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Tag: united states
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Trump suggests banning vaping products could lead to “stuff on the street corner that could be horrible”
President Trump now seems open to the idea that vaping nicotine e-liquid is not ‘killing people’ and the idea of banning Vaping Products across the United States on a federal level seems to be in question.
Trump stated in a recent press conference: “The one thing I see, when you watch prohibition, you look at the alcohol, cigarettes, you look at all. If you don’t give it to them it’s going to come here illegally. Instead of legitimate companies… they are going to be selling stuff on the street corner that could be horrible.”
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Significant(96.5%) Decrease in Vaping-Related Lung Disease Across the United States
The Onset of Vaping-Related Illness
In September of 2019, numerous news reports began to emerge regarding vaping-related illness and lung disease. Both the CDC and various news media sources provided scant specific information on these incidents.
The Media’s Role
The media effectively grouped all vaping into one category, suggesting that any use of vaping or e-cigarette products was dangerous and causing illness.
The CDC’s Findings
In the vast majority of incidents reported to the Center for Disease Control – 86% – the users of the vaping products reported using vapes with THC in their devices. [Source] The CDC also suggested that many of the THC Vape pods were not purchased from reputable stores and distributors, but received from friends and family, or purchased from the streets. [citation] The CDC stated on their website: “THC is present in most of the samples tested by FDA to date, and most patients report a history of using THC-containing products”.
The Issue of Self-Reporting
An additional concern with this type of self-reporting is that if an individual is underage, or lives in a State where marijuana products are illegal, they may not disclose their THC/marijuana use.
The CDC’s Record Keeping
The Center for Disease Control has been keeping a record of all patients being admitted to the hospital for these vaping-related illnesses. These results have been reported on a weekly basis.
The Reduction in Vaping-Related Illness
The week with the highest reported incidents was September 8, 2019. During this week, 166 individuals were admitted to the hospital due to lung injury, and 118 patients had experienced symptoms of this lung injury. Contrast that with their most recent reported week, October 6, which had 16 admissions into the hospital and 4 people reporting symptoms. In less than two months, this is a reduction of 90.3% of people hospitalized, and a reduction of 96.5% in patients with symptoms of vaping-related illness.
The Implications of the Reduction
The reason for this reduction is not known, but the incredible reduction has not been in the forefront of the news stories or reports. If you factor in that there are approximately 327 million people in the United States, with an estimated 9% of Americans vaping [source], this is 29.4 million current vapers in the United States. With four individuals experiencing vaping-related illness during the week of October 6, this equates to just a 1 in 7.3 million chance of being affected by this vaping-related illness. If you factor in that an estimated 90% of the current individuals who experienced this lung disease have been using THC products, this number reduces further to a one in 73.5 million chance.
The Question of Regulation
This begs the question – does something that has a one in 73 million chance of illness warrant a continued, fear-mongering outcry against it? Does it require congress to rise up to ban flavors, and in Massachusetts, ban all vaping products across the state? Considering the majority of nicotine vaping users are people using the products to quit smoking, and smoking kills 5 Million people each year- [source], vaping is much safer than smoking, and safer than many things we do every day without concern.
The Future of Vaping
With the increased knowledge regarding the dangers of using unregulated THC products acquired from unknown sources, the reduction of vaping-related illness should continue. We fear that the media’s blanket statements suggesting ‘all vaping products are dangerous’ has caused so much fear in many nicotine vaping ex-smokers, that it’s pushing them back to cigarettes.
Ultimately, until the government fully regulates all marijuana and THC products, as well as all nicotine vaping products, we could continue to see illnesses and quality control issues within the industry.
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California suggests their residence to put E-cigarettes down
In one of the most aggressive and polarizing statements made by any government agency anywhere in the United States, the California Department of Public Health [CDPH] stated this: “refrain from vaping, no matter the substance or source”.
This is an incredible and ignorant step outside of any conceived rationality, and for that matter any scientific evidence currently available on this topic. If you suggest current nicotine vapors to stop using vaping products, you are sending them back to cigarettes as the only effective source to receive their nicotine fix. We are all aware of the incredible damage smoking cigarettes causes and for government to recommend this action is nothing short of a catastrophic misguided statement from ignorant overzealous political figures.
