Four months after President Trump announced he would take a “very, very strong” stance against the vaping epidemic, the administration has announced a ban on most flavored e-cigarettes. However, a policy analyst from libertarian think tank Reason Foundation tells Cheddar an education push would be an important component of this effort to teach young people about the dangers of vaping.
The new ban will stop the sale of fruit, candy, mint, and dessert flavored vapes, but menthol and tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes will remain on the market.
Only vaping cartridges are targeted by the ban, as they are believed to be more popular among young people. Tank-based vaping systems will not be affected.
Jacob Rich, a policy analyst from Reason Foundation, which advocates for individual liberty and free markets, said the ban is “not quite effective.”
“The industry is against it, the people who want to prohibit nicotine products in general, are against it,” he told Cheddar. “It’s basically just a middle move that’s politically palatable that the Trump administration thinks it can take.”
In anticipation of yesterday’s announcement, Juul already announced it would not sell flavored cartridges.
With potential governmental restrictions on the horizon, vape shops around the country launched a “We Vape, We Vote” social media campaign and ran a television ad directed at the president to not implement a vaping ban.
Although the administration did go through with a ban, albeit potentially weaker than anti-vaping groups had hoped for, Rich said the administration should focus on education because the dangers of vaping have not been clearly delineated to young people. He noted a 2017 Truth Initiative study that found 63 percent of teens surveyed did not know Juul products have nicotine.
“When people understand products are more dangerous, they tend not to use them,” he said. “With Juul being so new to the market, being introduced around 2016, it seems like there’s an information problem and teens need to be educated about the dangers.”
“Teens, in general, seem to acquire the vices they desire,” he said, recalling how education about the dangers of smoking helped decrease use. The Centers for Disease Control called school programs designed to prevent tobacco use an “effective means of preventing tobacco use among youth,” during the 1990s.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
Starbucks’ AI barista aims to speed service and improve experience. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune Business Editor, explains its impact on workers and customers.
