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Category: Addiction News

  • Liam Neeson's Son Talks Recovery, Hitting Rock Bottom

    Liam Neeson's Son Talks Recovery, Hitting Rock Bottom

    After gaining sobriety, Michéal paid tribute to his late mother Natasha Richardson by taking on her maiden name.

    As a tribute to his late mother, the actress Natasha Richardson, Michéal Richardson changed his last name from that of his father—the actor Liam Neeson—to his mother’s storied surname.

    The 23-year-old’s maternal grandmother, Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave, told the British press that Michéal’s decision was a way for him to “hold his mother close.” According to Michéal, his mother’s death in 2009, from injuries incurred in a skiing accident, put him in a depressive spiral which he treated with drugs and alcohol.

    After gaining sobriety, Michéal paid tribute to his mother with not only the name change, but also following in his parents’ footsteps by becoming an actor.

    Michéal was 13 at the time of his mother’s death, and in a 2015 interview with the Sunday Times, said that he was unable to find a way to cope with the loss. “In my mind, subconsciously, I either pushed it out or stored it deep inside,” he said. “And so, within the next week, I was like, ‘Okay, on with my life.’”

    But by the spring of 2014, Michéal saw that “things just started going downhill” in his life. “The people I was with, we were partying a lot. It was dark.”

    Though observers saw his behavior as springing from his loss, Michéal wasn’t ready to accept it. “Everybody said, ‘This kid has lost his mum, that’s where the problem comes from.’ And I was like, ‘No, it isn’t. I just like to party.’ But looking back, I realize it was a delayed reaction.”

    According to Us Weekly, Michéal sought help at a treatment facility in Utah, where through wilderness therapy, he eventually gained sobriety. He credited his father with giving him the support and work ethic he needed to make the change. “He came from a small town, Ballymena,” Michéal told Hello! Magazine in 2015. “It took him years to make it. He’s an inspiration.”

    The adoption of his mother’s last name appears to be one of several ways in which Michéal has paid tribute to her memory. He has also appeared in several film and television projects, though his father has expressed caution in the choice.

    “Dad was like, ‘Please become a carpenter or something,’” he said. “On my mother’s side, I was encouraged to do whatever I wanted.”

    The Richardson/Redgrave family counts such acclaimed acting talents as his great-grandparents, Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson; grandmother Vanessa Redgrave and her siblings Lynn and Corin Redgrave; aunt Joely Richardson; cousins Jemma Redgrave and Daisy Bevan; and step-grandfather Franco Nero. Michéal’s maternal grandfather was Oscar-winning director Tony Richardson and his uncle is film producer Tim Bevan.

    “I know that my mum liked the idea of me becoming an actor,” said Michéal. “She would have thought that was cool.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Ben Affleck To Portray Former Basketball Star In Recovery

    Ben Affleck To Portray Former Basketball Star In Recovery

    Affleck reportedly began preparing for the role while in rehab with daily training and meetings with a basketball coach.

    As Ben Affleck adjusts to life post-rehab, he’s taking on a new role that he can very much relate to.

    This month, the 46-year-old actor completed a 40-day treatment program for alcohol, which he began in late August. In a statement posted on social media, Affleck shared that he will “remain in outpatient care.”

    He’s now back at work, filming his new movie Torrance, about a former basketball star struggling with substance use disorder who tries to make a comeback by coaching a high school basketball team, according to IMDb.

    Affleck’s problem with alcohol—which he’s been contending with for more than a decade—mirrors his character’s issues.

    People reports that Affleck began preparing for the role while in rehab with daily training and meetings with a basketball coach.

    Affleck previously sought treatment in 2001 and then in 2017. After his most recent stay, he expressed gratitude for the support he’s received throughout his highly publicized ordeal.

    “The support I have received from my family, colleagues and fans means more to me than I can say. It’s given me the strength and support to speak about my illness with others,” Affleck wrote on social media.

    “Battling any addiction is a lifelong and difficult struggle… So many people have reached out on social media and spoken about their own journeys with addiction. To those people, I want to say thank you.”

    His brother, actor Casey Affleck, says he was lucky to have “the kind of resources and time” to be able to go to a good facility and get help.

    “It can’t be easier to have everybody looking at you and taking your picture as you’re walking out of an intervention,” said Casey. “I don’t envy that. I saw my father struggle with it for many years and nobody was following him around with cameras and stuff.”

