Daily Archives: March 2, 2024

Georgia may adopt a directory of vaping products that can be sold in the state, a move that supporters say will help businesses know what they can sell and help authorities enforce the law.

Vape shop owners, however, have said the bill would significantly hurt their businesses and remove vapes that help people quit smoking.

Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, said House Bill 1260, known as the Georgia Nicotine Vapor Products Directory Act, is aimed at getting the vape marketplace in Georgia under control. The House passed the bill Thursday, and its now headed to the Senate.

Lawmakers referred to the vape industry in Georgia as the wild, Wild West during committee discussions.

Right now, we have no enforcement of vapes that are on the shelves in Georgia, and I believe it is imperative we get a handle on whats happening in our state, Gaines said, adding that many of the most popular products are produced in China and specifically appeal to youths.

There are countless examples of young people in Georgia who have vaped just one time, and its changed their lives, Gaines said. Sometimes, its a flavored vape that gets them hooked. Other times, its a fentanyl-laced vape that puts them in the hospital or worse.

School and health officials have spoken similarly about youth vaping, and many Georgia districts have created specific discipline policies about vaping.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administrations Youth Tobacco Survey estimated 2.1 million middle and high school students used e-cigarettes in 2023, a decline from the prior year. Georgia schools, however, saw an increase in vaping discipline over the past two school years from 18,724 incidents to 22,204.

Along with creating a registry, the bill would set fines for violations and expectations for inspections.

Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

Dillon Gilbert, who owns nine vape stores in Columbus and Savannah, said the bill would be a death blow to our industry. He and other vape shop owners and industry representatives who testified in House committee meetings said the bill would take their most effective and popular products off of shelves.

Gaines said the bill doesnt make any legal products illegal. Items on the registry would include the 23 vaping products that have received approval from the FDA and products that can be marketed because theyre awaiting approval. The FDA has specifically cracked down on fruit- and candy-flavored products because of their popularity among youths.

Gilbert said the FDAs system is broken with a massive backlog of products awaiting judgment. He pointed out that the products approved are connected to major tobacco producers and have higher concentrations of nicotine than hed recommend to most customers.

Limiting selection wouldnt just lead to shuttered stores, vape shop owners said. It would lead people back to tobacco.

Excerpt from:

Proposed bill strives to clarify legal vaping products in Georgia - The Atlanta Journal Constitution

COPAN, Okla. If you walk into Copan High Schools basketball gym, you will see a poster of 17-year-old Addie Hunter.

Theres also a good chance, she may be there shooting some hoops.

By the looks of her now, it's hard to believe that about four months ago she was in the hospital fighting for her life.

Addie said she used to vape, and according to her, doctors said the habit caused blisters to form on her lungs causing the left one to collapse, nearly killing her.

It was Oct. 14, 2023.

I remember sitting on the couch, and I text my mom and said, Mom, I can't breathe," Addie recounted.

Addie has severe asthma, so they've had trips to the hospital before, but Scott and Andrea Hunter sensed this time was different.

In fact, they were headed to Tulsa but knew they couldn't make it and stopped at Bailey Medical Center in Owasso.

"About 30 seconds before we got there, she couldn't breathe any more at all, Andrea said. She said, Mom, I can't feel my legs, and I cant see."

"Everything went into slow motion, Addie said. Pitch went way down, and it justlike everything went black, and I passed out. I remember passing out in my dad's arms cause I was leaned up against the door, and he opened it.

It frightens you because you have no idea what is going on, and she has never been this way before," Scott said.

Andrea explained what the doctors told them.

"Her oxygen in her blood was 50 percent, and she was about a minute and a half from death at that point, Andrea said.

Oxygen and steroids helped her to get past that episode, but as she was being transferred to St. Francis Childrens Hospital, she had another.

She was stabilized from that, and then she had a third episode.

That's when doctors put Addie in a paralytic coma.

Three hours later, Andrea was allowed to see her.

