Vapes spiked with illegal drugs show dark side of CBD craze

This May 2018, photo provided by Joseph Jenkins shows his son, Jay, in the emergency room of the Lexington Medical Center in Lexington, S.C. Jay Jenki... This May 2018, photo provided by Joseph Jenkins shows his son, Jay, in the emergency room of the Lexington Medical Center in Lexington, S.C. Jay Jenkins suffered acute respiratory failure and drifted into a coma, according to his medical records, after he says he vaped a product labeled as a smokable form of the cannabis extract CBD. Lab testing commissioned as part of an Associated Press investigation into CBD vapes showed the cartridge that Jenkins says he puffed contained a synthetic marijuana compound blamed for at least 11 deaths in Europe. (Joseph Jenkins via AP)

Jay Jenkins holds a Yolo! brand CBD oil vape cartridge alongside a vape pen at a park in Ninety Six, S.C., on Wednesday, May 8, 2019. Jenkins says two... Jay Jenkins holds a Yolo! brand CBD oil vape cartridge alongside a vape pen at a park in Ninety Six, S.C., on Wednesday, May 8, 2019. Jenkins says two hits from the vape put him in a coma and nearly killed him in 2018. Lab testing commissioned by AP showed the vape contained a synthetic marijuana compound blamed for at least 11 deaths in Europe. Jenkins was interviewed as part of an AP investigation into the dark side to the booming CBD industry, in which some people are cashing in by substituting cheap and illegal synthetic marijuana for the natural cannabis extract. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)

A Yolo! brand CBD oil vape cartridge sits alongside a vape pen on a biohazard bag on a table at a park in Ninety Six, S.C., on Wednesday, May 8, 2019.... A Yolo! brand CBD oil vape cartridge sits alongside a vape pen on a biohazard bag on a table at a park in Ninety Six, S.C., on Wednesday, May 8, 2019. Jay Jenkins says two hits from the vape put him in a coma and nearly killed him in 2018. Lab testing commissioned by The Associated Press shows this cartridge and several other vapes marketed as delivering CBD instead contained synthetic marijuana, a street drug commonly known as K2 or spice. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)

Researchers work at Flora Research Laboratories in Grants Pass, Ore., on July 18, 2019. The Associated Press commissioned the lab to test vape product... Researchers work at Flora Research Laboratories in Grants Pass, Ore., on July 18, 2019. The Associated Press commissioned the lab to test vape products as part of an investigation that shows a dark side to the booming industry selling the cannabis extract CBD. The lab tested 30 vape products sold around the country as CBD that AP chose by targeting brands that law enforcement authorities or users flagged as suspect. Ten of the 30 samples contained synthetic marijuana, a street drug commonly known as K2 or spice. (AP Photo/Ted Warren)

A Yolo! brand CBD vape oil cartridge is examined at Flora Research Laboratories in Grants Pass, Ore., on July 17, 2019. The Associated Press commissio... A Yolo! brand CBD vape oil cartridge is examined at Flora Research Laboratories in Grants Pass, Ore., on July 17, 2019. The Associated Press commissioned the lab to test that vape and 29 others as part of an investigation that shows a dark side to the booming industry selling the cannabis extract CBD. The Yolo cartridge and nine other samples contained synthetic marijuana, a dangerous street drug commonly known as K2 or spice. (AP Photo/Ted Warren)

Pierce Prozy prepares a CBD vape oil test sample at Flora Research Laboratories in Grants Pass, Ore., on July 19, 2019. The Associated Press commissio... Pierce Prozy prepares a CBD vape oil test sample at Flora Research Laboratories in Grants Pass, Ore., on July 19, 2019. The Associated Press commissioned the lab to test 30 vape products marketed as delivering the cannabis extract CBD. The testing was part of an investigation that shows some people are taking advantage of gaps in federal regulation and law enforcement to exploit booming demand for CBD by substituting cheap and illegal synthetic marijuana for natural CBD. (AP Photo/Ted Warren)

