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  • American Medical Association Calls For Ban On Vaping Products, E-Cigs

    American Medical Association Calls For Ban On Vaping Products, E-Cigs

    The AMA’s full-court press on vaping comes as a wave of illnesses continue to afflict vape users across the country.

    The American Medical Association has gone on the record against vaping and are calling for a total ban of all vaping products and e-cigarettes that are unapproved by the FDA to be used as “cessation tools.”

    On Monday, the organization published a press release announcing the call for a ban as well as new vaping-related policies.

    The new policies include:

    • Urgently advocate for regulatory, legislative, and/or legal action at the federal and/or state levels to ban the sale and distribution of all e-cigarette and vaping products, with the exception of those approved by the FDA for tobacco cessation purposes and made available by prescription only;
    • Advocate for research funding to study the safety and effectiveness of e-cigarette and vaping products for tobacco cessation purposes;
    • Call for immediate and thorough study of the use of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment strategies for tobacco use disorder and nicotine dependence resulting from the use of non-combustible and combustible tobacco products in populations under the age of 18;
    • Actively collaborate with health care professionals, particularly pharmacists and other health care team members, to persuade retail pharmacies to immediately cease sales of tobacco products;
    • Advocate for diagnostic codes for e-cigarette and vaping associated illnesses, including pulmonary toxicity.

    “The recent lung illness outbreak has alarmed physicians and the broader public health community and shined a light on the fact that we have very little evidence about the short- and long-term health consequences of e-cigarettes and vaping products,” said AMA President Patrice A. Harris, M.D., M.A. “It’s simple – we must keep nicotine products out of the hands of young people and that’s why we are calling for an immediate ban on all e-cigarette and vaping products from the market. With the number of young people using e-cigarettes spiking it is not only critical that there is research into nicotine addiction treatments for this population, but it is imperative that we continue efforts to prevent youth from ever using nicotine.”

    The AMA’s full-court press on vaping comes as a wave of illnesses continue to afflict vape users across the country. The CDC announced in early November that vitamine e oil acetate has been found in a high number of  e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI) cases. 

    Here is the CDC’s Latest Outbreak Information on vaping-related illnesses and deaths:

    • As of November 13, 2019, 2,172* cases of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI) have been reported to CDC from 49 states (all except Alaska), the District of Columbia, and 2 U.S. territories (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands).
    • Forty-two deaths have been confirmed in 24 states and the District of Columbia (as of November 13, 2019):
    • Alabama, California (4), Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia (3), Illinois (4), Indiana (4), Kansas (2), Massachusetts (2), Michigan, Minnesota (3), Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oregon (2), Pennsylvania, Tennessee (2), Texas, Utah, and Virginia
    • The median age of deceased patients was 52 years and ranged from 17 to 75 years (as of November 13, 2019).
    • CDC continues to work closely with FDA, states, public health partners, and clinicians on this investigation. 

    Youth Vaping Epidemic

    There is another vaping-related epidemic wreaking havoc across the country and it is affecting teens and adolescents at worrisome rates. Around 2.1 million adolescents were using e-cigarettes in 2017 alone. E-cigarette company Juul has been accused of creating the youth vaping epidemic by deceptively marketing their products to underage individuals. Juul denies these allegations.

    Government officials have reportedly been meeting behind the scenes to discuss new regulations, potential bans on vaping products, specifically flavored ones. This week Trump is set to meet with the vaping industry executives and public health advocates as he decides whether or not to ban flavoring products. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Massachusetts Temporarily Bans Vape Sales

    Massachusetts Temporarily Bans Vape Sales

    Critics fear the ban will push people to use black market vaping products.

    The state of Massachusetts has declared an emergency four-month ban on the sale of all vaping products, amid increasing reports of vape-related illnesses around the country. 

    “One of the experts said that, ‘We don’t have time to wait. People are getting sick and the time to act is now.’ I couldn’t agree more,” Governor Charlie Baker said, according to The Boston Globe.

    The ban was approved Tuesday (Sept. 24) and is the strictest policy that has been adopted so far in the U.S. The ban covers flavored and unflavored vaping products, and extends to ban online and retail sales as well.

