Since 2018, when then-U.S. surgeon general Jerome Adams declared a youth vaping epidemic, America has been engaged in the great American vape debate.
In the three years since the infamous shot heard round the anti-tobacco control world, states and localities and the federal government have pushed to restrict adult access to e-cigarettes through taxes, regulations, and some have supported all out prohibitions.
Over the past week, two notable events took place in the debate. On Wednesday, June 23, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL.) chaired a House Oversight subcommittee hearing titled “An Epidemic Continues: Youth Vaping in America.” On June 28, the e-cigarette manufacturer JUUL reached an agreement with the state of North Carolina to a consent order, which requires the manufacturer to pay state $40 million over the next six years, as well as establish and maintain certain marketing requirements.
For advocates of tobacco harm reduction products, the subcommittee hearing was a train wreck. The hearing featured testimony from Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL.) and Acting Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Dr. Janet Woodcock.
Senator Durbin remarked that the “burden is on the manufacturer” to show that their products help smokers quit, stating “remember that claim, made over and over again? Prove it! You can’t. They know they can’t.”
Lindsey Stroud – Townhall – 2021-06-29.
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