"And so umwalking in that moment was the hardest moment of my life because she couldn't communicate, she couldn't talk, she was intubated, she was paralyzed. She was there, but not there and that broke me. It broke my heart," Andrea said tearing up.

You just kind of lay there, Addie said about being in the coma. You don't care about anything; you don't think about anything and you're just kind of there."

On day three, the family got some bad news.

Andrea said the doctors felt Addie wouldnt make it as the treatments werent working, but the Hunters said they knew God was bigger, and that Addie had a testimony to share.

We stood firm on holy ground the entire time, had thousands of people praying for us and her," Andrea remembered.

That was also the day Andrea found a vape in Addie's bag.

I gave it to them [doctors] immediately and they kind of changed course at that point, Andrea said, then explaining what doctors later told her about Addies condition due to vaping.

When it went down into her lungs, it turned back into vegetable oil and Vitamin E oil, and it set on her lungs. Then it heated up with thermal energy and created blisters on her lungs, Andrea told FOX23.

Doctors said the blisters caused one of Addies lungs to collapse.

According to The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, one in ten high schoolers across the country reported using vapes in 2023.

In Oklahoma, that number was double at close to 22 percent.

Like Addie, many of them are addicted.

I would try to quit like a lot, Addie told FOX23. I remember being at work and setting a 15-minute timer and being like, Okay, now I need it, how long can I go without it? Then I would just set 15-minute timers over and over again, and I genuinely think the longest I went without it was like two hours."

The trend is growing among middle schoolers too, especially with the marketing of flavored vape.

The Centers for Disease Control said in the United States in 2023, one out of every 22 middle schoolers, so close to five percent, used vapes.

Addie said she's not surprised because that's when she started.

"You are like a sponge when you are a middle schooler, Addie said. You literally suck up everything that you are told to do, that you think would look cool."

Furthermore, with some vapes being the size of a flash drive, she said they are easy to hide.

Addie and her parents hope her story will reach others.

Twelve days after going into the coma, doctors were able to bring Addie out of it.

For her to open those eyes and look around, that was the best moment of our lives, Andrea said smiling.

Twenty days later, Addie was released from the hospital, already starting vigorous physical therapy.

You have to learn how to talk again, Addie said. I had to relearn how to move my hands and motor skills. I couldn't move my fingers."

By January, as if one miracle wasn't enough, Addie Hunter stepped back on to the court to finish out her high school basketball career.

What's it like stepping foot on the court knowing everything you've gone through," FOX23 Evening Anchor Sara Whaley asked her.

I felt normal because for so long I didn't feel normal, Addie answered. In all honesty, I came back better than I was before.

The Hunters have a message for other parents.

Talk to your kids about it. We even talked to our kids about it, but keep talking to them," Scott said.

And check on anxiety, Andrea added. Being in high school is hard, especially today, so check on their anxiety levels and depression. I think she was dealing with a lot of anxiety and we had no idea, and she was turning towards the vape thinking it was helping her."

Addie has advice for other teens as well.

It's not worth it. Really. It's just.don't skip out on your life," Addie said.

Addie is figuring out where she'd like to go to college.

She said she would like to walk on a basketball team somewhere.

FOX23 has compiled a list of resources to help you educate yourself and your children about vaping and the effects it can have:

Continue reading here:

Local teen shares story after nearly dying due to vaping - KOKI FOX 23 TULSA

Vapers are susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that spreads COVID-19 and continues to infect people around the world, a University of California, Riverside, study has found.

The liquid used in electronic cigarettes, called e-liquid, typically contains nicotine, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and flavor chemicals. The researchers found propylene glycol/vegetable glycerin alone or along with nicotine enhanced COVID-19 infection through different mechanisms.

Study results appear in the American Journal of Physiology.

The researchers also found that the addition of benzoic acid to e-liquids prevents the infection caused by propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and nicotine.