    Casey added that he and his brother “come from a long line of alcoholics.”

    “Alcoholism has a huge impact on not just the person, but also their family,” Casey told ET in September. “So, I think for his kids’ sake and for their mom, he’s trying to do the work and get it together.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • HHS Secretary Discusses "Plateau" Of The Opioid Epidemic

    HHS Secretary Discusses "Plateau" Of The Opioid Epidemic

    Health Secretary Alex Azar discussed the state of the opioid epidemic at a recent health summit.

    Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. may be plateauing, but it’s still too soon to know for sure.

    “We are so far from the end of the epidemic, but we are perhaps, at the end of the beginning,” said U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar at a recent Future of Health Summit in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday (Oct. 23).

    Azar said that the rate of drug overdose deaths had “begun to plateau” toward the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018. More than 70,000 Americans died of drug overdose in 2017, a 10% increase from 2016, according to preliminary figures by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

    Azar’s remarks also reflect recent CDC figures from this month which show that from December 2017 to March 2018, the rate of increasing drug overdose deaths over the last 12 months has gone down from 10% to 3%, suggesting a slow-down. However, these figures won’t be final until all death investigations are completed.

    “It appears at this point that we may have reached a peak and we may start to see a decline,” says Bob Anderson, senior statistician with the National Center for Health Statistics, according to AP. “This reminds me of what we saw with HIV in the ‘90s.”

    Azar, who heads the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, cited the success of multi-pronged efforts to mitigate the opioid crisis.

    Promoting medication-assisted treatment (with drugs like buprenorphine, naltrexone and methadone), the use of naloxone, and increasing scrutiny on doctors’ prescribing practices have all played a part.

    However, AP reports that while opioid deaths may be leveling off, “deaths involving fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamines are on the rise.”

    The New York Times reported in February that “meth has returned with a vengeance.”

    “At the United States border, agents are seizing 10 to 20 times the amounts they did a decade ago,” the Times reported. “Methamphetamine, experts say, has never been purer, cheaper or more lethal.”

    Fentanyl is now notorious for being the synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times more potent than morphine. Though traditionally it is a pharmaceutical drug, illicitly-made fentanyl is said to have fueled rising rates of drug overdose deaths in the U.S.

    This month, the maker of Narcan (naloxone) announced plans to release a new opioid overdose antidote that will match the strength of increasingly potent fentanyl analogs.

    “Compounds like fentanyl, carfentanil and other synthetic opioids act for longer periods of time. The concern is that naloxone’s half-life doesn’t provide sufficient cover to prevailing amounts of fentanyl in the blood,” said Roger Crystal, the creator of Narcan and CEO of Opiant Pharmaceuticals, in a past interview.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • AA's "How It Works" for Everyone

    AA's "How It Works" for Everyone

    Women have had to endure a generic “He” for God all these years. I am not rewriting the Big Book. I am simply asking for a moment to honor my God as a She; for a moment of freedom to express my God as I understand God.

    After attending AA meetings for 12 years, I picked up a coin this month celebrating ten years of continuous sobriety. Throughout my sober years, when asked at meetings to read “How it Works” from the AA Big Book, I sometimes replace “He” with “She” for the word “God.” Recently, an old-timer in my AA home group became highly offended when he heard me read my “She” version of “How it Works.” My improvisation became such an issue that it was put on the agenda at our home group’s monthly business meeting. A motion was presented to place wording at the top of “How it Works” stating, “Please read as written, do not make changes.” After much discussion, members of my home group decided not to make this change to our meeting format. Whew! How interesting! 

    As with any issue in recovery, I learned from this experience. I learned that people get offended at meetings! Ha. We can’t please everyone. I mean, I get offended at meetings, but I just accept things and go on. If I do not like the way a meeting is held I move on to another one. “Attraction, not promotion.”

    Thanks to my messing with pronouns, I find that I am no longer asked to read at AA meetings very often. Yes, the whole Big Book is written in He/Him-antiquated-patriarchal-Bible-form and I accept this. I mean, I got sober underlining everything in red that pertained to me as I worked my first step not caring about the gender terms! I simply did what my sponsor asked me to do. The pronouns were not important at that point. What mattered was that I did and do identify with the men who shared their message. Yet still, today, when asked to read at a meeting, I feel it causes no harm to insert She/Her instead of He/Him for my God. Women have had to endure a generic “He” for God all these years. I am not rewriting the Big Book. I am simply asking for a moment to honor my God as a She; for a moment of freedom to express my God as I understand God. That is all.

