Want To Know If Vape Cartridge is Fake?

Please understand before you vape: if your cartridge is on this list, its more than likely 'fake'.

If you find the cartridge brand you purchased on this list, the package was imported from china, empty.

It was then filled with something resembling cannabis/THC oil. Some may contain synthetic marijuana, pesticides, heavy metals or a large list of other harmful things. Or, it could be high-quality oil and entirely 'safe to use.

The only way to know you have a good cartridge, is to purchase it from a legal dispensary. These cartridges will contain individual lab results for the product you are purchasing.

*This is not a complete list - it is only a reference to help you see what black-market cartridges look like*

You just got back from meeting up with your ‘guy’ after work and he offered you some Vape Cartridges.

Just looking at them, you can’t help but think that these might be most legit products you have ever gotten from this guy.

The fact that you bought these THC cartridges from anywhere but a legal dispensary should raise major red flags. Of course, we mean no insult to ‘your guy’. After all, he likely didn’t make these cartridges himself. This middle-man cycle quickly leads to some major problems.

Below, we will explore the reasons that you should tread carefully with your black-market vape cartridge!

Where did you buy your cartridge?

If you purchased your cartridge from anywhere beside a licensed dispensary, there is no way to be sure that you have a safe to use product. Even products that appear to be from a dispensary can be fake, counterfeiters place fake test results on this packaging to gain the appearance of legitimacy.

Cartridges on the legal market are required to be tested for toxic contaminates like heavy metals, bacteria and fungus. Toxins in your vape cartridge can be very dangerous and can pose a major risk to your long term health. In a black market vape cart, no testing is required. Read more about Vape Cart Toxins.

What is the cartridge packaging like?

If your package contains graphics of childhood characters or your favorite cereal brand, you are assuredly using a blackmarket vape cartridge.

Packing is becoming much more sophisticated with oil cartridges, brands such as Brass Knuckles came up with a serial number solution to protect their brand from knockoffs. They counterfeited the security labels, too!

Below we have compiled a list of the most popular cartridge packaging brand from China. If your cartridge name or brand is on this list, you are assuredly using a fake cartridge

Cereal Vape Cartridges

Let's be real, would a cereal brand targeted at children really license their characters to an cannabis brand? Chinese cartridges with cereal brands are most commonly Trix, Franken Berry, Honey Nut Cheerios, Apple Jacks, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cap'n Crunch and Boo Berry. These cartridges are not tested and may contain heavy metals, pesticides and other toxic substances.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Franken Berry Cap'n Crunch Boo Berry Trix Honey Nut Cheerios Apple Jacks

Dank Vapes Brand Vape Cartridges

Dank Tanks are another very popular black market cannabis cartridge. These cartridges are widely found around the USA and usually share the same general ' branding '. The 'flavors' include things like LA Confidential, Gelato, Orange Chai and Jack Herer. These tanks are one of the most common packages seen. These cartridges are not tested and may contain heavy metals, pesticides and other toxic substances.

ATF OG KUSH GSC Diablo Banana OG Diamond OG Strawberry Cough Blue Dream Zkittlez Lemon Skunk Cherry Kush Lemon Head Purple Punch Tangie Lemon Berry Key Lime Pie OG Kush Diamond OG Pipeapple Express Grape Ape Dole Whip Sour Apple White Rhino Orange Chai Strawberry Shortcake Chem Dog Ace of Spades Mimosa Strawnana Maitai LSD Mars OG Lemon Slushie Lemon Berry   Rose Gold Blackberry Kush Mojito Jack Herer Sunset Sherbet Orange Daiquiri Apple Jacks Watermelon King louie Mars OG AK-47 Mango Kush Candy Land Hardcore OG Durban Poison Blueberry Kush

Exotic Carts Brand Vape Cartridges

Exotic Carts are some of the more colorful illicit cartridges seen today. They are often covered in cookies, candies as well as brand name products like Gushers. These brands are one of the most common packages seen. These cartridges are not tested and may contain heavy metals, pesticides and other toxic substances.