Users who vape aerosols produced from propylene glycol/vegetable glycerin alone or e-liquids with a neutral to basic pH are more likely to be infected by the virus, while users who vape aerosols made from e-liquids with benzoic acid an acidic pH will have the same viral susceptibility as individuals who do not vape, said Rattapol Phandthong, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology and the research papers first author.

The researchers obtained airway stem cells from human donors to produce a 3D tissue model of human bronchial epithelium. They then exposed the tissues to JUUL and BLU electronic cigarette aerosols to study the effect on SARS-CoV-2 infection. They found all tissues showed an increase in the amount of ACE2, a host cell receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Further, TMPRSS2, an enzyme essential for the virus to infect cells, was found to show increased activity in tissues exposed to aerosols with nicotine.

Prue Talbot, a professor of the graduate division and Phandthongs advisor, said e-cigarette users should be cautious about vaping as some products will increase their susceptibility to SARs-CoV-2 infection.

It would probably be best for vapers to quit vaping for the protection of their health and to stop nicotine dependency, she said. If they cannot stop vaping, it is better to vape aerosols produced from an e-liquid with acidic pH or with benzoic acid to prevent the enhanced SARS-CoV-2 infection caused by nicotine, propylene glycol, and vegetable glycerin. However, inhalation of benzoic acid has its own risk, and data is still limited on this topic.

The researchers acknowledge that the relationship between e-cigarettes and SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility is complex.

The complexity is attributed to a wide range of available e-liquids, the chemical composition of each e-liquid, and different models of e-cigarettes, Phandthong said. Our study only used Classic Tobacco Flavor JUUL e-cigarette and BLU Classic Tobacco e-cigarette. Even with just these two e-cigarettes, we found the aerosols and individual ingredients produced different effects on SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Phandthong and Talbot hope the Food and Drug Administration will use their findings to implement regulatory laws on e-cigarette products.

Our findings could also help improve the design of clinical trials involving the use of tobacco products and SARS-CoV-2 infection, Phandthong said. In the meantime, it is worth bearing in mind that the scientific literature has shown that a vaper who contracted SARS-CoV-2 has more complications during the recovery period and is more likely to develop long COVID-19, which can be serious and last many months post-infection. We hope our findings encourage vapers to stop vaping and discourage non-users from starting to vape.

Phandthong acknowledged the team only investigated the initial stage of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

There are many later stages involved in infection, such as viral replication, he said. It is likely that these additional stages can also be affected by inhalation of e-cigarette aerosols.

Phandthong and Talbot were joined in the study by Man Wong, Ann Song, and Teresa Martinez.

The research was funded by grants from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Center for Tobacco Products of the Food and Drug Administration, and California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.

The research paper is titled Does vaping increase the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 infection? Paradoxically yes and no.

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Vaping can increase susceptibility to infection by SARS-CoV-2 - UC Riverside

COLUMBIA In Oconee County, dozens of illegal e-cigarettes are confiscated from students weekly, tallying to potentially thousands in the past three years, estimates school security director Evie Hughes.

I dont believe you can go into a bathroom in a middle or high school and not get a vape, Hughes told the SC Daily Gazette. It is an epidemic among kids.

A bipartisan proposal sent Thursday to the Senate floor aims to cut down on the number of vapes being sold to children, who could be inhaling much more than nicotine.

The fruity- or candy-flavored e-cigarettes that have caused vaping by youth to skyrocket are already illegal. Only e-cigarettes that taste like tobacco or menthol are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and theyre generally marketed as a way to help adults quit smoking.

The problem is that the colorful, disposable vapes made in China (and often disguised as something else) have poured into the United States since shortly before Chinese regulators banned selling the flavors there in 2022.

U.S. authorities cant keep up. The FDA announced its first seizure of illegal e-cigarette shipments in December. The 1.4 million products seized at the Los Angeles airport all from China were worth $18 million, according to the announcement.

South Carolina is among states acting on their own to try to stop the escalating flow to youth in their borders.

This is about the children and their futures, said Senate President Thomas Alexander, R-Walhalla.

