Cannabis regulators in Michigan are proposing allowing the state’s cannabis businesses to collect and recycle used vape products, the Detroit Metro Times reports. Under the state Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) proposal, state-licensed cannabis businesses could accept used vape cartridges for recycling as long as any “perceptible” concentrate is disposed of first.
“A licensee may receive used vape cartridges and recycle the cartridges if the licensee disposes of perceptible marihuana waste inside the cartridges before recycling the cartridges.” — CRA proposal via the Metro Times
CRA Executive Director Brian Hanna told the Metro Times that “The industry brought up protecting the planet and the viability of recycling” vape materials during the two years in which was constructing new rules.
In February alone, more than $45 million in vape products were sold through Michigan’s adult-use cannabis market, many of which were disposable pens, the report says.
The CRA is accepting comments on the proposal during a public hearing next month.
Options for recycling vape products nationwide are slim. Some companies, such as Sauce and Fernway, have enacted recycling programs at their stores. In 2020, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) announced that it would accept vape devices and cartridges for recycling during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day – as long as they do not contain lithium-ion batteries.
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