Vaping

The big picture

CDC confirms 2,807 hospital cases of lung injury linked to vaping

The CDC confirmed the death toll has reached 68 people in 29 states and D.C., as of Feb. 18.

Updated Feb 25, 2020 - Health
Scoop: Trump told Azar he regrets involvement in vaping policy

It's one of Trump's few health care accomplishments heading into 2020.

Jan 17, 2020 - Health
FDA issues ban on fruit and mint-flavored vape cartridges

The ban is meant to curb use among children.

Jan 2, 2020 - Health
Altria's big bet on Juul is going horribly wrong

The $12.8 billion investment could be one of the worst of all time.

Sep 20, 2019 - Health

All Vaping stories

FDA needs more time on Juul e-cigarette ban decision

The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it will delay its decision on top-seller Juul, but thousands of other electronic cigarettes will be ordered off the U.S. market.

Why it matters: The stalled decision prolongs the agency's determination on whether there is enough data to show if adult cigarette smokers switching to a less harmful option outweighs the detrimental costs of young people getting hooked on nicotine by vaping.

Apr 29, 2021 - Health

FDA moves to ban menthol cigarettes

Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday it will move forward with a nationwide ban on menthol cigarettes and other tobacco products, a blow to the tobacco industry that has lobbied for years to keep sales legal.

Why it matters: The decision, which could take years to implement, kicks off the official rule-making process and comment period by the agency. Tobacco companies are expected to challenge any final regulation in court.

Apr 20, 2021 - Health

White House considers policy push to strip nicotine from cigarettes

Photo: Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images

The White House is exploring whether to make tobacco companies reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Why it matters: The policy would make nicotine levels so low that cigarettes wouldn't be addictive, and wouldn't satisfy nicotine addiction — theoretically pushing smokers to buy less harmful tobacco products instead.

Feb 25, 2021 - Health

Anti-tobacco organizations call on FDA to ban menthol cigarettes

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Public health advocates are pressing the Food and Drug Administration to ban menthol-flavored tobacco products, years after other flavors were banned.

The big picture: Congress gave menthol a pass when it banned flavored cigarettes in 2009, but advocates are highlighting the products' disproportionate use among Black smokers, at a time when policymakers are especially attuned to racial inequities in health.

Sep 10, 2020 - Health

Vaping drops dramatically among teens

Photo: Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images

E-cigarette use among middle and high schoolers dropped significantly since last year, with 1.8 million fewer teens vaping, a federal report released Wednesday shows.

Why it matters: The survey, conducted between mid-January and mid-March, highlights the effects of last year's outbreak of vaping-related illnesses and deaths.

Vaping drops dramatically among teenagers

Disposable vaping products still have a large appeal to teens. Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images

E-cigarette use among middle and high schoolers dropped significantly since last year, with 1.8 million fewer teens vaping, a federal report released Wednesday shows.

Why it matters: The survey, conducted between mid-January and mid-March, highlights the effects of last year’s outbreak of vaping-related illnesses and deaths.

68 reported dead from vaping-related lung illness

Photo: Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images

68 people have died from a lung injury associated with e-cigarette use in 29 states and the District of Columbia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports as of Feb. 18.

What's new: Because of the consistent declines in new EVALI cases since Sept. 2019, as well as the identification of vitamin E acetate as a primary cause of EVALI, Tuesday's report will be the final CDC update on the number of hospitalized EVALI cases and deaths nationally.

Feb 14, 2020 - Health

New testing for coronavirus emerges from MERS, Ebola anti-virals

MERs is in the same family as the novel coronavirus which began to infect patients in Wuhan, China. Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

Scientists and doctors are exploring whether existing treatments for HIV, Ebola and malaria could combat the coronavirus, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Driving the news: The antiviral remdesivir protected monkeys from MERS, another coronavirus, both before and after exposure, the National Institute of Health announced Thursday.

Feb 13, 2020 - Health

Tobacco marketing works

Exposure to vaping products — through friends, endorsements on social media or branded merchandise — makes students much more likely to vape, according to a study published in JAMA on Wednesday.

Driving the news: The study was published the same day Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey sued Juul, saying its early marketing campaign targeted teenagers with celebrity endorsements and ads on popular sites.

More Vaping stories