SAN FRANCISCO — City officials in San Francisco have banned all tobacco smoking inside apartments, citing concerns about secondhand smoke. But lighting up a joint inside? That’s still allowed. The Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 Tuesday to approve the ordinance making San Francisco the largest city in the country to...
No More Menthol Cigarettes: New Ban on Tobacco, Vape Flavors
BOSTON — Massachusetts’ governor signed into law Wednesday a groundbreaking ban on the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products, including menthol cigarettes. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker’s signature makes Massachusetts the first to enact a permanent statewide ban, anti-smoking groups said. It immediately bans the sale of flavored vaping products...
US Teen Vaping Numbers Climb, Fueled by Juul & Mint Flavor
New research shows U.S. teens who use electronic cigarettes prefer those made by Juul Labs, and mint is the favorite flavor for many of them, suggesting a shift after the company stopped selling fruit and dessert flavors in stores. The results are in a pair of studies published Tuesday, including...
Feds Blast Juul Over Claims E-Cigs Safer Than Smoking
WASHINGTON — Federal health authorities on Monday blasted vaping company Juul for illegally pitching its electronic cigarettes as a safer alternative to smoking and ordered the company to stop making unproven claims for its products. The Food and Drug Administration also upped its scrutiny of a number of key aspects...
Big Question in Opioid Suits: How to Divide Any Settlement
The roughly 2,000 state and local governments suing the drug industry over the deadly opioid crisis have yet to see any verdicts or reach any big national settlements but are already tussling with each other over how to divide any money they collect. The reason: Some of them want to...
Advocates Promised These Laws Would ‘Protect’ Teens. They Don’t.
In 2016, fewer than 6% of California adolescents reported trying cigarettes, down from 10% in 2015, 13% in 2009, 15% in 2007, and 19% in 2003. Why on earth did legislators feel the need to intervene in such a hugely positive youth trend? For no apparent reason, they did. In 2016,...
There’s a Tobacco Ban Proposed in Beverly Hills. Residents Are Lit.
BEVERLY HILLS — A fiery debate is breaking out across Beverly Hills as people at tony hair salons, gas stations and stores weigh in on whether the city of the rich and famous should become the first in the U.S. to outlaw the sale of tobacco products everywhere except a...