The usually reticent first lady Melania Trump took to Twitter on Monday to air her concern about a “growing epidemic” of teen vaping.
Her Twitter-addicted husband had already gotten the message.
The couple has a 13-year-old son and the first lady’s tweet followed weeks of behind-the-scenes efforts to come up with a response to growing pressure over the explosion of teen vaping and the spread of a mysterious vaping-linked illness across the country.
President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Wednesday unexpectedly announced a crackdown. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, sitting at his side, said that federal regulators would pull thousands of flavored vapes off the market until they go through regulatory reviews. That bar will be tough for many e-cigarette makers to clear, federal officials suggested.
The first lady was not the only driving force. Tackling teen vaping is one of those child health issues that appeals to a wide swath of voters — and Democrats have scheduled hearings and demanded prompt action from the Food and Drug Administration.
But Trump said his wife’s pressure was key. In comparison with past first ladies, she has had a low profile on public policy. Here, in contrast, she persuaded her husband to dramatically shift the government's approach to a massive, growing and politically connected industry. That's something that neither federal regulators nor Capitol Hill had been able to do.
“Melania has the same concerns as any mom with a 13-year-old child," said a former Trump adviser who remains close to the White House. "Whether it’s bullying or smoking ... moms want their kids to be safe. And in this case, she whispers in the ear of the American president who can actually do something about this crisis that moms care about.”
Source: https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/11/melania-trump-donald-trump-vaping-1727048
And yet in many states it is just as illegal to sell vaping equipment to minors as it is cigarettes.
But never let a manufactured crisis go to waste, and remember citizens: jump on every bandwagon.
I could see the benefits for medical use. The particle size in the vapor is so small that it can easily cross the capillary bed and enter the blood stream, bypassing the digestive system. What I find amazing is that some produce has hundreds of regulations attached to it by the USDA and FDA, while this e-liquid goes for the most part unregulated and with no quality control.
Just go for thoughts and prayers. If the government wouldn’t shut down the tobacco companies for a product which kills far more people than vaping then why go after this legal industry?
I heard it said last night that it's *flavored* e-cigarettes that are thought be harmful. If that's true then one could argue in favor of regulating...or banning... the flavored ones.
I can't see an "addiction" to nicotine to be any worse that an "addiction" to caffeine.
E-cigarettes was the governments solution to cigarettes.....along with patches, gum etc etc....all pumping an addictive substance into your body.
Because everybody knows that regular cigarettes are SO much healthier.
A great many FReepers have successfully quit smoking with these. I’m sure they’ll be much happier when the government forces them back towards a life of coughing and gasping all day and night.
First Ladies should be like children - seen but not heard.
E-cigs and vaping was fine when it was an alternative and a stepping stone to helping cigarette smokers quit.
But when I started to see “flavors” such as Red Hots, Cotton Candy, Blueberry Muffin, etc., I knew we were heading for a problem. These were clearly being designed to market to a non-smoker (traditional tobacco cigarette) crowd. No adult trying to quit smoking is buying something flavored like candy; at least not at first.
While I reflexively oppose govt regulation, it’s clear the vaping industry has no interest in policing itself.
FWIW, I work with a wide variety of people, every demographic one can imagine. Nearly every one of them over the age of 18 is using flavored vaping products on their breaks.
Getting kids hooked on nicotine....meh.
Free country. Let the individual choose. Minors? That’s another story. But give adults a choice.
I quit smoking in 76 and have never vaped.
I think the attention on flavored e-cigs is that is is believed the flavors are what attracts kids. From my understanding, it is the THC laced vape liquids that are killing people. Very possibly due to poor quality control.
I read a story a whole back about a father that was teeing off a round of golf. He shanked his drive, hit his child in the head and killed the child. Should we ban golf?
CDC says e-cigarettes 95%-99% safer than cigarettes.
Every death, and almost all the severe cases of respiratory distress, resulted from people smoking marijuana products or illegal drug products in their “Vape” pipe (is that the correct term?).
I am not supporting Vape pipes.
However, I also do not support mass hysteria generated by tort lawyers, who just happen to be the most generous professional group that donates to the Political Left.
This is legalized theft - brought to you by the same people who just took away your pain medication and destroyed Round Up weed killer.
There’s actually a bigger and more dangerous epidemic we should worry about - the even expanding intrusion of the nanny state.
The real danger with vaping is not that people are consuming tobacco, it seems. The problem is with unregulated contents of the vaping cartridges, and there being tons of bootlegs and knockoffs. The second problem is respiratory diseases. These devices work somewhat similarly to nebulizers in that they turn the product into a vapor and then the vapor is inhaled. If not properly cleaned and maintained nebulizers can cause respiratory infections that have led to serious illness and death. The same seems to be happening with vape devices.
CC
Addicts are bad to work with. Their moods are all over, they take fifteen minute breaks every fifteen minutes, and they’re just basically needy.
Nicotine, gossiping, alcohol, pot, food, texting, evangelization, — it’s too easy to find people without monkeys on their backs.
I don’t hire needy victims of themselves if I can detect their sickness, and I generally can.
Thank you Melania.
Children using e-cigarette and becoming addicted, needs your voice.
Your rulers know that they can pull off the climate change hoax and turn supposed freedom loving Americans into nanny state commies using the road map of tobacco as a guide.
They’re not permitted to sale to minors, meaning that those that are selling to minors are breaking the laws.
They also don’t market to minors.
The “dangerous” garbage is just that, some bathtub hooch juice made off brand by those wanting to add THC to the experience and for the most part, that seems to be the most recent tell of what is going down. Off brand stuff.
Vaping has been around for a while now and only recently did these illnesses start taking hold and not many media outlets are stating the fact that it seems the primary cause of people getting sick and dying has been the illicit garbage. Banning will just increase the off brand market.