E cigarette ban
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — CBS This Morning broadcast a report about San Francisco’s efforts to ban e-cigarettes. Government officials in San Francisco told reporters the goal of the ban is to take e-cigarettes out of the hands of teenagers and middle school-aged kids. E-cigarette use among middle school pupils has risen about 40% over the last two years. San Francisco city officials say that this ban, which will require another vote to pass as a city ordinance, is one step closer to preventing children from getting hooked on nicotine-infused products. Meanwhile, companies like JUUL fear that a total ban on e-cigarettes would thwart efforts of tobacco smokers to quit and deprive consenting adults of the choice of whether they wish to consume e-cigarettes.
San Francisco city leaders and others call “vaping” a teen health epidemic. With e-cigarette use on the rise, e-cigarettes pose a tremendous health risk to a large segment of the population. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires e-cigarette companies to test their products for safety by 2022. Until then, there are no controls over the sales of e-cigarettes. To this point, not even the FDA fully understands the health problems one might face after vaping. Consequently, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to ban the sale of e-cigarettes within city limits. At least one more vote must be taken on the measure before it becomes a city ordinance.
San Francisco’s city solicitor co-sponsored the bill purporting to ban e-cigarette sales within the city. He told CBS This Morning that the FDA has “abdicated” its duty by not requiring companies like JUUL to have their product and product marketing approved by the agency.
JUUL told CBS This Morning it has changed the way it markets its product. A JUUL spokeswoman acknowledged the company’s product marketing attracted teens to vape. The spokeswoman insisted that her company has changed its marketing strategy to focus solely on adults.
