Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Schools Move To Crack Down On Vaping, A New Problem Arises: Litter In The Shape Of Discarded Pods
In her office at Boulder High School, the assistant principal has a large cardboard box where she can toss the spoils of her ongoing battle with the newest student addiction. "This is what I call the box of death," says Kristen Lewis. "This is everything that we've confiscated." The box is filled with vape pens like Juuls, the leading brand of e-cigarettes, dozens of disposable pods for nicotine liquid, and even a lonely box of Marlboros. (Daley, 11/29)
When Nicholas Calico got suspended for three days from his high school in Mandeville for vaping, that didn't convince him to quit. "I went and bought another vape, not even 30 minutes after that," he said, laughing. When he heard about people across the U.S. with vaping-related illnesses, that didn't stop him and his friends, either. (Woodruff, 12/1)
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) on Wednesday signed into law the country’s most stringent ban on flavored vaping products, as well as menthol cigarettes. The new law immediately restricts the sale of all flavored nicotine vaping products and will ban menthol cigarettes starting June 1. Under the law, flavored vaping products will only be sold in licensed smoking bars, and they must be consumed onsite. (Weixel, 11/27)
When the vaping industry and its allies launched a major push to dissuade President Donald Trump from banning flavored e-cigarettes this fall, they pointed to a newly identified demographic group: vaping voters. Battleground state polling conducted for the industry by one of the president’s trusted campaign pollsters suggested a ban could tip the balance against the president — 96 percent of vapers said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who wanted to ban flavored e-cigarettes. (Shepard, 11/27)
Fort Collins and Larimer County are crafting policies to combat youth vaping, including raising the legal age for buying tobacco products from 18 to 21. Larimer County is working with Fort Collins, Loveland, Berthoud and other municipalities and stakeholders to develop regulations that could apply countywide, possibly including regional licensing for retailers of tobacco and vaping products and raising the legal age of purchase. Some Fort Collins City Council members said they might be interested in pursuing additional regulations locally, such as a ban of flavored vaping products and a local sales tax. (Marmaduke, 12/1)
Dr. Rose Marie Leslie is hoping to reach teens with a message about the dangers of e-cigarettes. So she’s started posting regularly on TikTok, the popular short video app, and has collected a large following. Leslie, who goes by @DrLeslie and is a family medicine doctor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, has amassed more than 300,000 followers on the platform in recent months. (Farr, 11/29)
While school districts in Washington have raised awareness on substance abuse and prevention for decades, the state’s Student Assistance Prevention-Intervention Services Program that funds drug- and alcohol-prevention specialists in state schools has dwindled. Between the 2004-2005 and 2017-2018 school years, the number of schools served through the program dropped from 809 to 91, an 88% decline, said Mandy Paradise, program supervisor for the state education department. (Bazzaz, 11/29)