    Other States Taking Similar Measures

    New York banned flavored vaping products last week, and Michigan took similar steps earlier this month. The Massachusetts ban covers all vape products, including tobacco-flavored products, similar to San Francisco, which enacted a ban on all vape products in June.

    “The use of e-cigarettes and marijuana vaping products is exploding, and we are seeing reports of serious lung illnesses, particularly in our young people,” Baker said at a press conference, according to the Associated Press.

    Michael Seilback, assistant vice president for state public policy of the American Lung Association, called on the feds to take action, something the Trump administration has promised to do. 

    “From our perspective, it’s the absence of strong federal action by the FDA that is forcing states to have to make choices like this on how they are going to protect children and adults from the public health emergency of e-cigarettes,” said Seilback. 

    Critics React

    Still, people who sell vapes said that an across-the-board ban is an overreach. 

    “There are clearly some issues there. The question is, what’s the problem? Is it the product being sold on the shelves by companies like Juul, or is it the off-brand stuff coming from other countries and sold on the internet?” said Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts. “I hope we can all work together and find out what is the problem and find a solution soon.”

    Geoffrey Yalenezian is the COO of a chain of vape shops in Massachusetts. He said he was shocked by the ban. 

    “My chin hit the floor,” he said, adding that the ban is “not changing or stopping anything. He’s taking a stance. His stance is I don’t really care about small businesses in Massachusetts.”

    Shaleen Title, who sits on Massachusetts’ Cannabis Control Commission, is concerned that the ban will push people to use black market vapes, which are potentially even more dangerous. 

    “This is a terrible decision. Purposely pushing people into the illicit market—precisely where the dangerous products are—goes against every principle of public health and harm reduction,” she wrote on Twitter. “It is dangerous, short-sighted, and undermines the benefits of legal regulation.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Walmart To Halt E-Cigarette Sales

    Walmart To Halt E-Cigarette Sales

    The American Vaping Association has criticized Walmart for punishing e-cigarette companies but continuing to sell regular cigarettes.

    With so much focus on the dangers of vaping in the news, one of the largest retailers in the world is announcing they’re going to phase out e-cigarettes.

    As Yahoo reports, Walmart has circulated an internal company memo which reads: “Given the growing federal, state and local regulatory complexity and uncertainty regarding e-cigarettes, we plan to discontinue the sale of electronic nicotine delivery products at all Walmart and Sam’s Club U.S. locations.” 

    Retailers React To Pressure

    The memo also stated that once the current inventory of e-cigarettes has sold, Walmart will “complete our exit” from selling them. 

    In the wake of nine deaths that have been linked to vaping, the FDA is launching a criminal investigation and lawmakers have implored the current administration to get rid of e-cigarettes altogether. 

    Back in May, Walmart voluntarily raised the minimum age to buy tobacco products to 21. 

    As CNBC reports, a number of companies don’t want to wait for an FDA crackdown on e-cigarettes, and have been instituting their own bans on them. (CBS, WarnerMedia and Viacom have all decided to stop airing e-cigarette ads as well.)

    At the same time, the American Vaping Association has criticized Walmart for punishing e-cigarette companies but continuing to sell regular cigarettes. In a statement, the association’s president, Gregory Conley, said, “You know you are in the middle of a moral panic when big corporations like Walmart find it is easier to sell deadly combustible tobacco products than to sell harm reduction alternatives.”

    Prior to Walmart’s big move, the Trump administration announced it was moving ahead on banning flavored e-cigarette products. So far, Michigan and New York have banned flavored e-cigarettes just this month. San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban the sale of e-cigarettes this past June.

    As Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement, “The Trump administration is making it clear that we intend to clear the market of flavored e-cigarettes to reverse the deeply concerning epidemic of youth e-cigarette use that is impacting children, families, schools and communities.” 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Teen Vaping Has Doubled Since 2017

    Teen Vaping Has Doubled Since 2017

    The dramatic increase, along with with recent reports of vaping-related lung disease and deaths, has led the NIDA to declare a public health crisis.

