Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Bloomberg Targets Vaping Epidemic With $160M Push To Ban Flavored Cigarettes In Cities, States
The New York Times: Bloomberg Takes On Vaping After Giving $1 Billion To Fight Tobacco
Michael R. Bloomberg, who has committed nearly $1 billion to aid anti-tobacco efforts, is now stepping into the campaign to combat vaping, announcing a $160 million push to ban flavored e-cigarettes. Mr. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, said that his Bloomberg Philanthropies would aim to ban the flavored e-cigarettes in at least 20 cities and states. His announcement on Tuesday was among a series of developments meant to heighten pressure and scrutiny on the vaping industry, amid a sudden and largely unexplained public health scare that has linked vaping to six deaths and hundreds of illnesses. (Wang, 9/10)
The Washington Post: Bloomberg To Spend $160 Million To Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes
The vaping initiative is Bloomberg’s first anti-tobacco effort aimed at the United States, according to officials of Bloomberg Philanthropies. They said the money will be used to press local, state and federal governments to ban flavored e-cigarettes; to push the Food and Drug Administration to be more aggressive in reviewing vaping products and imposing standards on e-cigarette products; and to back local and state governments that might face industry opposition or lawsuits for supporting e-cigarette bans. (McGinley, 9/10)
CBS News: Michael Bloomberg Rips FDA For Teen Vaping Epidemic As He Pledges $160 Million To The Cause
Bloomberg was joined by Matthew Myers, the president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which will be responsible for coordinating the push. "The most important thing to understand is in this country we have 3.6 million kids who are using these products. Over a quarter of them are addicted," Myers said. "Most of them would never have used any tobacco product. We know that heavy doses of nicotine for those young people increases their risk of disease, increases their risk of smoking in the future and has a long-term harmful effect on their developing brain ... what we know is for our young people, who have never used any product, this product is harmful." (Kegu, 9/10)
