US state issues urgent warning after toxic industrial solvent found in Marijuana vapes

Colorado cannabis regulators have issued a sweeping public health and safety advisory after regulated marijuana cartridges and disposable vape pens sold at more than 400 retail locations were found to contain methylene chloride, a toxic industrial solvent prohibited in inhalable consumer products.

The joint warning, issued by the Colorado Department of Revenue's Marijuana Enforcement Division alongside the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, applies to products manufactured by Staycon LLC, which operates commercially as Craft.

Vaping has become commonplace (Getty)

The contaminated products were distributed statewide and sold to consumers across 405 dispensaries between March 27 and September 25, 2026.

Affected retail operations span major population hubs and regional markets, including storefronts in Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Pueblo West, Las Animas, and numerous surrounding municipalities.

Methylene chloride, also known as dichloromethane, is an industrial chemical agent primarily utilized in commercial paint removers, industrial adhesives, chemical processing, and metal cleaning solutions.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes that acute, short-term exposure to the volatile substance can cause immediate central nervous system depression, while chronic exposure carries documented associations with liver toxicity, liver cancer, and lung cancer.

The agency issued the urgent warning (Getty)

While state health officials confirmed they have not received any official reports of adverse illnesses linked to the contaminated vapes to date, regulators treat the chemical's presence as an urgent consumer safety threat.

The specific concentration of the solvent present in the devices has not yet been publicly disclosed, making exact exposure levels uncertain.

Investigations revealed the contamination originated from a botanically derived flavoring additive, which was initially flagged by an independent testing laboratory during routine compliance screenings in August.

The finding comes just ahead of Colorado's scheduled rollout of expanded mandatory testing protocols specifically designed to target residual solvents, including methylene chloride, in all commercial cannabis batches.

Regulators are advising anyone in possession of a Craft cartridge or disposable delivery system to cease use immediately.

Some people still smoke cannabis joints (Getty)

Because state law mandates that every legal cannabis product package display the operating license number and specific production batch code, consumers can cross-reference their packaging with the official recall list published on the Marijuana Enforcement Division’s online portal.

State guidelines dictate that any matching units should either be safely destroyed or returned directly to the dispensing retailer for secure disposal.

Officials advise anyone experiencing adverse health symptoms following the use of an affected product to seek medical evaluation, contact Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222, and submit a formal consumer report via the division’s regulatory reporting portal.