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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Audrey Conklin  –  JUUL Chief Executive Kevin Burns has stepped down and been replaced by tobacco company Altria Chief Growth Officer K.C. Crosthwait.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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Trump Moves to Ban Vapes and E-Cigarettes

The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it was preparing to ban flavored e-cigarettes along with all flavored non-tobacco vaping products, according to USA Today. “We are going to have to do something about it,” the president told reporters at the White House, describing vaping as a “new problem in the country, according to USA Today….

The 7 Worst Ideas for Regulation This Century
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The 7 Worst Ideas for Regulation This Century

Many good things have happened both in the United States and worldwide this century. In the U.S., we have the lowest unemployment rate in half a century. Worldwide prosperity is growing so fast that the rate of extreme poverty fell by half between 1990 and 2015, five years ahead of the World Bank’s optimistic goal….

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Tobacco 21 Advocates Are Pushing The Debunked ‘Gateway’ Vaping Narrative

By: Steve Birr Another state is mulling a hike to the minimum tobacco purchasing age, relying primarily on the debunked claim that e-cigarettes are a “gateway” to smoking for teens. Officials are using alarmist tactics, pushing misinformation on the effects of vaping, in order to secure a tobacco purchasing age hike in Idaho, that will…

Scientists Agree Vaping Is Helping Smokers Quit And Saving Lives

Steve Birr A study released Thursday is bolstering the image of e-cigarettes as a tool to ditch smoking, showing that daily use exponentially boosts a smoker’s chances of successfully quitting. Researchers from the Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center investigated smokers’ habits and how they relate to efforts to quit. The scientists found that casual use of vaping devices by…

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Massive Vaping Tax Is Crushing People’s ‘Businesses And Livelihoods’

LISTEN TO TLR’S LATEST PODCAST: By Steve Birr A massive tax on electronic cigarettes is upending the vaping industry in Pennsylvania and is blamed for putting nearly 100 stores out of business since implementation. Lawmakers in the state passed a 40 percent tax on vaping products last summer that went into effect in October, nearly…