Read articles from North America

January 08, 2024 by filtermag.org

A federal appeals court has issued a scathing rebuke to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over its handling of applications to authorize vaping products. A ruling in a key case, issued on January 3, accused the FDA of sending vape manufacturers on a “wild goose chase” under the agency’s Premarket Tobacco Product Applications (PMTA) process—misleading applicants and failing to honor its own guidelines.

January 03, 2024 by latimes.com

Federal officials are seizing more shipments of unauthorized electronic cigarettes at U.S. ports, including a major bust at Los Angeles International Airport. But thousands of new flavored products continue pouring into the country from China, according to government and industry data reviewed by the Associated Press. The figures underscore the chaotic state of the nation’s $7-billion vaping market and raise questions about how the U.S. government can stop the flow of fruit-flavored disposable e-cigarettes used by 1 in 10 American teens and adolescents.

January 02, 2024 by cbsnews.com

Vaping will be banned indoors in public places in Illinois in the new year. Effective Jan. 1, 2024, an amendment to the Smoke Free Illinois Act will ban the use of "electronic smoking devices" such as vape pens and electronic cigarettes inside public spaces. That means vapers will have to join smokers outside, and be at least 15 feet away from the doors of any public entrance.

January 02, 2024 by nbcchicago.com

A new bill will go into effect [...] in the state of Illinois, banning the use of vape pens and other electronic smoking devices in indoor public spaces. According to the provisions of HB 1540, those devices will be added to the list of items prohibited for public indoor use by the Smoke Free Illinois Act, which first passed the legislature in 2008. Electronic smoking devices also will be prohibited within 15 feet of public entrances, according to terms of the law.

December 28, 2023 by youthtoday.org

Californians – including minors – are still able to buy flavored electronic cigarettes online, even after the state’s much-publicized ban went into effect. That’s the key finding of my team’s new study, published in JAMA Network Open. On Dec. 21, 2022, California enacted Senate Bill 793, which prohibited the sale of most flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to people of all ages. Hookahs, premium cigars and loose-leaf tobacco were exempted from the legislation. The ban was motivated, in large part, by a desire to reduce to reduce consumption of tobacco among young people — who are particularly attracted to the flavors in e-cigarettes, such as mango and crème.

December 27, 2023 by wgem.com

It will soon be illegal to vape or use electronic cigarettes within 15 feet of indoor public settings in Illinois. A new law adds e-cigarettes, e-cigars, e-pipes, e-hookahs and vape pens to the state’s smoking ban. It takes effect Jan. 1. Since 2008, it’s been illegal in Illinois to smoke tobacco products, like cigarettes, within 15 feet of indoor public settings. That includes private businesses. Vaping and e-cigarettes weren’t covered under that law. State Rep. Camille Lilly, D-Oak Park, sponsored the bill along with state Sen. Julie Morrison, D-Lake Forest. “We know that thousands of Illinois residents support prohibiting e-cigarettes in indoor places since nearly 30 municipalities have already added them to their clean indoor ordinance,” Lilly said.

December 22, 2023 by theconversation.com

Californians – including minors – are still able to buy flavored electronic cigarettes online, even after the state’s much-publicized ban went into effect. That’s the key finding of my team’s new study, published in JAMA Network Open. On Dec. 21, 2022, California enacted Senate Bill 793, which prohibited the sale of most flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to people of all ages. Hookahs, premium cigars and loose-leaf tobacco were exempted from the legislation.

December 20, 2023 by thehill.com

Early next year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to issue a final rule prohibiting the sale of menthol cigarettes, as well as a separate rule prohibiting the sale of flavored cigars. In October, the FDA sent these two rules, which collectively could prevent hundreds of thousands of premature deaths, to the White House for final review. The recent announcement that these rules will not be finalized until 2024 is disappointing, particularly because these regulations are already long overdue. Indeed, the need for them was obvious back in 2009, when Congress passed the Tobacco Control Act (TCA), granting the FDA authority to regulate tobacco products.

December 20, 2023 by reuters.com

Juul Labs said on Tuesday it was seeking U.S. authorization for its new menthol-flavored pods, which require user age verification, to be used with its e-cigarette device that is under review by regulators. Juul's e-cigarettes were briefly banned in the U.S. in June 2022 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded the company had failed to show that the sale of its products would be appropriate for public health. Following an appeal, the health regulator put the ban on hold and agreed to an additional review of Juul's marketing application. The company's new menthol-flavored pods have a nicotine concentration of 18 mg/mL and are Juul's latest premarket tobacco product application to the FDA.

December 15, 2023 by cnn.com

The US Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday the seizure of about 1.4 million units of unauthorized e-cigarette products, including commonly used brands such as Elf Bar and Funky Republic, which has received warnings from the agency over the sale and distribution of unauthorized products that appeal to minors. “Unscrupulous companies try everything they can to bring unauthorized, youth-appealing tobacco products into the country,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said in a statement. “The FDA will remain vigilant, and together with our federal partners, stop these imports before they make it into the hands of our nation’s youth.”