Even the Center for disease control has made the statement “to date, national and state data suggest that products containing THC, particularly those obtained off the street or from other informal sources are linked to most of the cases and play a major role in the outbreak”.(Citation)
The CDC also states “if you are an adult using E cigarettes, or vaping, products, to quit smoking, do not return to smoking cigarettes.” (Citation)
It feels like the California government is protecting the legalization of marijuana while ignoring the obvious fact that THC pods are the primary source for the illnesses taking place in the United States. It is estimated by Forbes magazine that California has total sales of recreational marijuana products in the neighborhood of $2.75 billion dollars. They have a lot of skin in the game regarding marijuana products.
Dr. Charity Dean, who is the acting state public health officer stated: “there are numerous unknown factors at this time, and due to the uncertainty of the exact cause, it is our recommendation that consumers refrain from vaping until the investigation has concluded.”
Vaping nicotine E–liquid has been around the United States for over a decade and has caused no known acute lung illnesses since its inception. Yet it is now recommended by the California government to stop due to an uncorrelated and unsubstantiated piece of information. The E-cigarettes themselves are not the culprit, but rather specific products being used inside the devices.
Hopefully cooler heads will prevail, as California has always been the most dramatically socialist state in the United States and more controlling than any other state.
Review original article here.
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Juul suspending sales of fruity flavours over impending Trump ban
The most popular e-cigarette manufacture in North America, Juul has chosen to pull all of their fruity flavours off of the shelves in the United States.
This move is being done pro-actively in the Trump administration policy that is expected to remove flavored e-cigarettes from the market.
Trump States “we can’t have our youth be so affected” and “people are dying with vaping” suggesting that a flavour ban would reduce deaths due to vaping.
The administration for Donald Trump stated they would remove all flavour pods, including mint and menthol flavours, and leave just tobacco flavours on the market.
To be clear – the preliminary evidence regarding people dying and being sick from vaping has not shown nicotine e-cigarettes as the likely culprit, but rather THC infused vape pens that are unregulated in the United States, with the exception of a few states that have legalized marijuana. Banning fruit flavored vaping products will not protect against recent vaping related deaths and sicknesses, as there has been no evidence to support that vaping nicotine e-liquid is causing this epidemic, and a great deal of evidence to support the theory it is THC vape pods causing it. Even if there were evidence to support nicotine e-cigarettes as causing sickness, allowing tobacco flavours in the market would keep the dangers in play.
Vaping illness and deaths and increases in youth vaping are two entirely separate problems that seem to be being lumped together by our media, our policy makers, and our government.
Juul Spokesman Austin Finan stated that Juul will “continue to review our policies and practices in advance of the FDA’s flavour guidance and have not made any final decisions… We are refraining from lobbying the administration on its draft flavour guidance and will fully support and comply with the final policy when effective”
In 2018, Tobacco company Altria purchased a 35% stake in Juul, at a suggested 12.8 billion dollars. Over the past several months the Juul company has been under fire in the media for allegedly miss-representing their products, and targeting youth in their promotions.
From my perspective, banning flavours outside of tobacco flavors will have little impact on youth vaping. Teenagers drink beer, and smoke cigarettes, both which taste pretty terrible to most people. They seem to be missing the point that teenage vaping use is a way to rebel against their parents, gain individuality and freedom, and has been going on in different forms since as long as we know.
Product Bans and prohibitions most often increase challenges as under ground and illegal unregulated vaping products will show their faces on the black market. This lack regulation could increase the risk of dangerous chemicals being used in their production. Just look at the recent case involving THC pods making people sick that is still ongoing in the United States.
What can be done?
No one wants an increase in youth and teenage use of vaping products. What we need is better and more strict regulations and penalties for businesses selling vaping products to minors, as well as better education for our youth. We talk with our children about alcohol, prescription drugs, and other forms of dangerous activity. When we discuss vaping, its dangers, and what is is designed for – current smokers looking for an alternative – it will go a long way to reduce this problem. In my opinion, bans and prohibitions will have little net positive effect.
Howie