    Lately I have begun using a gender-neutral term for “God.” Instead of saying “He” or “She,” I simply say “God as we understand God.” For truly, I have experienced God as a spiritual man, as a spiritual woman, and most recently as pure divine spirit, with no gender identity at all. How could GOD be reduced to a He or a She, to a mere sexual form? Hence, my favorite definition of God is “Group Of Drunks.” Namaste: “The Drunk in me greets the Drunk in you” (the sober drunk, of course). I see GOD in all of you at meetings! It is my favorite vision! I love you all so much!

    I have to remember that “love and tolerance is our code.” If an old-timer is offended because I say that I have made a decision to turn “our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Her,” umm, hey, imagine what it took for me, a Hindu, and a lesbian, and a woman to read through the patriarchal (with Christian overtones) Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous! I am so, so grateful that my homies love and tolerate me enough to let me be me and accept me for who I am! As the Third Tradition of AA says, “The only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking.” And Tradition One calls for UNITY. That means members are given the freedom to think, talk and act. No AA can compel another to do anything. Nobody can be punished or expelled. Our traditions repeatedly say, “we ought,” never “you must.”

    I have to remember that we are evolving. I believe the AA founders, Bill and Bob, left room for change when they wrote on page 164 of the Big Book: “Our book is meant to be suggestive only. We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and to us.”

    Today, there is a new updated version of “How it Works” created by Hillary J and the Sober Agnostics Group. That alternative to the Big Book text is used at their meeting in Vancouver, BC, Canada. There are also two gender-neutral versions of the Big Book available on Amazon: The EZ Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous Same Message -Simple Language and A Simple Program: A Contemporary Translation of the Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. Neither book was created by AA so neither is designated as “Conference Approved Literature” by the AA General Service Office (GSO). It is important to remember that the term “Conference Approved” has no relation to material not published by GSO. AA does not tell any individual member what they may or may not read. Each group is autonomous and is free to decide what material is read at the group level.

    Offending someone at a meeting drove home the point that I’m a drunk, plain and simple. I just want to get and stay sober, that’s all. I learned that I am not the only one who replaces “He” with “She” when reading AA material. Many other people are doing this and changes are being made to the literature. Someday, we may see changes to the first 164 pages of our Big Book.

    I have learned that God is beyond gender – and it is comfortable to refer to GOD as simply “God” instead of a He or a She. For me, God is pure divine spirit. Close the eyes. Feel GOD now. Pure Divine Love! God is Love! I love loving God, plain and simple. I love feeling Shiva embracing his beloved Devi in divine union. Sigh, bliss. This breath, here, now. 

    I also learned that AA has evolved enough to publish a new pamphlet already approved in British AA called, “The God Word: Agnostics and Atheists in AA.” There is a quote in this pamphlet that Bill W. wrote in 1965 that says: “We have people of nearly every race, culture, and religion. In AA we are supposed to be bound together in the kinship of a common suffering. Consequently, the full individual liberty to practice any creed or principle or therapy whatever should be a first consideration for us all. Let us NOT, therefore, pressure anyone with our individual or even our collective views. Let us instead accord each other the RESPECT and LOVE that is due to every human being as he tries to make his way TOWARD THE LIGHT. Let us always try to be INCLUSIVE rather than EXCLUSIVE; let us remember that each alcoholic among us is a member of AA, so long as he or she declares.”

    I love the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. I love that we keep evolving and changing. I love that we get to ask questions. Here’s one more (ha ha): Why do we close some meetings with the Lord’s Prayer? I’ll have more to say about that topic later. That’s enough for today. Peace and love to one and all.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Two-Thirds Of Americans Support Legalizing Marijuana

    Two-Thirds Of Americans Support Legalizing Marijuana

    Analysts say that more politicians are getting behind marijuana legalization as their constituents express their support. 

    With two-thirds of Americans saying that they are in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana, advocates for cannabis reform say that the time is right for making major changes to United States drug policy. 

