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Trump Backs Raising Vaping Age, but Backpedals on Flavor Ban

President Donald Trump said he’s open to increasing the age for buying e-cigarettes from 18 to 21, but is resisting an outright ban, which he fears could fuel a black market. Trump on Friday convened public health advocates, federal officials, and tobacco executives and said, “Twenty-one, we are going to be doing,” regarding the minimum…

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JUUL Chief Executive Kevin Burns Steps Down — Tobacco Exec K.C. Crosthwait Takes His Place

Audrey Conklin  –  JUUL Chief Executive Kevin Burns has stepped down and been replaced by tobacco company Altria Chief Growth Officer K.C. Crosthwait. –  The decision comes as e-cigarette companies face backlash over possible safety concerns after a total of nine people have died in the U.S. in connection to a vaping-related illness. –  University…

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Want to Solve the Vape Crisis? End Marijuana Prohibition

The “Great Vape Scare of 2019” is well underway, as more than 380 people have been diagnosed with a severe lung condition that has been traced back to the use of e-cigarettes and THC vaping devices. So far, seven people have died as a result. But governments rush to ban vape products that may or…

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Media Headlines Leave THC Out Of Link To Fatal Vaping-Related Illness

Audrey Conklin photo by: Lindsay Fox  –  Major news outlets have reported on the dangers of e-cigarettes following the Sept. 6 release of a CDC study after six people died from a vaping-related illness likely connected to illicit THC and vitamin E. –  The news outlets appear to relate general, nicotine-based vaping to these illnesses…

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Landmark Vaping Study Finds E-Cigs ‘Substantially Improve’ Health

LISTEN TO TLR’S LATEST PODCAST: By Steve Birr The push by U.S. regulators to crush the electronic cigarette industry may be slowing in the wake of a joint study with researchers from the United Kingdom revealing that switching to vaping considerably cuts health risks. “You had researchers from both countries and the CDC involved in…

Anti-Vapers Say E-Cigarettes Drive ‘Tobacco Epidemic’

by Steve Birr Proponents of a new tax on electronic cigarettes are blaming the devices for tobacco use among children and claim they are contributing to the “tobacco epidemic.” Proposition 56 in California will hike the state’s tobacco tax from 87 cents to $2.87. The ballot would also allow the state government to begin taxing…

Tobacco

Advocates of Tobacco Tax on E-Cigarettes Use Dead Kids in Ad Campaign

by Steve Birr Anti-tobacco advocates are launching an advertisement campaign centered on dead children in support of raising the tobacco tax and applying it to electronic cigarettes in California. A coalition of healthcare and cancer groups are joining together to dump 5,600 toe tags, used for dead bodies in a morgue, from a body bag in front…

California Moves Against ‘Public Threat’ Of E-Cigarettes With A Tax

by Steve Birr Voters in California will decide on a contentious ballot initiative aimed at regulating the electronic cigarette industry and hiking tobacco taxes. Proposition 56 would raise the tax on tobacco sales, which currently sits at 87 cents, to $2.87. The ballot would also allow the state government to begin taxing e-cigarette sales, which opponents…

Medical Study: Smokers Switching To E-Cigarettes Unlikely To Go Back

Medical Study: Smokers Switching To E-Cigarettes Unlikely To Go Back

By Guy Bentley Smokers who successfully quit using e-cigarettes are far less likely to relapse and pick up tobacco, according to a new study. Published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), the study examined vapers– smokers and those who do both for a period of two years and wanted to see how effective e-cigarettes were in keeping…

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FDA Lives In ‘Alternate Universe’ When It Comes To E-Cigarettes

Guy Bentley  In a Twitter exchange with Jeff Stier, a senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research, the FDA refused to accept that e-cigarettes are less harmful than combustible cigarettes. Dear @FDATobacco,are #Ecigs less harmful than smoking cigarettes to the individual user? A simple “yes” or “no” will do. — Jeff Stier (@JeffaStier)…