Advertisement
Australia markets closed
  • ALL ORDS

    8,153.70
    +80.10 (+0.99%)
     
  • ASX 200

    7,896.90
    +77.30 (+0.99%)
     
  • AUD/USD

    0.6526
    +0.0008 (+0.12%)
     
  • OIL

    83.11
    -0.06 (-0.07%)
     
  • GOLD

    2,254.80
    +16.40 (+0.73%)
     
  • Bitcoin AUD

    108,176.53
    -504.13 (-0.46%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • AUD/EUR

    0.6043
    +0.0009 (+0.15%)
     
  • AUD/NZD

    1.0905
    +0.0003 (+0.03%)
     
  • NZX 50

    12,105.29
    +94.63 (+0.79%)
     
  • NASDAQ

    18,254.69
    -26.15 (-0.14%)
     
  • FTSE

    7,952.62
    +20.64 (+0.26%)
     
  • Dow Jones

    39,807.40
    +47.29 (+0.12%)
     
  • DAX

    18,492.49
    +15.40 (+0.08%)
     
  • Hang Seng

    16,541.42
    +148.58 (+0.91%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    40,369.44
    +201.37 (+0.50%)
     

House Oversight Subcommittee examines youth vaping with acting FDA head

Yahoo Finance’s Political Reporter Jessica Smith joins the Yahoo Finance Live panel to discuss the latest on the push to take the flavor vape ban further.

Video transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

ZACK GUZMAN: Well, news of the pandemic dwarfed the epidemic that was very talked about quite a bit of time here in Congress when it comes to vaping and the impact it's had on teens in schools. Juul was one of those companies that was in the targets of regulators, and it was the topic yet again of a House Oversight hearing this morning. I want to get to Yahoo Finance's Jessica Smith, who has the latest around the crackdown, renewed crackdown on vaping. Jess.

ADVERTISEMENT

JESSICA SMITH: Yeah, Zack. The acting FDA commissioner testified before a House subcommittee this morning, and you're right. This is the first time that we've really heard about this issue in quite a while. Back in 2019, we heard a lot about this amid the outbreak of that vaping-related illness. There was bipartisan support for cracking down on the industry.

And the Trump administration ended up issuing that partial flavored ban. It banned most flavored e-cigarette products except for tobacco and menthol flavors. There has been a big drop in teen use of these products according to the National Youth Tobacco Survey, but there was a surge in young people using disposable e-cigarettes. And 40% of high schoolers that currently use those products use them at least 20 days a month. So lawmakers are concerned about the addiction factor here.

And I did speak with the chairman of the committee that heard from the FDA commissioner today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. And he says that the ban that's in place now needs to go further. Here's what he wants to see.

RAJA KRISSHNAMOORTHI: You got to get rid of all the flavors. Secondly, you have to make sure that disposable cigarettes are subject to the same flavor ban that all other products are subject to. And then third, we have to regulate the nicotine content. These vapes that are currently on the market are so addictive that basically-- the flavors get the kids onto the vapes, and then the nicotine keeps them addicted.

JESSICA SMITH: Now, the FDA is currently considering applications from e-cigarette makers, including Juul, and will decide if those products should stay on the market or if there should be certain restrictions around them. The FDA commissioner, the acting commissioner, did say today that it's going to be a challenge to get through the millions of applications that have come in by December. But that's a decision we will be watching. Juul has argued that it helps adults quit smoking traditional cigarettes and that it has tried to keep its products out of the hands of kids. But we'll be watching to see what the FDA decides potentially later this year. Zack and Akiko.

ZACK GUZMAN: Yeah. On top of all that too, they have the FTC trial as well, when I think about Juul and Altria, a deal that really went south after all this crackdown started in the vaping space. But Jessica Smith, appreciate you bringing us that.