Trump Administration Announces Ban On Flavored E-Cigarettes Amid Mounting Cases Of Mysterious Lung Illness
In an Oval Office meeting Wednesday that included first lady Melania Trump, HHS Secretary Alex Azar and acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless, President Donald Trump said: “We can’t allow people to get sick. And we can’t have our youth be so affected.” Azar said the administration intends to “clear the market” of flavored e-cigarettes to reverse a worsening youth vaping epidemic. Anti-tobacco advocates praised the move but said it's a "long way from the finish line."
The New York Times:
Trump Administration Plans To Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes
The Trump administration said on Wednesday that it would ban the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes, at a time when hundreds of people have been sickened by mysterious lung illnesses and teenage vaping continues to rise. ... Alex M. Azar II, the health and human services secretary, said that the Food and Drug Administration would outline a plan within the coming weeks for removing flavored e-cigarettes and nicotine pods from the market, excluding tobacco flavors. The ban would include mint and menthol, popular varieties that manufacturers have argued should not be considered flavors. (Kaplan, 9/11)
The Washington Post:
Trump Moves To Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes
The administration’s move comes as health officials across the country investigate more than 450 cases, including six deaths, of lung disease linked to vaping. Many patients have reported using cannabis-related products, but authorities have not ruled out any specific type of vaping. With the picture still murky, critics have seized the moment to press for tougher regulation of conventional e-cigarettes, which come in sweet and fruity flavors that have been favored by many young people. (McGinley, 9/11)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Plans To Ban Most Vaping Flavors
Public-health officials have encouraged adult smokers to switch to less risky products such as e-cigarettes, which deliver nicotine in a cloud of vapor. Tobacco companies have invested in the technology to offset declining sales as smokers switched to new entrants like Juul. But the sleek devices also proved popular with teens and young people who had never smoked. About eight million adults use e-cigarettes, and about five million children are also vaping, including more than a quarter of high-school students, according to the latest government estimates. “We have a problem in our country. It’s a new problem,” Mr. Trump, a Republican, said in the Oval Office on Wednesday as he met with top health officials. “It’s called vaping, especially vaping as it pertains to innocent children.” (Maloney and Leary, 9/11)
The Associated Press:
Government Plans To Ban Flavors Used In E-Cigarettes
Trump, whose son Barron is 13 years old, said vaping has become such a problem that he wants parents to be aware of what's happening. "We can't allow people to get sick and we can't have our youth be so affected," he said. Melania Trump recently tweeted her concerns over the combination of children and vaping, and at the meeting, the president said, "I mean, she's got a son — together — that is a beautiful, young man, and she feels very, very strongly about it." (9/11)
Modern Healthcare:
Trump Tells FDA To Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes
"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," HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. "We will not stand idly by as these products become an on-ramp to combustible cigarettes or nicotine addiction for a generation of youth." (Brady, 9/11)
NPR:
To Combat Youth Vaping, Trump Administration Plans To Banish Flavored Vapes
"We must act swiftly against flavored e-cigarette products that are especially attractive to children. Moreover, if we see a migration to tobacco-flavored products by kids, we will take additional steps to address youth use of these products," Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless, said in a statement. (Harris and Wroth, 9/11)
Bloomberg:
Trump Vape Ban: FDA To Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes Like Juul
The FDA had been looking to limit most flavored e-cigarette product sales, excluding mint and menthol, to online sales with age verification and vaping shops. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb originally viewed e-cigarettes as a possible way to help adult smokers quit and sought in 2017 to ease regulation on them, pushing back to 2021 the date vape manufacturers would have to apply for agency approval to stay on the market. The deadline was moved up to May 2020 by a judge in July who also ruled e-cigarettes could stay on the market for a year while FDA reviews their application. (Edney, Wingrove and Fabian, 9/11)
Politico:
Melania Versus The Vapers
The first lady was not the only driving force. ... But Trump said his wife’s pressure was key. In comparison with past first ladies, she has had a low profile on public policy. Here, in contrast, she persuaded her husband to dramatically shift the government's approach to a massive, growing and politically connected industry. That's something that neither federal regulators nor Capitol Hill had been able to do. (Owermohle, Kumar and Cancryn, 9/11)
The Hill:
Lawmakers Applaud Trump's Ban On Flavored E-Cigarettes
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill largely applauded the Trump administration’s plan to ban all nontobacco flavors of e-cigarettes, with some saying the move is long overdue. On Wednesday, top administration health officials said they are finalizing a ban on all flavors of e-cigarettes in response to a massive spike in underage vaping. (Weixel, 9/11)
