Oct 1, 2019

Juul ends support for San Francisco vaping ballot initiative

Jacob Knutson

A display of JuUl cartridges. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Juul, the nation's largest producer of e-cigarettes, said Monday that it is ending its support for Proposition C, a ballot measure in San Francisco that would overturn an anti-vaping law in the city, per the AP.

Why it matters: Because Juul was virtually the only financial backer of the measure, its decision effectively killed the proposition's campaign after spending nearly $19 million to fund it.

  • The proposition will still remain on the November ballot.

What they're saying: "I am committed to seeing that JUUL engages productively with all stakeholders, including regulators, policymakers and our customers," new Juul CEO K.C. Crosthwaite said in a statement.

  • "This decision does not change the fact that as a San Francisco-founded and headquartered company we remain committed to the city."

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

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Jacob Knutson

Juul to cut hundreds of jobs in "reset" effort

Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Juul plans to cut around 500 jobs by the end of the year in an attempt to mend the damaged relationship between the company and federal regulators, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Why it matters: The e-cigarette market has been upended by a Trump administration proposal to ban most flavored e-cigarette cartridges amid growing health concerns regarding youth vaping and a warning issued by the CDC against the use of the products.

Go deeperArrowOct 29, 2019
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 deeperArrowUpdated Oct 4, 2019
Erica Pandey

Big Tech's hyperlocal fights

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

For decades, America's tech giants scaled up quietly — paying little attention to the cities and towns that hosted them. Now, they're answering to the communities that have felt the most acute effects of their explosive growth.

Why it matters: Much of the backlash against Big Tech is occurring on a national — or even global — scale, but the giants are realizing some of their toughest and priciest fights are in their hometowns.

Go deeperArrowOct 24, 2019