A Green Machine brand CBD vape pod is weighed during testing at Flora Research Laboratories in Grants Pass, Ore., on July 18, 2019. As part of an inve... A Green Machine brand CBD vape pod is weighed during testing at Flora Research Laboratories in Grants Pass, Ore., on July 18, 2019. As part of an investigation into CBD vapes, The Associated Press commissioned the lab to test vape products purchased around the country, including seven Green Machine pods bought at stores in California, Florida and Maryland. Four of the Green Machine pods contained synthetic marijuana, a dangerous street drug commonly known as K2 or spice. (AP Photo/Ted Warren)

Pierce Prozy uses a centrifuge for CBD vape oil test samples at Flora Research Laboratories in Grants Pass, Ore., on July 18, 2019. The Associated Pre... Pierce Prozy uses a centrifuge for CBD vape oil test samples at Flora Research Laboratories in Grants Pass, Ore., on July 18, 2019. The Associated Press commissioned the lab to test vape products marketed as delivering the cannabis extract CBD. AP chose the samples by targeting brands that law enforcement authorities or users flagged as suspect. Ten of the 30 samples contained synthetic marijuana, a dangerous street drug commonly known as K2 or spice. (AP Photo/Ted Warren)

This Wednesday, July 17, 2019, photo shows a Magic Puff electronic cigarette and its packaging in Los Angeles. The product is labeled as a disposable ... This Wednesday, July 17, 2019, photo shows a Magic Puff electronic cigarette and its packaging in Los Angeles. The product is labeled as a disposable hemp pen and was being sold as delivering the cannabis extract CBD at a store in Panama City, Florida, in July. Testing commissioned by The Associated Press as part of an investigation into CBD found it actually contained synthetic marijuana, a dangerous street drug commonly known as K2 or spice. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

This Wednesday, July 17, 2019, photo shows a Green Machine "Jungle Juice" flavored CBD vape pod and its packaging in Los Angeles. As part of an invest... This Wednesday, July 17, 2019, photo shows a Green Machine "Jungle Juice" flavored CBD vape pod and its packaging in Los Angeles. As part of an investigation into vapes that promise to deliver a smokable form of the cannabis extract CBD, The Associated Press commissioned a laboratory to test CBD vapes purchased around the country. That included seven Green Machine pods bought at stores in California, Florida and Maryland; four of the pods contained synthetic marijuana, a dangerous street drug commonly known as K2 or spice. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Pierce Prozy examines a Yolo! brand CBD vape oil cartridge at Flora Research Laboratories in Grants Pass, Ore., on July 19, 2019. The Associated Press... Pierce Prozy examines a Yolo! brand CBD vape oil cartridge at Flora Research Laboratories in Grants Pass, Ore., on July 19, 2019. The Associated Press commissioned the lab to test vape products marketed as delivering the cannabis extract CBD. AP chose samples by targeting brands that law enforcement authorities or users flagged as suspect. Ten of the 30 samples contained synthetic marijuana, a dangerous street drug commonly known as K2 or spice. (AP Photo/Ted Warren)

Katarina Maloney is pictured in her company’s offices in Carlsbad, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2019. Maloney is the CEO of Mathco Health Corporation, which se... Katarina Maloney is pictured in her company’s offices in Carlsbad, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2019. Maloney is the CEO of Mathco Health Corporation, which sells products made with the cannabis extract CBD. Documents filed in a California court by a former employee, as well as interviews with two other former employees, link Maloney’s company to Yolo! brand CBD vape oil, a product that authorities blamed for sickening people in 2017 and 2018 because it was spiked with dangerous synthetic marijuana. Maloney said Mathco does not “engage in the manufacture, distribution or sale of any illegal products” and said the company can’t control what happens to products once they are shipped. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A researcher holds a Yolo! brand CBD vape oil cartridge and its packaging at Flora Research Laboratories in Grants Pass, Ore., on July 17, 2019. Auth... A researcher holds a Yolo! brand CBD vape oil cartridge and its packaging at Flora Research Laboratories in Grants Pass, Ore., on July 17, 2019. Authorities blamed Yolo for sending people to emergency rooms in Utah, saying it contained a dangerous synthetic marijuana. The cartridge pictured here was provided to The Associated Press by a South Carolina man who says he nearly died after puffing it. Testing commissioned by AP shows it contained the same synthetic marijuana that caused the illnesses in Utah. (AP Photo/Ted Warren)