His bill, which received a rare unanimous vote by all 17 senators on the Medical Affairs Committee, would create a registry of vapes that are legal to sell in South Carolina. Products not on the registry, created and maintained by the attorney generals office, could be seized from wholesalers and retailers.

Makers and distributors of vapes not on the approved list must remove them from stores statewide or face fines of $1,000 per day per product.

The sweet-smelling, brightly colored vapes senators are trying to get off shelves come in flavors like wild cherry, bubblegum and cotton candy. The packing can look like makeup brushes, highlighters and flash drives, making them easy to conceal in a students book bag or pockets, said Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg.

Its clear from the colors and shapes of these that these are being marketed to children, said Hutto, among 15 co-sponsors of the bill.

As a show-and-tell of the problem, Alexander brought dozens of e-cigarettes confiscated from Oconee County students over the past several weeks.

Hughes said 30 to 50 vapes are taken from students in the districts 18 schools each week.

In South Carolina, 47% of high school students reported vaping in 2020, according to the latest stats available from the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services. It could be much higher now.

Nationwide, theres been a 2,600% rocket-fueled-like surge since 2019 in high schoolers who vape choosing disposables, with fruity flavors being by far the most popular, followed by candy flavors, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey.

Like regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes contain nicotine. And disposable vapes generally have a high nicotine content. The addictive drug is particularly harmful to young people whose brains are still developing, as it can affect their attention spans, mood, impulse control and ability to learn, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The vapor has also been linked to lung damage and seizures, according to the FDA.

And thats what can happen with regulated vapes.

Theres no telling whats in illegal, unregulated vapes coming from China, senators said.

Some have THC, the psychoactive drug found in marijuana. Senators said they worry many could be laced with highly deadly drugs like fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 100 times more potent than morphine thats also pouring in from China. Fentanyl-laced vapes have already been reported in other states.

Under South Carolinas bill, the registry would have to be in place by Sept. 1.

Four other states Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin already have similar registries. Virginia is expected to be the fifth with a bill passed by its Legislature this week.

Alexanders bill has the backing of not only legislators of both parties but educators and law enforcement.

It would put the State Law Enforcement Division, the attorney generals office and the Department of Revenue in charge of enforcement.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said his deputies are busy with murders, break-ins and other serious crimes. They dont have time to check what products stores have on their shelves, he said.

We could spend all our time going to stores, Lott said.

The registry would make it easier for the state to crack down on sales, said Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann, who spoke in support of the bill at a recent subcommittee meeting.

Getting enforcement into place is key, said Rickenmann, adding hes heard from parents and teachers.

In Oconee County, students caught with vapes have to go through an eight-week course on the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

Instead of deterring students, though, the strict punishments have led to teens getting sneakier about hiding their vapes, Hughes said.

It feels like were fighting a war, but right now were losing the battle, Hughes said.

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As youth vaping skyrockets, SC bill aims to crack down on sales of illegal e-cigs - News From The States

Vaping is not risk-free but is less harmful than cigarette smoking, according to the UK's National Health Service (NHS).

More than half of smokers in England inaccurately think that vaping is more or as harmful as cigarette smoking, according to a new study.

The study included survey responses from more than 28,000 smokers in England between 2014 and 2023.

Some 57 per cent of respondents thought vaping was more or equally as harmful as smoking, while 27 per cent thought e-cigarettes were more harmful.

The risks of vaping are much lower than the risks of smoking and this isnt being clearly communicated to people, said Sarah Jackson, lead author and principal research fellow at University College London.

This misperception is a health risk in and of itself, as it may discourage smokers from substantially reducing their harm by switching to e-cigarettes."

"It may also encourage some young people who use e-cigarettes to take up smoking for the first time, if they believe the harms are comparable," she added.

The findings were published in Jama Network Open and funded by Cancer Research UK.

The researchers also found that the perception of e-cigarettes has worsened over time. In 2014, only 11 per cent of smokers said they were more harmful than cigarettes.

