Propylene glycol has been approved by the FDA since the 1940's under GRAS status and has been used in inhaling devices for decades. To attempt to lump PG/VG with your 'mystery potion" is flat out wrong.
Terpenes of course are in so many organisms it would make your head spin.. all in very small amounts. The fact of the matter is ......... in cannabis extractions their presence is very minute and for good reason ............ they can be very hazardous with very dramatic and inarguably negative effects on one's health if taken in greater than safe doses. You mentioned that I should refrain from making claims without proof that vaping terpenes in small doses is poisoning people. I never made such claims ..............I'm positive that vaporizing concentrates made up of 5%-7% total terpenes (which is what anyone will find in any dispensary) is perfectly fine. The issue is ........... that's not what you are selling is it? You are selling a product that is designed to boost the terpene levels of the concentrate from 5% to 60%. A HUGE difference. Where's the proof that is safe?
Since you have no desire to publish a list of ingrediates in your product I stand by my assumption that not only you have something to hide but you have zero research to back up the safety of your product. The burden of proof is on you Drew ....... not me. You want me to stop? Then quit dancing around the subject and lay it out for everyone to see. Until then ...... for all anyone knows ....... the Solution is made up of 10% terpenes and 90% Drano.
I appreciate you clarifying that you are not making that claim, and appreciate the discussion. It seems to me that you have two main topics here, our specific ingredients, and the safety of them.
I write lengthy responses, I hope you don't mind. So first, PG has been listed as GRAS for use in food, not for inhalation, and that's all. While there may be studies out regarding the inhalation of PG, it is obviously still being researched and up for debate, and wont be solved here today. All of our ingredients have also been certified FDA GRAS, and we have provided documentation as such.
The argument you make that the inhalation of a substance with 5% terpenes vs 60%% terpenes is flawed, and I will explain why. Just to clarify, we recommend a ratio of 1 gram extract to .5 gram terpenes, which result in a 33% terpene mixture, plus whatever is currently in the extract.
The percentage of terpenes in the extract is not important, what is important is how much terpenes is being delivered into the body in a given time. I could have a substance that is 5% terpenes and drink a gallon of it and I will be exposed to far more terpenes than a small puff off an extract that is 100% terpenes.
So if we are discussing how much terpenes that are being delivered into the body at a given time, lets compare what we already see, competitions and videos where people take 3 and 5 gram dabs. I would argue that at your math, they would be ingesting 1/4 gram of pure terpenes at one time. 5 grams (5000 mg) x 5% terpenes = 250 mg or 1/4 gram. With no ill effects of terpene overdose anyone has seen.
In our recommended ratios, lets go overboard and shoot for twice the recommended amount, 50%. That's one gram extract, one gram terpenes. In our testing, we have found that you receive about 60 puffs from .5 grams of the mixture. Lets make it easier for the math, and say 50 puffs per half gram or 100 puffs per gram. That would mean per puff you would be ingesting 500 mg (half gram Solution) / 100 puffs = 5 mg Terpenes per puff. Now at a very high dilution rate, double the recommended dosage, and a low puff rate, you are still 50 times below what we see people do every day on social media, people who are not reporting any terpene issues.
Now I would personally argue that vaping or smoking anything is most likely not good for you. There are safer methods of receiving medication if you are looking to medicate. I believe we are all vaping because we enjoy it, and do so understanding the risks of inhalation and addiction, in regards to nicotine, and believe them to be very minor.
Terpenes, like nicotine, are not meant to be eaten or drunken. Nicotine can kill you if ingested, in not very large amounts either. Yet we use it in small amount every day. Large amounts for some users who make their own mixes, and what would arguably make me very sick if I tried to inhale, they do so easily every day. The same can be said for terpenes. The only basis I see for your argument is that you currently see people vaping extracts of 5%-7% with no ill effects, and use that as proof of its safety. I would again argue that so far we have been watching people take ridiculous dabs, multiple grams, and using terpenes in vape pens and we are not seeing any ill effects. If the proof you use is in how people are using them, people are using them, and they are fine.
Now, I don't want you stop voicing concerns, I am here specifically to talk about anyone's questions and address any concerns. I just asked that we could discuss it in a way that is not libelous and uncalled for, and I appreciate that you are doing so, we can agree or disagree in a conversation.
I will be very clear on what I have to hide, if you wish to call it that.
I have worked, for years, on this formula. Invested years of my life, many many thousands of dollars, thousands of failures and used time on this I could have been spending on my patents or extraction device line to make a high quality well functioning vape product. It has a business value, and a value to me personally. I am not interested in turning over my recipe or list of ingredients so that my hard work can be easily duplicated, and put myself out of business. Its that simple. There is no magic ingredient we don't want to disclose. With the availability of GCMS its only a short matter of time before our formulas are reverse engineered and I suspect they have been already. In fact I know of someone who did that, and unfortunately for them we were in a non compete that resulted in an unfavorable situation for them, long story. But with the prevalence of required testing that is in the cannabis industry, coupled with the massive amount of customers we have, if there was something in there that was different then we are saying, you would have heard about it.
Lastly, I'm going to use Coke as an example. We have excellent lawyers, and have researched the trade secret laws thoroughly. We have disclosed way more than is required by laws regarding trade secrets.
The UTSA defines trade secret as "information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program device, method, technique, or process, that: (i) derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use, and (ii) is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy."
We have explained that we only use terpenes found in cannabis, so there is your list of ingredients. If you look at a Coke bottle it lists natural flavoring, or artificial flavoring in other cases. The reason the individual ingredients are not listed is due to the ease of replication, and not because it is 90% Drain-0.
It would be nice for you to come to an understanding about our product, and I hope you do so. I really hope that you take a good look at the majority of items for sale that you use in life and how product ingredients are disclosed. Some companies don't care about if people copy their product, and now they compete with 35 knockoffs. I really don't want to pursure that business model, I believe if you want it bad enough, invest years of
your life instead of stealing years of mine. At the end of the day we have gone pretty far to obtain certification on our ingredients, and have presented them, and I belive that will suffice for the vast majority of consumers.
To be very clear, I will post it for you here, again.
We use a blend of plant extracted Terpenes, organic, not synthetic, and only terpenes found naturally in the Cannabis plant. To this we add natural, and artificial flavorings to create our All Natural and Flavored lines. In the Flavored line, the flavoring used contains small amounts of Propylene Glycol.