Read articles from United States of America

May 15, 2023 by manilatimes.net

THERE is enough evidence that support the use of electronic cigarettes as an aid for smoking cessation in adults, says Kenneth E. Warner, PhD, professor emeritus of Department of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Michigan. "E-cigarettes are not the magic bullet that will end the devastation wrought by cigarette smoking, but they can contribute to that lofty public health goal," says Warner. "For adults who want to quit smoking, e-cigarettes serve as an important less-hazardous alternative to continued smoking," he adds.

May 04, 2023 by civilbeat.org

In a surprise move that stunned many Friday evening, a House-Senate conference committee agreed on a bill to tax and regulate vaping devices and vaping liquids the same as other tobacco products. A tobacco product is any product or device that delivers nicotine to the human brain.

The bill also would make it a crime to ship to Hawaii electronic cigarettes and all other vaping products to anyone not holding a valid retail permit or wholesale license.

May 04, 2023 by reason.org

Before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) came under criticism for its confusing and often contradictory messaging on COVID-19, the agency was responsible for a different public health communications failure, this one about vaping.

In the summer and fall of 2019, there was a spate of 2,739 lung injuries and 68 deaths related to vaping. The outbreak was a surprise. Nicotine vaping products had been available on the U.S. market since 2007 and in large parts of the world, yet no similar incidents had been recorded.

May 04, 2023 by eurekalert.org

As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wrestles with the best way to regulate a legal but deadly product – cigarettes – it turns to scientists with expertise in tobacco control to determine the most effective steps it can take.

The work of MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researcher Tracy Smith, Ph.D., will be instrumental to some of the decisions the FDA faces.

The FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products awarded Smith two grants this month to study the likely effects of allowing flavored e-cigarettes and a ban on menthol.

May 03, 2023 by tobaccoreporter.com

The government watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust filed a complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services over what it says are scientific integrity violations involving the impact of vaping.

The complaint states that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is promoting public health messages on vaping that appear to be unsupported by its own research and scientific findings, according to Center Square.

Protect the Public’s Trust stated that the FDA was making “scientifically unfounded statements about the vaping industry” contrary to its own research, adding that the agency’s own data appeared to contradict the FDA’s public stance on vaping products.

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. [...]