The researchers said this view increased amid reports in the US of lung injuriesassociated with the use of e-cigarette or vaping products.

Laboratory data, however, showed that the cases were linked to vitamin E acetate, an additive in THC-containing e-cigarette or vaping products, according to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC).

The study's authors said that more research is needed into the factors that caused people to think vaping was more or as harmful as smoking.

According to the National Health Service (NHS), nicotine vaping is not risk-free but is "substantially less harmful than smoking".

"We only recommend it for adult smokers, to support quitting smoking and staying quit," the NHS added.

There have been concerns about the rise in vaping among young people especially. One study in the US found that some 14 per cent of high school students reported e-cigarette use and that many did not know that vaping products contain nicotine.

The CDC also notes that young people who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to start smoking.

The UK is banning the sale and supply of disposable vapes due to their appeal to young people, including colourful packaging.

"The number of children using vapes has tripled in the last three years and there is strong evidence to suggest that cheap and easy-to-use disposable vapes are partly to blame," the government said.

One limitation of the UCL study was that only current adult smokers were asked about their perception of e-cigarettes so the researchers were "unable to explore changes among nonsmokers or youth".

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Adults in England wrongly think vaping is worse than smoking - study - Euronews

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Iowa vaping bill draws opponents from retailers, health care groups - Southernminn.com

In concerning news a new survey shows rates of current e-cigarette use and vaping in Australia have tripled since 2019 from 2.5% to 7.0% of people.

The data comes from the results of the latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS).

More than 21,000 people across Australia took part in the survey, produced by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), in 2022 and 2023.

Vaping was most common among people aged 1824, with current use increasing substantially between 2019 (5.3%) and 20222023 (21%), says AIHW spokesperson Dr Gabrielle Phillips.

The proportion of all people who have used an e-cigarette at least once in their lifetime has also increased significantly to 19.8% from 11.3% in 2019.

But that number jumps in young adults aged 1824 to almost half (49%).

Episode 2 of the Cosmos: Debunks podcast series on vices, we learned that while we know about the long-term health impacts of smoking tobacco, the effect of vaping wont be fully understood until decades down the line.

The 2022-2023 NDSHS was conducted before new regulations on vapes and e-cigarettes including restriction on importation of vapes except for therapeutic purposes came into effect in early 2024.

The report also provides insights into the use of other drugs including tobacco, alcohol, and illicit substances in Australia.

In promising news, the proportion of people who smoke daily continues to drop from 24% in 1991 to 8.3% in 2022-2023 while the proportion of those who have never smoked continues to increase from 49% in 1991 to 65% in 2022-2023.

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in Australia, so its encouraging that we continue to see a decrease in the use of tobacco by people in Australia, says Phillips.

But Phillips says that, despite updated guidelines to reduce alcohol-related harms, the proportion of people in Australia who drink alcohol at risky levels has not changed since 2019.

Alcohol still remains the most commonly used drug in Australia, with 77% of Australians reporting they consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months.

And while almost half (47%) of Australians have used an illicit drug in their lifetime, about 1 in 5 (18%) have done so in the past 12 months.

This recent use of many illicit drugs, including cannabis and cocaine, has remained stable between 2019 and 2022-2023. However, from 2019 to 2022-2023:

Dr Stephen Bright, aSenior Lecturer in Addictionat Edith Cowan University, says the survey shows several interesting trends in drug use.

Australians continue to be one of the worlds highest consumers of cocaine, yet there is little public awareness about the use of this drug since it is perceived to be an upper-class drug despite the significant impact that the production of the drug and trafficking has on the South American rainforest and indigenous communities, he says.

Use of psychedelic drugs has significantly increased making them the third most popular illegal drugs in Australia after cannabis and cocaine. The increased popularity of psychedelic drugs is likely due to increased media hype regarding the potential for these drugs to be used to treat mental health conditions.

To access free and confidential advice about alcohol and other drugs, phone the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline 1800 250 015

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Young people lead vaping and use of some illicit drugs soar - Cosmos