    The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) put out a news release on Wednesday announcing preliminary data on teen use of e-cigarettes or “vape pens.” The preliminary data found that e-cigarette use has more than doubled since 2017.

    The 2019 Monitoring the Future Survey looked at vaping rates from American 10th and 12th graders and found that this year, one in four 12th graders and one in five 10th graders had vaped in the past month.

    These numbers represent an alarming jump from 2017, in which 11% of 12th graders and 8% of 10th graders reported vaping within the past 30 days. The 2019 data was also the first year to measure the prevalence of daily use, finding that 11.7% of 12th graders and 6.9% of 10th graders report vaping every day.

    Numbers are also up among 8th graders, 9% of whom reported vaping within the past 30 days in 2019—up from 3.5% in 2017.

    A Public Health Crisis

    The dramatic increase, along with with recent reports of vaping-related lung disease and deaths, has led NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow to declare a public health crisis.

    “With 25% of 12th graders, 20% of 10th graders and 9% of eighth graders now vaping nicotine within the past month, the use of these devices has become a public health crisis,” said Volkow. “These products introduce the highly addictive chemical nicotine to these young people and their developing brains, and I fear we are only beginning to learn the possible health risks and outcomes for youth.”

    E-Cigarette Sellers Targeting Teens

    Sellers of e-cigarettes, especially those that include flavoring and come in colorful packaging, have been accused of attempting to attract underage customers.

    Regardless of intent, multiple studies have made it clear that underage nicotine use is up largely in connection with flavored vape products. Some teens have reported that they accidentally consumed nicotine by using these products while assuming that they were nicotine-free, only smoking them for the flavoring.

    “Parents with school-aged children should begin paying close attention to these devices, which can look like simple flash drives, and frequently come in flavors that are appealing to youth,” said University of Michigan lead researcher Dr. Richard Miech. “National leaders can assist parents by stepping up and implementing policies and programs to prevent use of these products by teens.”

    The full findings from the 2019 Monitoring the Future Survey will be released in December.

     

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • New York Bans Flavored Vape Products  

    New York Bans Flavored Vape Products  

    New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says that flavored vaping products, which range from cotton candy to fruit flavors, target teens.

    In hopes of stemming the use of vape products among high schoolers, New York State has banned the sale of flavored e-cigarettes on Wednesday (Sept. 18). 

    The ban, which takes effect immediately, makes it illegal to sell vapes that have flavors other than tobacco or menthol. All other flavors need to be removed from stores within two weeks, Time reported. 

    Targeting Teens

    In New York, 27% of high schoolers and 40% of high school seniors use e-cigarettes. Flavored products, which range from cotton candy to fruit flavors, target teens, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Sunday, when he proposed the ban. 

    He said, “These are obviously targeted to young people and highly effective at targeting young people.”

    The state Public Health and Health Planning Council approved the ban on Wednesday. 

    Regulating Vaping

    Lawmakers across the country are scrambling to regulate use of vapes, especially among teenagers. Although sale of e-cigarettes is limited to people 18 and older, the use of vapes among high school students has skyrocketed.

    Officials say this is driven by the promotion of flavored products. With a recent spate of lung disease, and several deaths, linked to vape use, officials have become even more concerned. 

    Last week the Trump administration announced that it had plans to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. 

    Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement, “The Trump administration is making it clear that we intend to clear the market of flavored e-cigarettes to reverse the deeply concerning epidemic of youth e-cigarette use that is impacting children, families, schools and communities.”

    Prior to that, on September 3, Michigan became the first state to ban the sale of flavored vape products, but the new policy has yet to take effect. “My number one priority is keeping our kids safe and protecting the health of the people of Michigan,” Governor Gretchen Whitmer said at the time. 

    Although there is clearly a public health concern, people who sell vapes say that lawmakers are overstepping. Some of them are even considering a legal challenge to the new bans, said Mike Kruger, who owns an Albany, New York vape shop. 

    “We are bypassing the legislative process,” Kruger said. “Vaping has been around for 12 years. And now this.”

