request for comment.   
   But to obtain verification an account has to be "in the public   
   interest," according to Instagram's verification page. The   
   account must "represent a real person, registered business, or   
   entity." The company also says that to qualify for verification,   
   the account in question has to represent a "well-known, highly   
   searched for person, brand, or entity."   
      
   The verification process requires some form of identification,   
   like a government-issued ID, which  means Instagram may have the   
   identify of an individual who claimed the Dank Vapes brand.   
      
   Inverse points to one Jake Lindsey as the individual who filed   
   trademarks for Dank Vapes with the U.S. Patent and Trademark   
   Office. The only account that Dank Vapes follows on Instagram is   
   Dankwoods, another trademark belonging to Lindsey. It's a blunt   
   pre-roll distributor that, contrary to its Instagram bio, does   
   appear to sell and ship products online.   
      
   The Dankwoods store accepts payments through Western Union,   
   Moneygram, Zelle, Bitcoin, Amazon gift cards, and CashApp.   
   Dankwoods' site also sells Dank Vapes' cartridges.   
      
   The domain name Dankwoods.org is registered to an office and   
   retail building in San Francisco's SOMA district, a block from   
   the Giants' ballpark.   
      
   In a section titled "Is Dank Vapes Safest for Health?" the   
   Dankwoods site says "We are professionals: we have no mind to   
   spoil your life." Here's its bizarre, barely-English disclaimer   
   in full:   
      
   Dank Vapes is not safe for health. People who are taking this   
   already cannot understand those words. They take this to   
   consummate the bodily desires or the habits, which they   
   previously developed.Buy Dank Vapes Online.   
      
   Due to a high concentration of the chemical, they surely damage   
   t [sic] deliver to perform well. Some studies show the statement   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)