Marijuana vaping disease strikes Thai patient: doctor

The THC oil vape purchased by the patient from the United States, at left. At right, an X-ray of his lungs found pneumonia after vaping. Photo: Manoon Leechawengwongs / Facebook

By Coconuts Bangkok

Nov 25, 2019 | 4:12pm Bangkok time

A renowned respiratory doctor said yesterday that a Thai man’s lungs were damaged by smoking a US-sourced THC pen, a disease being called EVALI in the United States, where it has killed nearly 50 people.

Manoon Leechawengwongs, a doctor and critical care specialist at Bangkok’s Vichaiyut Hospital, wrote online that a 48-year-old male lung cancer patient experienced pneumonia and respiratory failure after smoking CBD and THC extracts via an electronic vape he ordered from the states.

Manoon concluded that the unidentified cancer patient had been stricken with a “electronic cigarette, or vaping product, use associated lung injury (EVALI)” after being convinced to begin smoking marijuana oil without notifying his physicians.

Manoon said the man began treatment in March with Ceritinib, a prescription-only medication used to treat lung cancer.

His condition, Manoon said, had been steadily improving until he decided three months ago to lower his dose due to word-of-mouth advice that it was unhealthy to take too much cancer medication.

That prompted the man to order an electronic vape pen from the United States at the recommendation of several social media sources.

Photo: The marijuana vape pen a cancer patient ordered from the United States. Photo: Dr. Manoon Leechawengwongs / Facebook

Although the potentially fatal EVALI outbreak is still being studied, the US Centers for Disease Control has linked the disease to unscrupulous manufacturers diluting their products with Vitamin E. As of last week, it had reports of 2,290 lung injury cases in 49 states, with 47 deaths blamed on the crisis and more under investigation.

Monsoon said the patient smoked from the pen twice daily – in the morning and before bed – starting Nov. 3. The patient also took marijuana extracts sublingually, or under their tongue.

The patient reportedly told Manoon that he started feeling tired and fatigued after smoking from the pen until he was hospitalized Nov. 15 with a fever, cough and trouble breathing.

Three days after he was admitted, he reportedly had to wear an endotracheal tube and respirator. He had extremely low blood pressure and was moved into the ICU.

Doctors found white blemishes in his lungs in X-rays that indicated pneumonia and found his cancer cells had grown larger than before.

“The blemishes in the lungs indicated that the pneumonia was not caused by an infection nor does it look like the cancer was spreading,” Manoon wrote, saying they ruled out any other causes of the man’s condition.

If true as presented by Manoon, the incident underscores the challenges of regulating Thailand’s nascent medical marijuana industry in a low-information market riven with scams and sub-scientific medical practitioners.

The patient began receiving treatment with steroids starting Wednesday. Manoon said his condition has started to improve.

Though studies on the safety of vaping and e-cigarettes are limited, the US CDC is now warning people to avoid those containing THC due to the health crisis, particularly devices “from informal sources like friends, or family, or in-person or online dealers.”