Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 13 September 2019
Mint, menthol: Vape industry has dug heels in on flavor bans

By MARINA VILLENEUVE that flavors are the prob-
Associated Press lem so we need to get rid
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — of all the flavors,” said Tony
Efforts to ban flavored e- Abboud, president of the
cigarettes and reduce Vapor Technology Associa-
their appeal to youngsters tion.
have sputtered under in- There had been concern
dustry pressure in over a that the tobacco and vap-
half-dozen states this year ing industries were winning
even as one state, Michi- their fight to keep at least
gan, moves ahead with its the most popular flavors
own restrictions and Presi- — mint and menthol — in
dent Donald Trump prom- play. That concern has now
ises federal ones. been tempered by Trump’s
In many cases, the fight by announcement Wednes-
the industry and its lobbyists day that his ban would in-
has focused on leaving the clude menthol and mint.
most popular flavors — mint Last November, the FDA
and its close cousin, men- announced plans for a
thol — alone. But public crackdown that could
health experts say that all lead to federal regulators
flavors should be banned, pulling all e-cigarette fla-
and that menthol can still vors besides menthol and
hook kids on vaping. In this Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019, photo, e-cigarette pods are displayed for sale at Good Guys Vape mint — thought to be use-
The proposal Trump out- Shop in Biddeford, Maine. ful to adult smokers — from
lined on Wednesday, which Associated Press shelves. The FDA also said
would supersede any state “We will fully comply with Such bans failed or stalled, alone this spring on an on- it would also seek to ban
inaction, includes a ban on the final FDA policy when even as Michigan’s gov- line social media and email menthol cigarettes.
mint and menthol, and an effective.” ernor this month ordered campaign in its efforts to The company’s CEO has
industry giant quickly indi- But the fight in state legisla- emergency rules prohibit- defeat a ban on flavored said that Juul never intend-
cated it would capitulate. tures has been fierce. Lob- ing flavored e-cigarettes. e-cigarettes and all tobac- ed for young people to use
“We strongly agree with byists for the vaping and New York Democratic Gov. co products, according to their products but that they
the need for aggressive tobacco industry fought Andrew Cuomo expressed lobbying reports filed with are “sensitive” to concerns
category-wide action on bans on flavors in Hawaii, a desire Monday to ban state ethics officials. Maine raised by the FDA.
flavored products,” read a California, New Mexico, flavored e-cigarettes. still has no flavor ban. And a spokesman for Juul,
statement released by Juul Massachusetts, New York, Trump’s federal proposal, The global e-cigarette and Ted Kwong, said before
Labs Inc. Maine and Connecticut. as it stands, would require vape market was valued Wednesday’s announce-
no congressional approv- at as much as $11 billion in ment by Trump that the
al, meaning lobbying ef- 2018. The rise in teen vap- company would support
forts to defeat it could be ing has been driven main- an outright ban on flavors
less effective than in state ly by flavored cartridge- that mimic kid candies,
legislatures. Juul spent $1.9 based products such as foods and drinks.
million in the first half of the Juul, which controls roughly Still, in line with the FDA’s
year to try and sway the three-quarters of the U.S. e- proposed policy, Juul Labs
White House, Congress and cigarettes market. still distributes mint, menthol
the Food and Drug Admin- The proposals and the lob- and tobacco flavors in re-
istration. bying fight come as health tail stores. The company
The Vapor Technology As- authorities investigate hun- also sells flavored products
sociation has reported dreds of breathing illnesses through its website.
spending $78,000 this year reported in people who Anti-tobacco and -vap-
in its lobbying fight against have used e-cigarettes ing groups say there’s no
California’s proposed fla- and other vaping devices. scientific basis for leav-
vored e-cigarettes ban, No single device, ingredi- ing menthol or mint alone.
while one of the world’s ent or additive has been They warn menthol has
largest tobacco producers, identified, though many been unethically marketed
Altria, reported spending cases involve marijuana toward African Americans,
over $100,000 last fall solely vaping. and that such flavors can
to lobby such legislation. Supporters of flavors argue still increase the appeal
The bills have since stalled. that adult cigarette users of e-cigarettes for young
Reynolds American, which say flavors helped them people who aren’t smokers
sells Vuse Alto e-ciga- quit, and that legislators by overcoming the harsh-
rettes, reported spending should instead focus on ness of nicotine.
$240,000 on paid lobbyists companies that are trying “Anything that is overcom-
in New York this year. At to hook young nonsmok- ing the harshness of tobac-
least $23,000 alone went ers with clearly kid-friendly co flavoring is something
to fund their lobbying push marketing and packaging. that kids are going to find
against a flavored tobac- “One of the things that more appealing,” said Hill-
co ban that failed to pass we are finding is that state ary Schneider, director of
this year. legislatures are reflexively government relations in
Altria — which is also Juul’s reacting to media stories Maine for the American
biggest investor— also and without a scientific ba- Cancer Society Action
spent over $70,000 in Maine sis making determinations Network.q