CNBC:
Trump Administration Readies Ban On Flavored E-Cigarettes
Lawmakers and public health groups have urged the agency to do more, with Minority Whip Dick Durbin last week telling Sharpless to take “decisive action” or else resign. “Finally, the FDA is doing its job,” Durbin said in a statement Wednesday. (LaVito, 9/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Juul CEO Discusses Vaping Illnesses, Proposed Trump Flavor Ban And More
Juul CEO Kevin Burns — the head of what’s arguably the country’s most controversial company at the moment — met with The Chronicle’s editorial board Wednesday. He addressed a number of concerns, including youth vaping, the recent flood of vaping-related lung illnesses, and President Trump’s call for a federal ban on flavored e-cigarettes. ... Burns said he does not yet know if Juul products are connected to any of the illnesses. “It’s absolutely a possibility. We don’t know the facts. The indication (health officials) have said are the cases they’ve explored and done diligence on are related to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and illegal and illicit products. And there are reports of nicotine-only products they’re still investigating. Whether they’re truly nicotine-only products or not... we don’t know." (Ho, 9/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Juul CEO On Trump’s Proposed Ban: ‘Flavors Today Are Problematic’
Juul CEO Kevin Burns, during a visit to The Chronicle’s editorial board on Wednesday, said the company supports a federal “reset” of flavor restrictions and would comply with any guidelines the Food and Drug Administration issues on the matter. “Flavors today are problematic,” said Burns, adding that many popular fruit- and candy-flavored nicotine products are made by other companies. (Ho, 9/11)
Politico:
Europe’s Missing ‘Vaping Sickness’
Europe does not appear to be experiencing an outbreak of the “vaping sickness” gripping the U.S.It’s not clear anyone would know if it was. (Wheaton, 9/12)
Politico:
Juul Threw Millions Of Dollars At Washington. It Hasn’t Bought Much.
Juul Labs has spent millions of dollars on lobbying, hired high-profile Trump administration officials, and blanketed Washington with ads touting its efforts against underage vaping. None of that was enough to keep President Donald Trump from moving to ban flavored e-cigarettes on Wednesday, delivering a blow to the dominant vaping company and its rivals. (Meyer, 9/11)
The Associated Press:
Mint, Menthol: Vape Industry Has Dug Heels In On Flavor Bans
Efforts to ban flavored e-cigarettes and reduce their appeal to youngsters have sputtered under industry pressure in over a half-dozen states this year even as one state, Michigan, moves ahead with its own restrictions and President Donald Trump promises federal ones. In many cases, the fight by the industry and its lobbyists has focused on leaving the most popular flavors — mint and its close cousin, menthol — alone. But public health experts say that all flavors should be banned, and that menthol can still hook kids on vaping. (9/12)
Reuters:
'Doing Me A Favor': Vapers Open To Trump's Proposed Ban On Flavored E-Cigarettes
New Yorkers who vape do not seem to mind if President Donald Trump pushes through a proposed ban on flavored e-cigarettes, admitting that widespread youth addiction needed to be controlled and expressing hope that it might help them quit. ... "He would be doing me a favor," said Antoinette Quiles, a 31-year-old carpenter, as she inhaled from her Juul outside a New York subway stop. "Hopefully, if it’s not available, I won’t buy it. I’ve tried to stop and put it away, but it’s available." (9/11)
The Associated Press:
Vaping Group Plotted Lobbying Efforts At Trump's DC Hotel
America's vaping industry has in recent years taken its fight to fend off regulation directly to President Donald Trump's doorstep, with a lobbying group twice booking annual meetings at his Washington hotel and e-cigarette maker Juul hiring two of his former White House officials. In 2017 and 2018, the Vapor Technology Association met at Trump's hotel to strategize how to lobby the administration, with a Republican lawmaker at one conference advising it to emphasize jobs created by the growing industry and how regulation could devastate hundreds of small vaping businesses. (9/11)
Reuters:
Amid U.S. Vaping Crackdown, Juul Enters China With Online Store Openings
U.S. e-cigarettes maker Juul Labs Inc, which faces a widening crackdown on vaping at home, has entered China, with online storefronts on e-commerce sites owned by Alibaba Group and JD.com to tap the world’s largest market of smokers. Juul, in which tobacco giant Altria Group owns a 35% stake, has been launching its products in international markets such as South Korea, Indonesia and Philippines. It recently raised over $750 million in an expanded funding round. (9/12)
The Wall Street Journal:
As Juul Moves Abroad, It’s Leaving Some Of Its U.S. Restrictions Behind
Juul said it approaches each country differently depending on its culture, laws and regulations. In Ireland, where there is no minimum age to purchase e-cigarettes, Juul said it has required retailers to enforce a minimum age of 18, matching the legal minimum for traditional cigarettes. It said it is gathering data on youth vaping rates in all the countries where it sells—from government agencies and through its own surveys—and could take additional steps if it sees an uptick among young people. (Maloney, 9/11)
