Of those who have fallen ill, about 85 percent reported using THC-containing products. But health officials say they’re continuing to look at a wide range of chemicals in trying to determine the causes for the outbreak. Meanwhile, NPR takes a look inside command central and at the doctors who are scrambling to investigate the disease.
The Washington Post: CDC: Most People Who Died From Vaping-Linked Disease Used Products Containing THC
Most people who died from vaping-related injuries used products containing THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, federal health officials said Friday, offering another data point tying the outbreak of lung illnesses to products made with that compound. Based on data available from 860 of the 1,604 patients who have fallen ill with the disease, about 85 percent reported using THC-containing products, compared to about 10 percent who reported exclusively vaping nicotine-containing products, officials said. Many sick patients said they bought THC vape products on the black market, and those have come under increased scrutiny. (Sun, 10/25)
The Associated Press: Health Official: No 'Short List’ Of Vaping Illness Suspects
Health officials acknowledged Friday they are still looking at a wide range of products and chemicals that could be causing the U.S. vaping illness outbreak. A large majority of the more than 1,600 people who have been sickened said they vaped products containing THC, the high-inducing ingredient in marijuana, but it’s likely something else — or perhaps several things — are to blame, officials say. (Stobbe and Johnson, 10/25)
CNN: FDA Faces Pressure To Release Final E-Cigarette Flavor Policy
In a letter, a lawmaker is urging the US Food and Drug Administration to issue its compliance policy that would clear the market of unauthorized flavored e-cigarettes. The letter follows President Donald Trump’s September 11 announcement that the FDA would be putting out „some very strong recommendations” regarding the use of flavored e-cigarettes in „a couple of weeks.” (Howard and Hunt, 10/22)
NPR: Behind The Scenes Of CDC’s Vaping Investigation
When the first cases of vaping-related lung injuries came to the attention of scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this summer, they knew this was a potential curveball. Disease detectives, more accustomed to stopping food-borne illnesses or tracking the annual influenza cycle, realized that they’d need a unique approach to take on a health crisis that has so far sickened 1,604 and killed 34. (Harris, 10/25)
And in other vaping news —
NPR: Some States With Legal Weed Embrace Vaping Bans, Warn Of Black Market Risks
Around Washington state, cannabis shops are being required to hang signs warning customers of „severe lung injuries” and „deaths” associated with vaping. Kevin Heiderich, a co-owner of one such shop, House of Cannabis in Tacoma, Wash., believes the government response to vaping illnesses should focus on the black market.” Something has just changed and no one really knows what it is,” he says. (Stone, 10/26)
Los Angeles Times: Fruity Flavors Lure Teens Into Vaping Longer And Taking More Puffs, Study Says
Most experts agree that sweet flavors like cotton candy and mango help entice teens to try their first-ever puff on an electronic cigarette. But what keeps them coming back? Flavors appear to play a role in that too, according to a new study of Los Angeles high school students. Those who vaped with flavors other than tobacco and menthol were more likely to maintain their habit over the long term — and they took more puffs each time they reached for their device. (Baumgaertner, 10/27)
Boston Globe: Baker Bows To Judge, Submits Vape Ban As Emergency Regulation
Vapes will remain prohibited in Massachusetts, after Governor Charlie Baker bowed to a state judge’s ruling and submitted the country’s broadest ban on the devices to state health authorities for approval rather than let it expire. The state’s Public Health Council, at the behest of the Baker administration, voted unanimously Friday to adopt the ban on nicotine and marijuana vapes as a formal emergency regulation. (Adams, 10/25)
MPR: Vapers Say They’re Unfairly Tarred With The THC Brush
As reports circulate about deaths and injuries attributed to vaping, users of e-cigarettes are contemplating a hard choice: Will they have to give up nicotine or switch to some other means of ingesting it — like cigarettes? Conor Vitt, 21, works at Maplewood Tobacco and E-Cigs Center. He’s a former smoker who has switched to vaping. If vaping were banned, would he take up cigarettes again? (Zdechlik, 10/28)
This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.