    However, the e-cigarette manufacturer Juul, which dominates the vape market, has said that it will comply with regulations, and it recognizes the need to better control flavored products.

    “We strongly agree with the need for aggressive category-wide action on flavored products,” Juul spokesman Austin Finan said in response to the proposed federal ban. He noted that the company “will fully comply with local laws and the final FDA policy when effective.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Skepticism Over E-Cigarettes Growing Rapidly

    Skepticism Over E-Cigarettes Growing Rapidly

    In the midst of a mysterious wave of vaping-related illnesses, public concern over vaping is at an all-time high. 

    Concern over vaping, which is the use of battery-powered e-cigarettes, has been growing recently as more and more respiratory issues are being connected to the devices. 

    According to Bloomberg, vaping is “a way to ingest nicotine, the addictive alkaloid present in tobacco, without the smoke and tar that comes from burning tobacco.” Vaping devices use a battery to heat a liquid containing nicotine, and the user then inhales the vapor that is produced. 

    Some devices, such as the Juul, have received much attention for their compact and appealing design, as well as flavors. Juul has been repeatedly accused of marketing their flavored vaping products to a young audience.

    “The effects on humans of nicotine are not well-studied, although adolescents appear to be particularly vulnerable to it, with some evidence suggesting it can harm brain development,” Bloomberg reports. “A report by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences said there was substantial evidence that young vapers are more likely than nonvapers to try regular cigarettes.”

    Traditional Cigarettes Vs E-Cigarettes

    Another debate surrounding the devices is whether they are actually better for your health than smoking cigarettes. Early on, the devices were marketed as cigarette alternatives that could help smokers quit and replace the habit with something considered less harmful at the time. 

    But recently, a wave of vaping-related illnesses has led to multiple deaths and hundreds of other health issues for vapers across the U.S. 

    “Doctors have seen hundreds of cases where patients—often youthful, previously healthy adults—have shown up in the emergency room, suddenly stricken with dangerous respiratory damage,” Bloomberg notes. 

    In November 2018, the Food and Drug Administration took action to limit most sales of flavored e-cigarettes to only vaping stores and online retailers. 

    Flavor Ban

    And more recently, the Trump administration has come forward with the intention to remove flavored vaping products from the market.

    “Now, on the direction of President Donald Trump, the FDA plans to issue regulatory guidance that will force the removal from the market of all vaping products that taste like anything other than tobacco,” Bloomberg states. “Sales could resume only with FDA approval.”

    The e-cigarette industry itself has also taken steps in this direction. In 2018, Juul announced that it had stopped stocking stores with appealing flavors like mango, fruit, creme and cucumber, and instead provided only tobacco, menthol and mint flavors. The company planned to continue selling the fruity flavors on its website, but said it would be taking steps to ensure buyers were 21 or older. 

    Major e-cigarette retailers Altria, Reynolds and Juul Labs have also expressed support in raising the legal tobacco buying age from 18 to 21. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Trump Administration To Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes

    Trump Administration To Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes

    There are currently more than 450 reported possible cases of lung illness associated with vaping in the US.

    The Trump administration is moving toward a ban of flavored e-cigarette products as reports of vaping-related illness and even a handful of fatalities have surfaced across the United States.

    “The Trump administration is making it clear that we intend to clear the market of flavored e-cigarettes to reverse the deeply concerning epidemic of youth e-cigarette use that is impacting children, families, schools and communities,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar in a statement.

    18 With The Lungs Of A 70-Year-Old

    Increasingly, new cases of severe lung damage and lung disease related to vaping have emerged. The symptoms are severe. One 17-year-old woman in Texas came down with a fever and “pneumonia in both lungs,” forcing her on life support. She had vaped for two years in lieu of smoking cigarettes, her mother told Fox4News.com.

    Another 18-year-old man from Illinois was hospitalized in late August after falling ill with “nonstop” vomiting. A review of his lungs revealed “the full damage.” Now his lungs resemble those of a 70-year-old person, he was told. He had vaped both nicotine and THC cartridges for more than a year and a half.

