FDA moves to regulate e-cigarettes and ban all sales to minors

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No Smoking SignThe federal government on Thursday moved to regulate the e-cigarette industry – including banning electronic cigarette sales to minors – and required all tobacco products to undergo government review, even many already on the market.

E-cigarettes, along with similarly categorized devices such as vaporizers and vape pens, will be regulated as tobacco products because they use a liquid containing nicotine.

The new rule from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implements the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act passed by Congress in 2009. Why has it taken so long to get this rule passed, if Congress acted six years ago? Well, according to Kaiser Health News: “In December 2010, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled the FDA could not regulate electronic cigarettes as a drug or a device but only as a tobacco product. That meant the government could oversee their marketing but not restrict their sale, except to minors. It’s unclear why the FDA needed more than five additional years to issue a final rule.”

Click here to read the full FAQ from Kaiser Health News.

 

Fewer U.S. adults smoking cigarettes, but the majority of those who do are uninsured or on Medicaid

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No Smoking SignCigarette smoking among U.S. adults has fallen to the lowest rate in generations, according to data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of the 17 percent of American adults who still smoke, most are in the Midwest and are on Medicaid.

The Washington Post examined the data and put together seven interesting charts that show who is still smoking. Among them:

  • From 2005 to 2014, the adult smoking rate declined from 20.9 percent to 16.8 percent.
  • S. adults who are uninsured or on Medicaid smoke at rates more than double that of people who have Medicare or private insurance.
  • The percentage of smokers age 18-24 dropped by nearly a third over the past decade, the sharpest decline of any group.
  • People with lower levels of education tend to smoke at higher rates.
  • Smoking among multiracial people and those classified as American Indian or Alaska Natives far outpaces that of other ethnic groups.
  • Midwesterners still smoke at higher rates than anyone else in the country.
  • Between 2005 and 2014, the number of daily smokers dropped from 36.4 million to 30.7 million.

To read the full article, please click here.

 

Teen Cigarette Use Falls but Marijuana use Rises, According to new CDC Report

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No Smoking SignTeen cigarette and cigar smoking rates have dropped dramatically, from 20.5% in 2007 to about 7% in 2013, a 64% decrease.

However, marijuana use among teens has risen from 4% to 10% during that same time, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, “tobacco prevention and control strategies, including increasing tobacco product prices, adopting comprehensive smoke-free laws, and implementing national public education media campaigns, have influenced the reduction in youth cigarette smoking.”

“The nation’s remarkable progress in reducing youth smoking since 1997 is great news, but the battle is far from over,” Vince Willmore, vice president for communications at Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, told HealthDay.com. “This study reminds us that we know exactly what to do to further reduce smoking: increase tobacco taxes, enact smoke-free laws, fund effective prevention programs and implement hard-hitting mass media campaigns. These proven strategies must be continued and strengthened.”