Read articles from United States of America

March 25, 2024 by filtermag.org

From vapes to snus and nicotine pouches, we have a growing array of much safer substitutes for the combustible cigarettes that cost almost a half million lives each year in the United States. That’s crucial, when individuals who switch from smoking have a variety of different needs. Some won’t find vaping helpful until they hit upon the right flavor, for example. To some, hand-to-mouth action and inhalation are essential elements for harm reduction products to replace; for others, it’s more about the nicotine, and oral products are more convenient.

March 22, 2024 by chicagotribune.com

Illinois lawmakers are considering two bills aimed at blocking children and teenagers from obtaining and concealing electronic cigarettes. One bill would ban e-cigarettes that are designed to look like objects commonly carried by schoolchildren, such as highlighters and markers, and therefore not spotted for what they actually are by adults. “We should do everything in our power to make it impossible for children to obtain and conceal tobacco products,” state Sen. Julie Morrison, a Deerfield Democrat who is co-sponsoring the bill that would ban the marketing of vapes that might be mistaken by adults for something else, said at a news conference in Springfield on Tuesday.

March 19, 2024 by gfn.tv

Despite the overwhelming evidence indicating that safer nicotine products are significantly less harmful than smoking, vaping misinformation has stoked mistrust of safer products, most notably seen in fears surrounding EVALI and youth vaping. In this episode, Will Godfrey looks at a recent study tracking the decreasing trust in vapes amongst the general public, and the real-world consequences that vaping misinformation has on public health.

March 19, 2024 by dailycaller.com

In January, Democratic New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate a product called “Zyn,” due to supposed concerns about marketing and health effects. Despite recent data from the FDA and CDC indicating that nicotine pouch use among youth is “exceptionally low,” anti-smokers are already raising the specter of youth use in their attempt to create a similar moral panic to the one they created about vaping products.

March 18, 2024 by dallasnews.com

Dallas is weighing recommendations from a citizen-led advisory group to ban vaping in public spaces to protect vulnerable populations from what it considers harmful secondhand exposure. At a Parks, Trails and the Environment committee meeting this month, Folashade Afolabi, with the Dallas Environmental Commission, said her group recommends the city expand its definition of smoking to include e-cigarettes, cigars and vapes that create an aerosol or vapor.

March 18, 2024 by washingtonexaminer.com

A growing number of House Republicans are calling on the Biden administration to expedite the approval process for smoke-free tobacco products through the Food and Drug Administration to expand options to consumers looking to quit smoking. In a letter sent to President Joe Biden [...] a group of nearly 70 House Republicans led by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) pressed the president to move forward with long-pending applications for new smoke-free products to be approved by the FDA.

March 15, 2024 by washingtonexaminer.com

A growing number of House Republicans are calling on the Biden administration to expedite the approval process for smoke-free tobacco products through the Food and Drug Administration to expand options to consumers looking to quit smoking. In a letter sent to President Joe Biden on Monday, a group of nearly 70 House Republicans led by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) pressed the president to move forward with long-pending applications for new smoke-free products to be approved by the FDA. 

March 15, 2024 by townhall.com

Not wanting to stymie the alarmism by acknowledging rapid declines in youth vaping, a handful of U.S. senators are again sounding the alarm on the so-called youth vaping epidemic. A recent letter to top executives of major convenience store chains “strongly encourage[s]” retailers to comply with federal regulations and remove all unauthorized e-cigarette products from their store shelves. Unfortunately, much like previous efforts from a group of Democratic lawmakers who penned previous letters (including one in 2020 urging a ban on all flavored e-cigarettes), this is another futile attempt that disregards increasing data on youth and adult e-cigarette use in the U.S.

March 14, 2024 by nbcsandiego.com

The Schmidt National Law Group filed a lawsuit against Philip Morris, accusing them of targeting children and young adults with their product Zyn. The lawsuit seeks damages and stricter limits on access to the flavored nicotine pouches. Despite being legally purchasable by those 21 and older, the product is accessible to younger individuals. Some users claim to use Zyn as a safer alternative to vaping. The case faces a potentially lengthy litigation process, with Philip Morris yet to respond to the allegations.

March 14, 2024 by bostonherald.com

Critics are unhappy as the state Supreme Judicial Court upholds Brookline's ban on selling tobacco to anyone born this century. Justice Wendlandt found the ban aligned with state law but convenience store owners are against it. Advocates support the decision for public health. Brookline is known for strict tobacco regulations, being the first to ban smoking in public places. The ruling is seen as groundbreaking, gaining interest from other towns and even sparking similar proposals in California. Despite opposition claiming it restricts freedom, the ban is upheld for its health benefits, with advocates hoping it will inspire other places to combat the tobacco epidemic.