Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Tells San Francisco Official It Is Probing Whether Juul's Political Ads Violate Rules On Tobacco Claims
San Francisco Chronicle: FDA To Investigate Juul Over SF Ads Claiming Vaping Is Safer Than Cigarettes
The Food and Drug Administration will investigate whether Juul is illegally claiming that vaping products are safer than cigarettes in political ads for Proposition C — the San Francisco ballot measure seeking to overturn the city’s e-cigarettes sales ban — without having received the agency’s authorization to make such claims. Under federal law, tobacco manufacturers including Juul and other e-cigarette makers cannot claim their products are less harmful than cigarettes, or claim that they help people quit cigarettes, unless the FDA has granted them permission after reviewing scientific evidence showing the claims are true. (Ho, 9/21)
The Wall Street Journal: Juul Tried To Position Itself As A Responsible Actor. It Backfired.
Juul Labs Inc. pursued a strategy to win over Washington. But the e-cigarette maker wound up further alienating regulators, helping to thrust the once-soaring startup into a crisis that threatens its business. Facing scrutiny stemming from surging teen use of its vaporizers, Juul has tried over the past year to position itself as a responsible actor in an industry with few rules. It overhauled its marketing, halted retail-store sales of its fruity flavors that young people favor and introduced a checkout system to curb illegal sales to minors. But other steps it took backfired and contributed to a perception in Washington that Juul was on the wrong side of a public health crisis. (Maloney and Armour, 9/22)
The New York Times: At School, ‘Everyone Vapes,’ And Adults Are In Crisis Mode
In Alabama, a school removed the doors from bathroom stalls to stop students from sneaking inside to vape. In Colorado, a school decided to forfeit a volleyball game after finding “widespread vaping” and other infractions by the team. And in Pennsylvania, at a school where administrators have tried installing sensors to detect vaping in bathrooms and locker rooms, students caught with vape devices face a $50 fine and a three-day suspension. At least 530 people have been sickened by mysterious lung illnesses related to using e-cigarettes with nicotine or vaping THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and at least eight have died. That has sent high schools, the epicenters of youth vaping, racing to give teenagers a new, urgent message: Vaping can be deadly. (Bosman, 9/20)
Stateline: How One School Is Tackling The Youth Vaping Epidemic
The new flavoring bans are meant to reduce the allure of nicotine-laced vaping liquids for kids, and federal announcements and media coverage of the health risks to youths who vape aim to discourage them from experimenting with the addictive substance. But research shows that fear doesn’t work when it comes to preventing adolescents from engaging in risky behavior. In fact, it may attract them. It’s hard to convince adolescents that vaping is dangerous if they see their teachers and parents doing it. And selling vaping products to kids under 18 is already against the law in all 50 states. (Vestal, 9/23)
The Wall Street Journal: Getting Through To Your Teen About The Dangers Of Vaping
How can parents convince their children not to vape? The question has taken on new urgency. ... Vaping’s new dangers and ubiquity at high schools—and even middle schools—is causing understandable parental concern. But parents need to be strategic when talking to their children about e-cigarettes, psychologists and pediatricians say. Here are some tips. (Petersen, 9/21)
The Wall Street Journal: What We Know About Vaping-Related Lung Illness
Health officials are investigating 530 confirmed and probable cases of pulmonary illness in the U.S. related to vaping and e-cigarette products. The illnesses are spread across 38 states and one U.S. territory .... Many doctors and health officials are urging people to stop vaping during the investigation. President Trump has said the administration plans to ban all non-tobacco-flavored vaping products from the market. Here is what health officials know so far about the condition. (Abbott, 9/20)
CQ: Q&A With Donna Shalala On E-Cigarettes
Hundreds of Americans have become sick and eight have died after using electronic cigarettes, prompting a bipartisan response in Washington. President Donald Trump on Sept. 11 called for a ban on the flavorings believed to attract young people to the devices. But Donna E. Shalala, a freshman representative from Miami, says Congress needs to do more. Shalala, who was Health and Human Services secretary under President Bill Clinton, has teamed with a fellow Democrat, Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey, on a bill (HR 2339) that would raise the age to buy e-cigarettes, and any tobacco product, from 18 to 21, and add other restrictions aimed at keeping young people from getting hooked on nicotine. (Zeller, 9/23)
Seattle Times: King County Confirms 2nd Severe Lung-Disease Case Connected To Vaping
Local health officials have confirmed a second case of severe lung disease associated with vaping in King County, as reports of the illness climb across the nation. A woman in her 30s was admitted to a King County hospital in mid-September with shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, according to a statement Friday from Public Health – Seattle & King County. The woman has since been released from the hospital and is recovering. (Clarridge and Fields, 9/21)
The Associated Press: 2 Vaping Companies Settle LA Suit, Won't Sell To Minors
Two vaping companies have agreed not to promote their products to minors under a settlement with Los Angeles prosecutors. The city attorney’s office announced a lawsuit settlement Friday with NEwhere Inc. and VapeCo Distribution LLC. The LA-based companies also will pay $350,000 in fines. LA accused the firms of using marketing that promotes youth consumption of tobacco and selling vaping products online without proper age verification. (9/20)
