Tag Archives: smoking

Pittsburgh’s CBS News affiliate reports: Smokers are now among a new group of Pennsylvanians at the front of the line to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Pennsylvania Department of Health includes smoking on its list of qualifying conditions for those a part of Priority Group 1A. The department said in part: “Pennsylvania has chosen to follow the CDC’s recommendations and …

The Los Angeles Times reports: Days after concerns over youth vaping led the Trump administration to announce a partial ban on many e-cigarette pods, California lawmakers on Monday introduced a much stronger measure to outlaw store sales of all flavored tobacco products. The proposal would go far beyond the federal government’s plan, announced Thursday, for a temporary ban on many …

Axios reports: U-Haul will not hire people who use nicotine products in 21 states beginning Feb. 1 in an attempt “to establish one of the healthiest corporate cultures in the U.S. and Canada,” the company announced in a statement. The ACLU considers anti-nicotine hiring policies “discriminatory” and a violation of worker privacy, but smokers are not a protected class under …

As of today, the new smoking age is in effect: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has officially raised the legal age to buy tobacco products in the United States from 18 to 21. The move applies to all tobacco products, e-cigarettes and vaping cartridges, and comes after President Trump last week signed a $1.4 trillion spending package that included …

Agence France-Press reports: The US Congress voted Thursday to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco and e-cigarettes from 18 to 21 across the country, a move intended to stem the rising tide of youth vaping. Passed by the Senate as part of a wider budgetary bill, it will take effect next year and will mean that tobacco and e-cigarettes …

Politico reports: Congress is on the verge of a sweeping health care reform: Federally prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to people under 21. The legislation significantly raising the age cap on cigarettes and e-cigarettes is increasingly likely to be included in the year-end spending deal, the result of support from a diverse coalition of lawmakers, according to four people …

Axios reports: New data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey show that 6.2 million middle school and high school students use tobacco, the highest level since 2000. Why it matters: Tobacco use among middle schoolers and high schoolers remains high thanks to the popularity of e-cigarettes. Health advocates and some states are blaming misleading advertising, media and inconspicuous vape devices …

NBC News reports: A Florida jury has awarded a gay man more than $157 million in a wrongful death lawsuit after his husband died from lung cancer caused by smoking cigarettes, in what an attorney said is the first such case involving a same-sex married couple. Edward Caprio was diagnosed in 1996 with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It would be …

Time Magazine reports: The American Medical Association is calling for an immediate ban on all electronic cigarettes and vaping devices. The group adopted the sweeping stance Tuesday at a policy-making meeting in San Diego. It aims to lobby for laws, regulations or legal action to achieve a ban, but the industry is sure to fight back. The AMA cited the …

The New York Times reports: On Nov. 11, Mr. Trump tweeted that he would be “meeting with representatives of the vaping industry, together with medical professionals and individual state representatives, to come up with an acceptable solution to the vaping and E-cigarette dilemma.” The announcement on Twitter took West Wing advisers by surprise, and one senior official said no meeting …

Axios reports: Amid growing health concerns over e-cigarettes, Apple will remove all 181 vaping-related apps from its mobile App Store this morning, Axios has learned. Why it matters: The move comes after at least 42 people have died from vaping-related lung illness, per the CDC. Most of those people had been using cartridges containing THC, though some exclusively used nicotine …

Bloomberg reports: President Donald Trump said Friday he wants to raise the legal age for vaping as the industry comes under fire for targeting youth and questions emerge over the health impacts of e-cigarettes. Trump, speaking to reporters as he left the White House, said the U.S. would announce a plan next week that would likely raise the legal age …

CNBC reports: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging people to stop vaping THC products as the death toll from a mysterious lung disease rises with no signs of abating. The vaping-related illness has sickened 805 people across 46 states and one territory, the CDC said Friday. One person died in Oregon this week, bringing the death toll …

CNBC reports: Kevin Burns has resigned as Juul’s CEO and will be replaced by former Altria executive K.C. Crosthwaite, the e-cigarette company announced Wednesday. Altria invested $12.8 billion for a 35% stake in Juul late last year, placing a huge bet on the embattled vaping company. Tobacco giant Altria’s shares are down nearly 18% this year. The company on Wednesday …

Axios reports: Conservative leaders are circulating data to White House staff that claims adults who vape will turn on President Trump if he follows through with his planned ban on flavored e-cigarettes, Axios has learned. The data reveals that the number of adult vapers in key battleground states greatly outweighs the margins by which Trump won those states in 2016 …

The New York Times reports: Walmart said on Friday that it would end sales of e-cigarettes at its United States locations. The decision comes amid growing medical concerns about the effects of vaping. In recent months, mysterious vaping-related illnesses have been on the rise. Medical authorities said on Thursday that the number of vaping-related lung illnesses had risen to 530 …

The New York Times reports: Medical experts and federal health officials on Friday warned the public about the dangers of vaping and discouraged using the devices as the number of people with a severe lung illness linked to vaping has more than doubled to 450 possible cases in 33 states. State officials reported two deaths, bringing the number of confirmed …

The Washington Post reports: State and federal health officials investigating mysterious lung illnesses linked to vaping have found the same chemical in samples of marijuana products used by people sickened in different parts of the country and who used different brands of products in recent weeks. The chemical is an oil derived from vitamin E. Investigators at the U.S. Food …

The Washington Post reports: Michigan on Wednesday will become the first state in the nation to ban flavored e-cigarettes, a step the governor said was needed to protect young people from the potentially harmful effects of vaping. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), in an interview, said the state health department found youth vaping constituted a public health emergency, prompting her to …

Axios reports: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a formal warning on Friday against the use of e-cigarettes, recommending users do not buy bootlegged e-cigarettes or modify vaping products or substances, per a press release. Why it matters: As of Aug. 27, 215 cases of lung illnesses associated with vaping had been reported, along with 1 death related …