A popular local grocery chain that largely caters to Latino customers has stopped selling tobacco products at its stores in Fresno and other Valley cities. The decision by Vallarta Supermarkets makes it the first and largest grocer in California to go tobacco-free. Anti-tobacco advocate Rosendo Iniguez, a spokesperson for the...
Effective Date Delayed for California’s Flavored Tobacco Ban
SACRAMENTO — California state officials have agreed to delay the effective date of what state lawmakers intended as a Jan. 1 ban on flavored tobacco products, after opponents led by tobacco companies said they filed enough signatures to put the new law to a statewide vote. The secretary of state...
California Closer to Banning Sale of Most Flavored Tobacco
SACRAMENTO — California is on track to ban the sale of most flavored tobacco products, joining states like New York and Massachusetts in an effort to slow the spread of the harmful habit among children. The state Assembly passed the ban on Monday, two months after the state Senate passed...
California Sues E-Cigarette Maker Juul Over Ads, Youth Sales
WASHINGTON — California on Monday sued the nation’s biggest e-cigarette maker, alleging that Juul Labs deliberately marketed and sold its flavored nicotine products to teenagers. The lawsuit from California’s attorney general is the latest legal action against Juul, the multi-billion dollar vaping startup that has been widely blamed for helping...
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...
E-Cigarette Giant Juul's Campaign Donations Favor Democrats
WASHINGTON — E-cigarette giant Juul Labs gave nearly $100,000 to members of Congress during the first half of 2019 as the company faced the bulk of the blame for a surge of underage vaping and calls for tighter government regulation of the industry. The donations from Juul's political action committee...
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...
San Francisco First Big US City to Ban E-cigarette Sales
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes after supervisors gave the measure its second and final vote Tuesday. Backers say they hope the legislation will curb underage use of e-cigarettes, but critics say the ban will make it harder...
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,...
Study Suggests E-Cigarette Flavorings May Pose Heart Risk
WASHINGTON — E-cigarettes aren't considered as risky as regular cigarettes, but researchers have found a clue that their flavorings may be bad for the heart. Longtime smokers who can't kick the addiction sometimes switch to e-cigarettes, in hopes of avoiding the cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco smoke. But cigarette smoking doesn't...