Read articles from United States of America

April 27, 2023 by marijuanamoment.net

One day after the Minnesota House approved a marijuana legalization bill, the Senate companion version cleared its final committee in that chamber, sending it to the floor.

The Senate Finance Committee passed the legislation from Sen. Lindsey Port (D) in a voice vote on Wednesday.

That marked the 13th and final panel in the body to advance the measure. The House bill went through 15 committees before being approved on the floor on Monday.

“It’s a very complex bill,” Port told members of the panel. “Its entire goal is to legalize, regulate and expunge.”

April 27, 2023 by forbes.com

Accurate information enables informed decisions. So, why wait? The Agency needs to communicate to the public comprehensively and consistently, sharing current information about its authorized modified-risk tobacco products, and educating adult smokers—who would otherwise continue to smoke—about how these innovative, smoke-free options differ from cigarettes.

Of course, the best choice is to never begin using tobacco and nicotine products, and for anyone who smokes to quit products containing nicotine and tobacco altogether. However, many don’t, and these smokers—and those who care about them—would benefit from information about better alternatives to continued smoking.

April 26, 2023 by insurancejournal.com

Tobacco giant Altria Group Inc is set to face trial Monday in a lawsuit by San Francisco’s public school district accusing the company of fueling a teen vaping epidemic, along with e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc.

The San Francisco Unified School District says teachers and staff “have had to go to extreme lengths to respond to the ever-growing number of students using e-cigarettes on school grounds,” and is seeking to force Altria to pay for the cost of tackling the problem.

April 24, 2023 by nytimes.com

A push by Gov. Kathy Hochul to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes in New York has become the focal point of a fierce and expensive lobbying fight, pitting Big Tobacco against the medical community.

Caught in the middle are Black smokers, who smoke menthol cigarettes at higher rates than white smokers, and are the main group the ban is meant to help. Decades of aggressive marketing by tobacco companies have caused Black smokers to consume menthol cigarettes, whose cooling sensation on the throat makes them more appealing and addictive.

April 20, 2023 by prnewswire.com

One year after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed to remove menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars from U.S. markets, youth activists from across the country will come together in the nation's capital to raise their voices for a future free of flavored tobacco products. As part of the annual Moment of Action with truth®, the national youth smoking, vaping, and nicotine public education campaign, these young people will call on the FDA to take action to finalize the proposed rules once and for all. [...]

April 18, 2023 by alaskapublic.org

Alaska posted the nation’s highest rate of increase in electronic cigarette use by young adults from 2016 to 2021, according to a report tracking patterns in all the states.

The rate of e-cigarette use by Alaskans in that age group more than tripled, from 4.8% in 2019 – the lowest rate in the nation at the time — to 15.8% in 2021, according to the report. Nationally, e-cigarette use, also known as vaping, increased dramatically during those years for young adults, according to the report. In 2016, 9.6% of Americans between 18 and 24 years old used e-cigarettes, according to the report; that jumped to 19.8% in 2021, roughly doubling.

April 18, 2023 by filtermag.org

Oregon lawmakers are attempting to ban sales of flavored vaping and tobacco products in the name of reducing youth nicotine use. But the move would outlaw popular smoking-cessation tools, shutter small businesses and send at least some consumers to the illicit market.

To supporters of House Bill 3090, it’s worth it.

“It’s always better to prevent the problem than to solve it.”

“I’m a believer in upstream,” said Senator Elizabeth Steiner (D), a physician and one of the bill’s four chief sponsors, during a first public hearing in March. [...]

April 17, 2023 by cnn.com

Although smoking rates for adults in the US are at their lowest recorded levels, more must be done to stop children from using tobacco, according to a new set of policy statements from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The statements, published Monday, are the association’s first tobacco policy update since 2015. They’re based on newer science and better reflect how many children now use e-cigarettes as more kid-friendly products have flooded the market. [...] The rates of kids who use e-cigarettes are high, the AAP says, and the use of hookahs and cigars has not declined. However, the pediatricians note, traditional cigarette smoking has declined over the years.

April 04, 2023 by reason.org

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul claims her plan to ban flavored tobacco products and raise cigarette taxes by $1 a pack is about improving public health. The proposed prohibition encompasses cigars, hookah, and even products like Mint General Snus, which the Food and Drug Administration says are “appropriate for the protection of public health.” But the governor’s main target is menthol cigarettes, disproportionately used by black smokers. So far, the state legislature has demonstrated an admirable skepticism toward the proposed ban.  

April 04, 2023 by civilbeat.org

As the mayor of Hawaii County, I am dedicated to improving the lives of our residents and safeguarding the future of our keiki. To this end, I’d like to strongly encourage lawmakers to consider passing Senate Bill 1447, a bill that would allow counties to enact their own regulations on tobacco and e-cigarettes, enabling us to impose stricter measures as they’re needed to protect our keiki and forge more sustainable island homes where everyone can thrive. The youth vaping epidemic has disproportionately impacted the youth of Hawaii island, with higher rates of youth vaping compared to the statewide average. [...]