California launches $20m campaign to deter e-cigarettes amid spike in illnesses
California has announced a $20m public awareness campaign about the dangers of vaping and will step up efforts to halt the sale of illicit products amid a rise in vaping-related illnesses.
The state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, announced the actions Monday as part of an executive order.
The move comes as hundreds of nationwide illnesses appear linked to vaping cannabis-based oils, though some people reported vaping nicotine products, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. California has seen at least 63 cases and one of the six deaths reported around the country.
On Monday, public health officials in Washington confirmed two new cases of severe pulmonary disease linked to vaping, bringing the state’s total cases to three.
“This is now a statewide outbreak,” said Washington state health officer Kathy Lofy.
At the same time, flavored e-cigarettes made by companies such as Juul Labs are contributing to a rise in youth smoking. The public awareness campaign Newsom announced aims to tackle all forms of vaping, he said.
“As a father of four, this has been an issue that has been brought to the forefront of my consciousness,” he said.
San Francisco, the home of Juul, became the first US city to ban the sale of e-cigarrettes in June when its board of supervisors unanimously voted in favor of an ordinance to crack down on youth vaping.
“We spent the 90s battling big tobacco, and now we see its new form in e-cigarettes,” said San Francisco supervisor Shamann Walton. The ban is set to take effect in December.
Once widely perceived as a safer alternative to cigarettes, a rising tide of lawsuits have been filed against Juul, America’s dominant vape manufacturer. A federal judge in California is now hearing whether multiple suits should be grouped into one court, like lawsuits filed against opioid manufacturers – an indication of how large the litigation could become. The so-called multi-district litigation allows one court to hear cases from around the country, companies to settle cases with thousands of plaintiffs simultaneously, and plaintiffs’ cases to move quicker.
A spokesperson for Juul called recent lawsuits “essentially copy and paste unfounded allegations” raised in previous litigation.
An estimated 9 million adults and 3.6 million US teenagers vape, including 20% of high school students. Last year the US surgeon general called e-cigarette use among youth an epidemic. In August it was reported that the the US Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Juul used deceptive social marketing that targeted minors.
While Donald Trump and the New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, have announced plans to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, Newsom said he doesn’t have similar executive authority. But he said he wants lawmakers to send him legislation to do so next year. A similar effort failed this year.
Beyond the public awareness campaign, Newsom has directed the state departments of public health and tax and fee administration to explore ways to warn people about the potential dangers of vaping and tackle the sale of illicit products.
He’s asked the public health depart
ment to explore new warning signs at retailers and in advertisements.
On the tax side, he’s asking officials to consider changing how e-cigarettes are taxed, because they typically face lower taxes than traditional cigarettes. Making the products more expensive to buy could make them harder for teenagers to purchase, he argued.