San Diego Unified School District alleges that vaping-related illnesses caused by the e-cigarette maker's products increase student absences, forcing schools to spend on prevention and treatment.
Even as the popularity of e-cigarettes like Juul has exploded — with unknown health risks — the federal government has been slow to regulate vaping companies.
The technology behind e-cigarettes has changed over the years, and researchers are now finding evidence that the way different sorts of vaping devices and e-liquids interact could harm consumers.
One in 4 high school seniors say they have vaped in the past month. And for heavy users, scary headlines about serious illness and death are no match for nicotine addiction and peer pressure.
As numbers of vaping-related lung disease rise, a mom testifying before Congress compared the illness to a food poisoning outbreak and called on lawmakers to address the epidemic of teen vaping.
Though tobacco ads have been banned from TV for about 50 years, the marketing of electronic cigarettes isn't constrained by the law. Public health advocates consider that a loophole that hurts kids.
Among the possibly harmful compounds are "acetals," which form when some ingredients combine on the shelf, researchers say, and can inflame airways when inhaled.
San Francisco supervisors say they need to protect kids and teens from becoming addicted to nicotine. The dominant vaping company, Juul, is headquartered in the city and hopes to overturn the ban.
Citing an "unprecedented spike" in teens vaping, Sen. Mitch McConnell said the bill would raise the minimum age for people to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21. Tobacco companies back the proposal.
The maker of controversial e-cigarettes spent $750,000 on lobbying during the last three months of 2018, a dramatic increase over $210,000 it spent in the second quarter of the year.
The $12.8 billion deal gives the parent company of Philip Morris a way to hedge its bets as U.S. cigarette smoking declines. And it gives Juul a powerful partner as it faces scrutiny over teen vaping.
The Food and Drug Administration said teen vaping has reached epidemic proportions, prompting more than 1,300 warning letters to stores selling e-cigarettes to kids and an ultimatum to four companies.
Public health officials worry vaping is an emerging disaster that could reverse years of decline in smoking by young people. What's the latest evidence that e-cigarettes are a gateway to tobacco?
Teens say they like the JUUL e-cigarette because it's sleeker than other devices and teachers don't notice it. But researchers say teenagers who vape are more likely to move on to cigarettes.