    “The train has left the station,” Rep. Earl Blumenauer told NBC News. “I see all the pieces coming together… It’s the same arc we saw two generations ago with the prohibitions of alcohol.”

    According to a Gallup poll conducted earlier this month, 66% of Americans support legalizing marijuana. This was consistent throughout all regions of the country.

    Young Americans are the most likely to support legalization, with 78% of 18- to 34-year-olds in favor—but even among older adults, support is high, with 59% of Americans over 55 supporting legalization. 

    There are some political differences, however. While 75% of Democrats and 71% of independents are in favor of marijuana legalization, only 53% of Republicans support legalization. Still, support is growing in the party and this is the first year that a majority of Republicans are in favor. 

    “Like support for gay marriage—and in prior years, interracial marriage—support for marijuana legalization has generally only expanded, even if slowly, over the course of multiple decades—raising the question of where the ceiling in support might be,” the Gallup poll concluded. “As the percentage of Americans who favor legalizing pot has continued to grow, so has the number of states that have taken up legislation to allow residents to use the substance recreationally.”

    This November, residents in four more states will vote on changes to marijuana policy. Michigan and North Dakota residents are considering legalizing recreational cannabis, while Utah voters are considering whether to legalize medical marijuana. In Missouri, residents will vote on three different measures to allow medical marijuana. 

    Analysts say that more politicians are getting behind marijuana legalization as their constituents express their support. 

    “The tipping point probably passed one or two election cycles ago,” said Tom Angell, founder of the news site Marijuana Moment. “It keeps becoming more and more apparent that it will be impossible for prohibitionists to reverse our gains. And as a result, more mainstream politicians are getting on board.”

    Last week, Canada became the second country to fully legalize marijuana, after experiencing a similar change in public opinion toward the drug. 

    “Politicians embraced it because it’s actually good politics,” said Blumenauer. “They can read the polls.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Global War On Drugs Is A Failure, Report Says

    Global War On Drugs Is A Failure, Report Says

    According to a new report, in the last decade, drug-related deaths have increased by 145%.

    The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC, a non-governmental network of 177 organizations) released a report calling the United Nations’ global war on drugs a failure.

    The report addressed the United Nations’ goal to eliminate the illegal drug market by 2019 through a “War on Drugs” approach—which has had negligible effects on global drug supply while negatively impacting human rights, development, and security.

    The report recounted the terrible statistics: in the last decade, drug-related deaths have increased by 145%—with 71,000 estimated overdose deaths in the United States in 2017.

    In the past decade, at least 4,000 people were executed for drug-related offenses worldwide. The policy of extremism regarding drug dealers in the Philippines resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings.

    In the United States, drug laws have resulted in mass incarceration. In many cases, inmates are convicted for personal possession of a drug. One in five inmates is currently imprisoned for drug offenses.

    According to CNN, the IDPC report asked the UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs to look for an alternate narcotics strategy for the next 10 years.  

    “The fact that governments and the UN do not see fit to properly evaluate the disastrous impact of the last ten years of drug policy is depressingly unsurprising,” Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said to CNN. “Governments will meet next March at the UN and will likely rubber-stamp more of the same for the next decade in drug policy. This would be a gross dereliction of duty and a recipe for more blood spilled in the name of drug control.”

    In March, U.S. President Donald Trump proposed making drug trafficking a capital offense. The report states that while international standards do not allow for the death penalty for drug offenses, 33 jurisdictions retain the death penalty and stand in violation of the agreed standard.

    “What we learn from the IDPC shadow report is compelling. Since governments started collecting data on drugs in the 1990s, the cultivation, consumption and illegal trafficking of drugs have reached record levels,” said Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, in the report’s foreword.

    “Moreover, current drug policies are a serious obstacle to other social and economic objectives and the ‘war on drugs’ has resulted in millions of people murdered, disappeared, or internally displaced.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Will Naloxone Be Co-Prescribed With Opioid Painkillers In The Future?

    Will Naloxone Be Co-Prescribed With Opioid Painkillers In The Future?

    While some states already require the co-prescription, the FDA is considering making it a requirement across the US.

    In an effort to decrease overdose deaths, doctors could soon be required to prescribe an opioid overdose antidote any time they prescribe prescription painkillers, according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb.  

