Sep 18, 2019

CBS, WarnerMedia and Viacom will no longer run e-cigarette advertising

Photo: Eva Hambach/AFP/Getty Images

CBS will no longer run advertisements from any e-cigarette company as a matter of policy, a company spokesperson confirmed to Axios on Wednesday.

What's happening: CBS joins CNN and its parent company, WarnerMedia, in banning e-cigarette ads, as first reported by CNBC and The Daily Beast. Viacom, which is in the middle of a massive merger with CBS, also told CNBC on Wednesday the network will stop running e-cigarette ads.

New York and Michigan moved to ban flavored e-cigarettes this month, as the Trump administration says it is finalizing plans to pull all flavored e-cigarette cartridges from the market.

Our thought bubble, via Axios' Sara Fischer: News companies have discretion over the types of ads they will or won't accept. In a tough news economy, they try to be as open to all viewpoints as possible, but in recent years, news organizations have drawn the line over products that could harm public safety — like guns or nicotine.

Where it stands: 7 people have died in the U.S. due to a lung-related illness linked to vaping. Several of those fatal cases "involved a middle-aged or older person," per the Washington Post. The number of 8th-, 10th- and 12th-graders using e-cigarettes has doubled in the past 2 years, according to new data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Go deeper: The global anti-vaping tipping point

Disclaimer: JUUL is an advertiser with Axios. Read how our founders explained Axios' advertising policy in a Reddit AMA.

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Orion Rummler

Court temporarily stalls New York ban on flavored e-cigarettes

A man smokes an e-cigarette in New York in 2017. Photo: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

A state appellate court blocked New York's ban on all flavored electronic cigarettes the first week of October, preventing New York from becoming the second state to put such a ban in place, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The big picture: The Food and Drug Administration announced last month that it was finalizing plans to pull all flavored e-cigarette cartridges from the market. Massachusetts currently has the harshest vaping ban in U.S.

Go deeperUpdated Oct 4, 2019

Marisa Fernandez

Vaping-related illnesses up nearly 50% since last week: CDC

Photo: Eva Hambach/AFP/Getty Images

The number of possible cases of severe respiratory illnesses among people who vaped nicotine or cannabis products has jumped by nearly 50% to 530 in 38 states and 1 territory, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday.

Why it matters: There have been 8 confirmed deaths related to e-cigarette use, but no single product or substance has been definitively tied to the illnesses, the CDC said in its media briefing. This includes products purchased from unauthorized retailers. The CDC still advises that people should avoid using e-cigarettes.

Go deeperSep 19, 2019

Fadel Allassan

Massachusetts governor calls for harshest anti-vaping ban in U.S.

Photo: Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker declared a statewide public health emergency on Tuesday and called for a 4-month ban on all vaping products, AP reports.

Why it matters: This is the farthest-reaching ban yet by any state, as it is the only restriction in the country that forbids all vaping products. Massachusetts' ban also goes beyond President Trump's proposal to pull all flavored e-cigarette cartridges from the market, leaving just the tobacco flavor, in an effort to discourage youth vaping.

Go deeperSep 24, 2019