Grape Pie APPLE FRITTER BLUEBERRY KUSH FORBIDDEN FRUIT KOSHER KUSH LEMONADE MIMOSA PIMEAPPLE EXPRESS PURPLE PUNCH STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE   Strawnana Wedding Cake Gelato Do-si-dos Skittles Gorilla Glue Mars OG Sunset Sherbert GSC YODA OG

Mario Carts Brand Vape Cartridges

Brass Knuckles Counterfeit Vape Cartridges

Kingpen Counterfeit Vape Cartridges

SmartCart Vape Cartridges

Cali Plug / Cali Connection Vape Cartridges

Moon Clear Brand Vape Cartridges

Cookies Brand Vape Cartridges

TKO Extracts Vape Cartridges

TKO Extracts cartridges have been making their way from China in to the USA market. These cartridges feature a unique case and package design that many don't recognize as black market. These cartridges are not tested and may contain heavy metals, pesticides and other toxic substances.

Durban Poison Platinum OG Grand Daddy Purp Sour Diesel Zkittlez Berry Lemons Gelato Durban Poison Platinum OG Grand Daddy Purp Sour Diesel Zkittlez Berry Lemons Gelato

Where are counterfeits being sold at?

The thing about fake cartridge packaging is that it is available in bulk everywhere, website we found have Dank Vape, King Pen and other brands packaging for sale online, and the counterfeit packages look so good that is very easy that it is easy to get fooled into thinking that they are the real deal.

These websites enable the sale of empty cartridges.

So anyone can just go online and buy the packaging and cartridge just for a few cents apiece and fill them up with whatever they like.

But counterfeits aren't the only problem, fake brands are also becoming really popular with the help of Chinese manufacturers. They create really well-made packages that often include cartoon or video game characters and make claims such as over 90% THC content. The packaging is really well done so it can fool anyone into believing that it's a real brand. Their primary platform for selling the cartridges is Instagram, with accounts dedicated to showcasing pictures of the cartridges filled with cannabis oil.

There are also lots of fake Brass Knuckles accounts that advertise counterfeit Brass Knuckles cartridges and even when it might be tempting to try one of them even when you're not in a state has not legalized cannabis yet, but we must advise you not to do it.

Brass Knuckles has responded to this by implementing a series of security methods like new serial numbers and holograms to combat the counterfeiting issue, but since there is no database where you can check if your cartridge is real the solution is not as effective as it should. You can read more about Brass Knuckles authentication HERE.

Are fake vape cartridges bad for you?

The main reason these fake cartridges are so popular is that anyone can buy them in states where cannabis oil is not legal yet.

So the black market for cannabis cartridges is on the rise, but the thing with the black market is that it does not require any lab test before hitting the streets. So people that are concerned with what they are consuming went and tested the cartridges themselves, and many results show that black market cartridges contain various dangerous and toxic chemical such as pesticides.

These fake cartridges are also starting to pop up in states where it is legal to sell and use cannabis oil like California, and this is because black market fakes sell for much lower than the original cartridges.

A real vape cartridge often retails for around $60 per gram in California, while fake cartridges are sold in the $25 to $45 range per gram, and the reason is that their THC is not as high as advertised and they don't go through any lab test to ensure they are safe for human consumption.

The reason why a brand name is $60 a gram is simple, they are lab tested and proven to be safe to use by the responsible agencies. And these tests are not cheap an average test can cost up to a couple hundred dollars just to check a batch of cannabis oil for pesticides, and checking the THC content is not cheap either as it will cost an additional couple hundred dollars. An excellent way to avoid buying fakes to be skeptical of prices that are way lower than the original price, and also check your favorite brand's social media profile to see if there's any information regarding fake cartridges.

The best thing that can happen to you if you use a counterfeit cartridge is getting some low-quality cannabis oil, but some of these counterfeit cartridges are not using oils that are safe for use thus putting the people that use these products at risk.