Medical experts are calling for more regulation on vaping products after a man in the US went into a coma after just two puffs on a vape.
Jay Jenkins says he was hesitant when a friend suggested they vape CBD, but he was convinced it was safe.
"It'll relax you," his buddy assured him.
But instead of relaxing him, the vaping product put him in a coma.
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After just two puffs, things became "hazy", then terrifying. Flashing images filled his mind and his nerves felt electrified. Then he realised he couldn't move.
"I thought that I actually was already dead," Jenkins said.
He was taken to hospital where he suffered an acute respiratory failure and went into a coma, Associated Press reports.
That's because what he vaped wasn't actually CBD, a cannabinoid found in cannabis plants which has a calming effect.
Instead the vape contained a synthetic cannabis compound which has been blamed for at least 11 deaths in Europe.
As the CBD business booms, unscrupulous operators are increasingly substituting cheap and deadly synthetic drugs for natural CBD in vapes and edibles.
"People have started to see the market grow and there are some fly-by-night companies trying to make a quick buck," Marielle Weintraub, president of an industry group that certifies CBD products, told Associated Press.
An Associated Press investigation into suspect products tested 30 vape products sold as CBD around the US, and found 10 of them contained types of synthetic drugs. Others contained no CBD at all.
"It's Russian roulette," said James Neal-Kababick, director of Flora Research Laboratories, which tested the products.
Authorities have yet to find who manufactured the vaping product that nearly killed Jenkins, however they're warning people to be careful with what they vape.
And medical experts are urging officials to increase regulation, testing and enforcement to protect the public.
"As long as it remains unregulated like it currently is," forensic scientist Michelle Peace said, "you just give a really wide space for nefarious activity to continue."
Newshub.