    The idea of co-prescription, according to the Washington Examiner, isn’t a new idea. In fact, some states such as Arizona, Virginia, and Vermont, already require the co-prescription of the overdose reversal drug known as naloxone.

    Naloxone comes in the form of a nasal spray as well as an auto-injection so it may be administered by those not in the medical field.  

    Other states considering such laws include California, Florida, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Utah. 

    Such laws are supported by the manufacturers of popular overdose antidotes, such as Adapt Pharma, the company that distributes Narcan. 

    “We are trying to do anything we can to build awareness and broaden support,” said company chairman and CEO Seamus Mulligan, according to the Examiner. 

    Kaleo, the manufacturer of the naloxone auto-injector, is also supportive, telling the Examiner in May that it “welcomes” the idea of co-prescribing.

    “We believe that doctors, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals play a critical role in developing and managing a comprehensive treatment plan for their patients, as well as helping a patient and their loved ones recognize the potential risk for opioid emergencies, even when pain medications are taken as directed,” the company said.

    Current laws vary from state to state. In Vermont, prescription rules are connected to other laws requiring doctors to check patient databases before prescribing an opioid.

    In Virginia, it’s recommended that high doses of pain prescriptions are given with an overdose antidote prescription as well.

    Additionally, doctors are encouraged to prescribe the antidote when prescribing opioids and benzodiazepines, as the two can lead to overdose.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has made similar recommendations in its guidelines to doctors. 

    While naloxone can save lives, it’s not considered a treatment for substance use disorder. 

    “Naloxone allows someone another day to have an opportunity to overcome their addiction,” New York state Sen. George Amedore Jr. said, according to the Examiner. “It’s not the whole answer or the cure-all.”

    As such, some officials are also calling for wider access to buprenorphine, a medication that helps to lessen cravings and withdrawals. 

    The FDA will hold a meeting on Dec. 17-18 to determine more ways to make the overdose antidote more readily available. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Meth Shipment Was Disguised As Aztec Artifacts

    Meth Shipment Was Disguised As Aztec Artifacts

    A drug ring attempted to ship nearly 12 kilograms of meth to Hawaii disguised as decorative Aztec items.

    At first glance, they might have appeared to be ancient artifacts, or at least cheesy souvenir imitations, but a shipment of Aztec-style statues and calendars actually contained pure methamphetamine bound for Hawaii, federal officials say. 

    On Oct. 15, agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested eight people around Los Angeles, alleging they were involved in a drug ring that attempted to ship nearly 12 kilograms of meth to Hawaii disguised as decorative Aztec items. Officials say these were part of a “nearly 90-pound shipment that appeared to be colorful, decorative Mexican items, including replicas of the 500-year-old Aztec calendar stone.”

    A ninth suspect was already in federal custody on unrelated charges. 

    “Methamphetamine—no matter how it’s packaged—is a powerful drug that devastates our communities,” Mark Zito, assistant special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles said in a press release. “HSI will continue to closely collaborate with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to keep this dangerous contraband from reaching our streets.”

    Over the course of the last year, members of the ring have sent other meth shipments to Hawaii, the feds said. 

    The individuals named on the federal indictment in the case are Felix Salgado, 28, of Perris, who allegedly bought wholesale quantities of meth for the conspiracy; Vaimanino Lee Pomele, 49, of Garden Grove, who allegedly orchestrated the shipments to Hawaii and his wife, Alejandra Pomele, 44, who allegedly delivered narcotics; and six others.

    Recently meth seizures have been on the rise, fueled by Mexican cartels pushing the drug. 

    “They came in with much purer, much cheaper meth and just flooded this region of the country,” Richard Salter, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent with 27 years of experience, told KITV in September.  

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection has seen a 50% increase in the amount of meth seized compared to this time last year, according to Anne Maricich, deputy director of field operations for the agency’s San Diego ports of entry.

    “The other hard narcotics like cocaine, heroin and fentanyl, we see them—they’re prevalent at our border crossings, but nowhere near the quantities that we see of meth,” she said.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • New PSA Follows Woman As She Publicly Detoxes From Opioids

    New PSA Follows Woman As She Publicly Detoxes From Opioids

    “I am the most camera shy person in the world. But if making my detox public is going to help somebody…I’m all for it,” said the 26-year-old.

