Read articles from United States of America

February 14, 2019 by thehill.com

Nearly every authority agrees; we are in the midst of a public health epidemic.

In November, the American Medical Association, representing the nation’s physicians, called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take action against the “urgent public health epidemic” of skyrocketing e-cigarette use.

In early December, then-Senator Hatch (R-UT) introduced the Smoke Free Schools Act, which — among other measures — called on the FDA [...] to discourage e-cigarette use among students and to study gaps in knowledge of the harms of e-cigarettes on youth, [...]

February 14, 2019 by filtermag.org

Late last year, public health officials in Philadelphia—which ranks second among large cities hit hardest by the US overdose and drug poisoning death crisis—announced a ban on residents of publicly funded addiction treatment programs going outside to smoke cigarettes, effective January 1, 2019. People in Philadelphia who are living with a substance use disorder and seeking publicly funded inpatient treatment now face an ultimatum: Either commit to going without smoking or do not enter treatment.

February 13, 2019 by nytimes.com

While this study contributes to literature on the potential value of e-cigarettes as smoking-cessation devices, it does not address the public health threat of flavored e-cigarettes marketed toward youths.

In New York City, 17 percent of public high school students reported using e-cigarettes versus only 2 percent of adults. E-cigarettes, more often than not, contain nicotine, which is extremely addictive, and adolescents may be more susceptible to developing nicotine dependence than adults.

February 11, 2019 by heartland.org

Vermont Lawmakers are hoping to generate revenue from electronic cigarettes and vaping devices through a proposal in the General Assembly that would apply the state’s “92% wholesale price tax on other tobacco products to electronic cigarettes and their paraphernalia.”

The tax would apply to all electronic cigarette products, including devices and e-liquids that do not contain nicotine. According to the bill’s fiscal analysis, the legislation would generate $1.1 million in revenue in fiscal year 2022. [...]

February 05, 2019 by time.com

A Hawaii lawmaker has proposed a bill that would gradually raise the minimum smoking age to 100, which could effectively make Hawaii the first state to outlaw the sale of cigarettes.

“The state is obliged to protect the public’s health,” State House member Rep. Richard Creagan told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald.

“We, as legislators, have a duty to do things to save people’s lives,” he said. “If we don’t ban cigarettes, we are killing people.”

February 01, 2019 by medicalxpress.com

E-cigarette use is surging among American teenagers, with millions of kids flirting with nicotine addiction by regularly vaping. Unfortunately, these kids are going to face a rocky road if they try to kick their nicotine habit, experts say.

There are no tested or approved methods for quitting e-cigarettes, said Linda Richter, director of policy research and analysis at the Center on Addiction.

February 01, 2019 by bloomberg.com

Two new studies of e-cigarettes may bolster the U.S. government’s efforts to stem what it calls a growing epidemic of youth vaping.

Children and teens who had used e-cigarettes were four times more likely to have taken up cigarette smoking than those who didn’t vape, according to a study published Friday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Almost 179,000 youth who have tried cigarettes and more than 43,000 who are currently smoking would not be if they had never started vaping, the study found.

January 30, 2019 by nj1015.com

Teens are smoking fewer cigarettes, drinking less alcohol and not taking as many opioids — but their use of electronic cigarettes is on the rise [...]

The Monitoring the Future report, based on questioning almost 45,000 eighth-, 10th- and 12-graders in New Jersey and across the nation, found the number of students using e-cigarettes increased by 78 percent last year.
The report does not give a state-by-state breakdown, but according to a recent youth tobacco survey almost 10 percent of New Jersey teens are using e-cigarettes.

January 29, 2019 by cbsnews.com

The American Academy of Pediatrics called Monday for a major new effort to discourage children and teenagers from using e-cigarettes. According to AAP data, last year 20 percent of high school students, and five percent of middle school students, used e-cigarettes; that is a 75 percent jump overall since 2017.

"The increasing use of e-cigarettes among youth threatens five decades of public health gains," the AAP said.

January 28, 2019 by spokesman.com

As educators in Spokane battle the proliferation of e-cigarette puffing in the classroom, state regulators are eyeing stricter and clearer rules for the sale of vaping products.

New proposed rules from the state Liquor and Cannabis Board, which were presented at a meeting held in Spokane earlier this month, require full disclosure of business owners to regulators and impose escalating fines for failure to follow state laws, including allowing those under 18 to enter stores where vaping devices can be sampled.