    These are just two examples of the slew of reports coming in.

    Tobacco-Flavored Products Are Okay…For Now

    Azar said that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently finalizing a compliance policy to remove flavored e-cigarettes, including mint and menthol, from the market. Tobacco-flavored products will not be affected, unless “we find that children start surging into tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes or if we find marketing practices that target children and try to attract them into tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes,” said Azar. In that case, “we will engage in enforcement actions there also.”

    This month, Michigan became the first state to ban flavored e-cigarette products. Boulder, Colorado did the same this summer as well as San Francisco, which became the first city in the U.S. to ban the sale and distribution of all e-cigarette products.

    As of Thursday morning, CNN reported a sixth person dead, a woman from Kansas, from lung disease related to vaping. The other fatalities were reported in California, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Oregon.

    As of last Friday, there were more than 450 reported possible cases of lung illness associated with vaping across 33 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

    “The tremendous progress we’ve made in reducing youth tobacco use in the U.S. is jeopardized by this onslaught of e-cigarette use,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless, MD. “Nobody wants to see children becoming addicted to nicotine, and we will continue to use the full scope of our regulatory authority thoughtfully and thoroughly to tackle this mounting public health crisis.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Michigan Becomes First State To Ban Flavored E-Cigarette Products

    Michigan Becomes First State To Ban Flavored E-Cigarette Products

    The ban will also affect the marketing of flavored e-cig products in the state.

    Michigan just became the first state to ban flavored e-cigarette products, including menthol.

    Governor Gretchen Whitmer said the move will protect young people from the potential harmful effects of vaping. E-cigarette companies have been accused by health officials of targeting young people, enticing them with colorful packaging and candy flavored e-juice like “Sour Double Rainbow” and “Cinnamon Roll.”

    “My number one priority is keeping our kids safe and protecting the health of the people of Michigan,” said Whitmer on Tuesday (Sept. 3).

    Michigan is the first state to issue a ban on certain e-cigarette products, but in June San Francisco became the first city in the U.S. to ban the sale, distribution and manufacturing of all vaping products, CBS News reported at the time.

    Rising Number of Vaping-Related Illnesses

    Authorities are investigating a growing number of lung illnesses that have been tied to vaping both nicotine and THC products. The Washington Post reported last Friday (Aug. 30) that there are now up to 354 possible cases being investigated across 29 states.

    The sudden onset of “mysterious” cases that have cropped up this summer have led some health experts to suspect that adulterants are the common denominator.

    The CDC and FDA issued a statement last Friday warning e-cigarette users against purchasing these products “off the street,” and to avoid modifying e-cigarette products in a way not intended by the manufacturer.

    Young people like Maddie Nelson have become the face of these sudden and severe illnesses. The 18-year-old from Utah was healthy until she began experiencing nausea, vomiting and chest pain in July. Then, it was severe back and kidney pain.

    “My temperature was so high, my brain just totally shut off,” she told Fox 13.

    X-rays revealed severe lung damage, and she was placed in a medically-induced coma.

    She was diagnosed with acute eosinophilic pneumonia, a rare lung illness. “I had fat particles growing inside my lungs that were related to the glycerin in vape juice,” she said. “My lungs were full of fluid and they said that my chest x-rays were some of the worst that they’d ever seen.”

    Nelson said she had vaped every day for three years.

    Nelson is not the only such case in Utah, which has reported at least 21 possible cases of these illnesses.

    Sean Bills, 31, was also placed in a medically-induced coma this summer after falling ill with lipoid pneumonia, which doctors also suspect is tied to vaping. His wife, Tiffani Bills, said the couple had vaped every day for two years.

    Discouraging New Users

    Even the CEO of Juul, Kevin Burns, who has faced a barrage of criticisms regarding his company’s marketing of e-cigarette products to young people, warned people against picking up the habit in August.

    Addressing people who “don’t have a preexisting relationship with nicotine,” Burns said, “Don’t vape. Don’t use Juul… You’re not our target customer.” Burns also acknowledged that the long-term health impact of vaping is unknown.

    View the original article at thefix.com