Answer Addiction

Tag: vaping-related illnesses

  • Juul Suspends Advertising, CEO Steps Down

    Juul Suspends Advertising, CEO Steps Down

    Juul’s new CEO says the company is at a crossroads. 

    The vaping company Juul Labs will suspend all advertising in the United States, accept a ban on flavored e-cigarette products and make other major changes amid public outcry and health concerns about the use of electronic cigarettes, particularly among teens. 

    It’s Over For Flavored Vaping Products

    Juul released a statement on Wednesday (Sept. 25) saying that it will not fight a federal ban on flavored vaping products and that it will stop advertising its products immediately. In addition, CEO Kevin Burns is stepping down and will be replaced by KC Crosthwaite, former chief growth officer at Altria Group Inc.

    Altria, which owns Philip Morris USA, is one of the biggest tobacco companies in the nation. Altria has a 35% stake in Juul, which it bought for $12.8 billion last December. 

    In his first statement as CEO, Crosthwaite said that Juul is at a crossroads. 

    “I have long believed in a future where adult smokers overwhelmingly choose alternative products like JUUL. That has been this company’s mission since it was founded, and it has taken great strides in that direction,” he said. “Unfortunately, today that future is at risk due to unacceptable levels of youth usage and eroding public confidence in our industry. Against that backdrop, we must strive to work with regulators, policymakers and other stakeholders, and earn the trust of the societies in which we operate. That includes inviting an open dialogue, listening to others and being responsive to their concerns.”

    No More Ads

    Effective immediately, the company will be “suspending all broadcast, print and digital product advertising in the U.S.” and “Refraining from lobbying the Administration on its draft guidance and committing to fully support and comply with the final policy when effective” the statement said.

    In the statement, the company said that it has already taken steps to combat underage use of its products. 

    “JUUL Labs has strongly advocated for Tobacco 21 (T21) laws, stopped the sale of non-tobacco and non-menthol-based flavored JUULpods to all of its traditional retail store partners, enhanced its online age verification, discontinued its U.S.-based Facebook and Instagram accounts and works to remove inappropriate social media content generated by others on those platforms,” the statement said. “The company also intensified efforts to combat illegal and potentially dangerous counterfeit and compatible products. Most recently, JUUL Labs started deploying technology at retail stores that automatically restricts the sale of JUUL products until a government-issued ID is electronically scanned to verify age and ID validity, exceeding the standards in place for other tobacco products and alcohol.”

    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

  • Brothers Accused Of Running Massive Illegal THC Vaping Operation

    Brothers Accused Of Running Massive Illegal THC Vaping Operation

    Authorities are only beginning to understand the scope of the Huffhines brothers’ massive operation.

    A recent bust of an illegal THC vape operation has bewildered authorities, also shedding light on what may be causing severe lung damage among vapers across the country.

    So far, over the last several months, health officials have counted about 400 possible cases of severe lung illness related to vaping, and six deaths. The cause is still being investigated, but state and federal officials suspect that contaminants found in products purchased on the black market are what have caused so many to fall ill.

    Now, the discovery of a meticulous and extensive illegal THC vape business operating out of Wisconsin has shed light on the lengths that some people will go to profit from this growing industry.

    Drugs, Guns & Cash

    Jacob and Tyler Huffhines, 23 and 20 respectively, ran the business out of a condo in Bristol and their family’s home in Paddock Lake. Authorities seized $59,000 in cash, eight guns, various illicit drugs, 57 mason jars filled with THC oil, and nearly 130,000 cartridges that were either empty or contained the THC oil.

    “When we walked in there, we were like, ‘Oh boy,’” said Capt. Dan Baumann of the Waukesha Police Department. “This is what we were looking for, but we did not know it was this big.”

    The Huffhines siblings were arrested on September 5 and remain in custody in Kenosha County Jail. Tyler has been charged with the manufacture, distribution or delivery of marijuana, and Jacob has been charged with cocaine possession and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    The massive operation produced close to 3,000 cartridges a day, employing at least 10 people who were paid $20 per hour to fill the cartridges with the THC oil, the New York Times reported. Each cartridge would sell for around $35 to $40.

    This bust was a major development as vaping-related illness has become something of a public health crisis in the U.S. as of late. Experts detailed to the Times how counterfeit vapes are assembled piece by piece to produce a convincing product resembling real vapes that are sold in legal marijuana states like California and Colorado. 

    Making The Counterfeits

    Everything from the empty cartridges to packaging made to resemble the real thing, logos and all, are purchased on the internet. Then the cartridges are injected with THC oil purchased in the U.S. The problem, authorities say, lies in producers wanting to reap the most profit by diluting their product. This is where the suspected contaminants come in.

    Authorities suspect that black market suppliers are cutting the THC oil with fillers, such as vitamin E acetate, a thickening agent that is one suspected cause of what has been sickening so many people who vape.

    Investigators are only beginning to understand the scope of the Huffhines’ operation, and the likelihood of there being more like it.

    The Times said, “Wisconsin police say they were stunned by the scope and ambition of the Huffhines operation, and [are] only beginning to understand how far it might have reached.”

    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

  • Dozens Of Mysterious Vaping-Related Illnesses Under CDC Investigation

    Dozens Of Mysterious Vaping-Related Illnesses Under CDC Investigation

    The CDC has identified 94 cases of pulmonary illnesses associated with vaping over the past couple of months.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently investigating an outbreak of “severe lung illness associated with vaping,” according to an agency statement.

    They have reportedly identified “94 possible cases of severe lung illness associated with vaping” across 14 states from June 28 to August 15 of this year.

    “CDC is providing consultation to the departments of health in Wisconsin, Illinois, California, Indiana, and Minnesota about a cluster of pulmonary illnesses linked to e-cigarette product use, or ‘vaping,’ primarily among adolescents and young adults,” the statement reads. “Additional states have alerted CDC to possible (not confirmed) cases and investigations into these cases are ongoing.”

    Although the CDC has not yet concluded that vaping was the cause of each or any of the 94 cases identified, they have not found evidence that the illnesses were caused by an infectious disease.

    Spike In Severe Lung Illnesses

    According to Live Science, all of the patients have reported vaping either nicotine or cannabis products, and the most likely explanation for the sudden spike in severe lung illnesses would therefore be a toxic chemical found in e-cigarette devices. Boston University School of Public Health Professor Dr. Michael Siegel believes that this chemical is likely a “contaminant that is present in certain formulations of cannabis products” that may have been sold outside of legal means.

    It may be difficult to determine exactly what is causing these illnesses due to the fact that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not actively regulate vaping devices. Multiple recent studies have found evidence that e-cigarette vapor contains a number of chemicals harmful to the lungs and possibly other parts of the body as the agents enter the bloodstream.

    A report released by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine in 2018 that reviewed over 800 studies on the subject “concluded that e-cigarettes both contain and emit a number of potentially toxic substances,” according to the American Lung Association.

    In spite of increasing warnings from scientific organizations and government agencies, e-cigarette use continues to rise, particularly among young people. A report released in late 2018 found that the rate of vaping among high school students jumped by 78% in a single year.

    This led American Cancer Society vice president for Tobacco Control, Cliff Douglas, to urge the FDA to “act as aggressively and expeditiously as possible to stem this dangerous turn of events.”

    The CDC investigation is ongoing and the public will be updated with new information as it becomes available.

    View the original article at thefix.com