    The Truth Initiative, which has produced 20 years of anti-tobacco public health messaging, just released a new opioid PSA.

    This time, we meet 26-year-old Rebekkah, who agreed to allow her opioid detox to be filmed for the Truth Initiative to show the world.

    “I know these next few days aren’t going to be pretty,” she says in the six-minute video. “And I am the most camera shy person in the world. But if making my detox public is going to help somebody—even just one person—I’m all for it.”

    Rebekkah was once a promising dancer and athlete, but that all came to a halt when she was 14 and blew out her ankle during cheerleading practice. A doctor prescribed opioid painkillers, and as she says, it was all downhill from there.

    “That decision I made, to go to the doctor and not get the surgery, that’s the worst decision I ever made in my whole life,” she said. Her painkiller addiction eventually turned to heroin.

    The video fast-forwards through the early days of Rebekkah’s detox, describing the withdrawal symptoms that arise with each day. The video is shown in a public space, what appear to be busy New York City streets, as the public watches on.

    Day 3 is characterized by nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, drug cravings and depression. “I have a lot of self-image issues. My mind doesn’t tell me anything nice,” says Rebekkah.

    As the days go by, things are looking better. “Each day that passes I feel more and more alive,” she said.

    Rebekkah’s story—titled “Treatment Box”—marks the second installment of the Truth About Opioids public awareness campaign, made possible by a collaboration between the Truth Initiative, the Ad Council, and the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

    The first round of anti-opioid PSAs released in June went for shock value. The four ads profiled four individuals who went to extreme lengths to obtain prescription opioids.

    Allegedly based on true stories, “Chris from Atlanta” breaks his own arm by slamming it in a door, “Kyle from Dallas” breaks his own hand with a hammer, “Joe from Maine” crushes his body under a car, and “Amy from Columbus” crashes her car into a dumpster.

    Critics of the ads say they were “disingenuous and misleading.”

    Aside from PSAs, Truth also offers resources on its website to educate and help those who need support—such as “What if your doctor wants to prescribe you opioids? Here are 12 questions to ask your doctor,” and how to locate a treatment center near you.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • FDA May Ban Flavored E-Cig Products From Convenience Stores

    FDA May Ban Flavored E-Cig Products From Convenience Stores

    If the ban becomes a reality, places like 7-Eleven, Circle K, Shell and Mobil would no longer carry flavored e-cig products.

    Continuing its crusade to push back on “epidemic” levels of young people vaping, the FDA is now considering whether flavored e-cigarette products should be limited to being sold in vaping shops.

    This would mean that convenience stores and gas stations like 7-Eleven, Circle K, Shell and Mobil would no longer carry flavored e-cig products.

    These four merchants were caught up in a nationwide undercover sweep over the summer that resulted in 1,300 warning letters from the FDA to retailers illegally selling e-cigarette products to minors.

    “We’re looking at what can be sold in brick-and-mortar stores and whether or not flavored products can be sold in regular stores like 7-Eleven and a truck stop and a gas station, or whether or not flavored products on the market should be confined to adult vaping shops, which generally tend to do a better job of checking ID,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb in a recent interview.

    The FDA has been cracking down on e-cigarette makers and merchants based on the concern that vaping is becoming too accessible to middle- and high-schoolers.

    According to federal figures cited by Gottlieb, in 2017, use of e-cigarettes among high schoolers increased by 77%, and by 50% among middle schoolers.

    “We see clear signs that youth use of electronic cigarettes has reached an epidemic proportion, and we must adjust certain aspects of our comprehensive strategy to stem this clear and present danger,” said Gottlieb in September news release. “We cannot allow a whole generation to become addicted to nicotine.”

    At that time, the FDA requested that five major e-cigarette brands—Juul, Vuse, MarkTen, Blu and Logic—submit plans to “immediately and substantially reverse these trends” of young people vaping.

    They were warned that if they do not comply within 60 days, the agency may require the companies to “revise their sales and marketing practices, to stop distributing products to retailers who sell to kids and to stop selling some or all of their flavored e-cigarette products until they clear the application process,” CNBC reported at the time.

    In the recent interview, Gottlieb said that so far the FDA has met with Juul, Altria (MarkTen) and Reynolds (Vuse).

    View the original article at thefix.com