December 28, 2019 1:28PM 

# To Reduce Vaping Illness, Legalize Marijuana 

By [Jeffrey Miron](https://www.cato.org/people/jeffrey-miron) 

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> States that permit recreational marijuana sales tend to have lower rates of vaping-related hospitalizations, according to [data](https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/severe-lung-disease.html) published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC has [linked](https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2019/p1220-cases-EVALI.html) vitamin E acetate, an adulterant typically reserved to the black market, to 48 of the 51 hospitalized patients it has examined. Governments have often responded to these contaminations by [enacting](https://www.ocregister.com/2019/10/25/a-vaping-ban-would-be-terrible-for-public-health-in-california/)[ bans](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-meeting-e-cigarettes/) on e‑cigarettes and other vaping products, but the CDC data suggest they should take the opposite approach.

From [my column](https://reason.com/2019/12/27/to-reduce-vaping-illness-legalize-marijuana/) with Jacob Rich at rea​son​.com.

##### Related Tags 

[Drug War](https://www.cato.org/drug-war), [Criminal Justice](https://www.cato.org/criminal-justice) 

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