Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Marketing Boons For Big Tobacco: First Came Menthol Cigarettes, Now Its Flavored E-Cigs
Los Angeles Times: Why Flavored Vaping Products Are This Era’s Big Tobacco Menthol Cigarettes
High schoolers rallying in downtown Los Angeles this week chanted “Fight the flavor” as they showed their support for banning the flavored tobacco products that health experts say are fueling an epidemic of nicotine addiction among youths. Among the demonstrators was Jennyfer Cortez, 16, who said she tried an e-cigarette for the first time five years ago because it tasted like blueberries, her favorite fruit. She didn’t like vaping because it made her cough, but she has seen her peers vape at their lockers, in the school bathroom and sometimes even in class. (Karlamangla, 9/26)
The Hill: House Panel Asks E-Cigarette Companies To Cease All Advertising
A House panel is calling on e-cigarette manufacturers to cease all television, radio, print and digital advertising in the United States, in the wake of an unprecedented spike in youth vaping. The request from Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, comes after market-leader Juul announced it would cease all advertising, effective immediately. (Weixel, 9/26)
Bloomberg: Juul Wants Wave Of Vaping Lawsuits Sent To San Francisco
Juul Labs Inc., maker of the top-selling e-cigarette device in the U.S., asked a federal court panel in Los Angeles to send dozens of lawsuits it faces over the almost daily revelations of the health risks of its product to a judge in its hometown of San Francisco. Austin Schwing, a lawyer for Juul, made the pitch Thursday at a hearing before the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation, which determines whether suits filed in federal courts across the U.S. are similar enough that pre-trial proceedings involving information exchanges and evidence gathering should be managed by a single judge. (Pettersson and Feeley, 9/26)
Bloomberg: What's In A Weed Vape? Not Even Nobel-Winning Chemists Know
The vaping health crisis sweeping the U.S. is highlighting how little scientists and health officials know about the marijuana being consumed on a daily basis by millions of Americans. That lack of research, which stems from a longstanding federal prohibition on marijuana, is becoming a problem for the $10 billion legal weed industry, where vaping products have been the fastest-growing area. (Giammona and Owram, 9/26)
The Associated Press: Marijuana Vape Sales Lag As Lung Illnesses Rise In US
Vaping products, one of the fastest-growing segments of the legal marijuana industry, have taken a hit from consumers as public health experts scramble to determine what’s causing a mysterious and sometimes fatal lung disease among people who use e-cigarettes. The ailment has sickened at least 805 people and killed 13. Some vaped nicotine, but many reported using oil containing THC, marijuana’s high-inducing ingredient, and said they bought products from pop-up shops and other illegal sellers. (Flaccus and Peltz, 9/26)
