Over the past few years, e-cigarettes have flooded our markets being advertised as the
safe alternative to smoking cigarettes.
But cases of lung disease and even deaths have begun to surface now prompting president
Trump to demand the FDA to finally step in and ban flavored vapes.
Legal journalist Mollye Barrows is with me to talk about it.
This is a big story.
As a matter of fact, there's major litigation that's getting ready to start, we're actually
launching that litigation in Las Vegas at the annual meeting that, bi-annual meeting
that takes place with, with lawyers who specialize in these kinds of cases.
Give me your take on it.
It's an, it's not an overreaction at all that Trump should go ahead and say these flavored
cigarette vapes need to come off the market.
Right.
I agree.
I mean, that's a great reaction.
What really needs to be addressed is the marketing rules that need to be tightened up in regards
to how these companies like Juul are allowed to deliberately market to children.
Because that's the basis of the litigation that the Levin Papantonio firm is pursuing
along with some other law firms, that basically say they took the model from big tobacco and
said, we've got a product here that we can market as relatively safer than perhaps traditional
combustible cigarettes.
But we're going to flavor it and we're going to make it easily, you know, consumed and
appealing to young people.
And that's why you see such a huge market.
The Juul company owns the market, dominates the market.
Yeah.
When it comes to kids.
Okay.
So marketing rules need to be tightened up.
I think that would be a better response by Trump, but hey.
But, but, but, but I don't, I don't think that's going to.
I don't think it's going to do it.
It's not as sexy.
I don't think it's going to do it.
You know, when you come out with flavors like marty mango, goofy grape.
Right.
Ollie ollie orange.
Right.
That's, that's, and even the way they market it.
Where do they put it in the store?
Right.
Kids can see it.
Look, we, we've been through this before.
We went through this on the tobacco cases.
We originally, we actually started the tobacco litigation.
Yes.
Right here in this law firm.
And so when we saw what they did there, here's what the tobacco industry was trying to do
back then.
They did studies and they said, if we can addict a child by the time they're 14 to our
brand of cigarettes.
We can own them forever.
We can own the brand forever.
Okay, these are the same people.
Yes.
Understand, all they've done.
Now we're talking about a different product, but it's the same ghouls that are making these
decisions.
Yes.
And here's what they know.
Unfortunately in the vaping industry you have, it's almost become a cult.
You know, they'll have vaping, they'll have vaping contests that you go online and who
can make the biggest vape.
A culture of vaping.
For everything that you do, whether you're socializing or working, you can have it around
with you.
But it's worse than that.
It is a cult.
That's so interesting.
When we, yeah, when we do stories on vaping, the cult comes out because the industry has
marketed so well.
Now what are the problems that we're seeing?
What, there...
Yes.
What are, what are we seeing with it?
Well, we're seeing unexplained deaths.
Of course, that's been the real concern now.
You have six deaths so far.
You have a number of cases of different types of lung disease that they believe are associated
with vaping and because it's relatively new on the market with the past 10 years, there's
not a lot of research.
They don't know exactly what is causing it if it's certain chemicals.
Because even though it's been marketed as a safer alternative than combustible cigarettes,
you're still talking about inhaling highly addictive substances like nicotine as well
as these other chemicals that are used in the process of delivering that chemical to
you.
And so those are the problems.
Something called popcorn lung.
Right, well it's...
You name it.
The pop, here's the point.
The argument is, well, you know what?
It won't kill you like cigarettes.
It's crazy.
Yes, it will.
It's a slower, more fun death.
Yeah, the, the cigarettes, regular cigarettes may take 30 years, but now we're seeing we're
actually seeing changes, physical, anatomical changes within the respiratory system that
is taking place with people who vape.
And so you know, the cult wants to ignore it and say, this isn't a problem.
Okay.
Kids are having seizures.
They're developing restrictive airway disease.
Yes.
This is diagnosed.
This doesn't take 30 years to develop, and the worst thing about it, the thing that really
is the angst here is you actually had the CEO of Juul come out and basically admit,
yeah, this, this is a problem.
Kids shouldn't vape.
Right.
At the time he says that, everything he does, contrary to that to market his product.
Right.
Is completely different.
Well, so that's why when the Trump administration says, we're going to do everything that we
can to protect people, especially kids, and we're going to start by removing flavored
vapes off the market.
To me that's just such a, yes, it's knee jerk.
Yes, it's some sort of a reaction that at least says, hey, what's happening to our kids
is wrong.
But again, why can't we address the route of the problem?
Why can't we get in there and say, hey, it's our own lawmakers that are affecting and allowing
these marketing rules to allow these companies to openly lie like that.
Well, most of the time, you always see the FDA at the heart of the problem and they are
here.
Right.
They're slowly reacting only because they, again, time after time, the FDA is shamed.
Right.
People have to die.
People have to become sick.
The media has to write about it.
The regulator has to be called out and said, why don't you do your job?
Right.
Ultimately, the FDA gets around to it.
In this situation again, they waited too long.
No regulations, any mom and pop organization can start a vape store and sell whatever they
want to sell.
So this story has just begun.
After Vegas, there's going to be some major litigation
that takes place here.
Absolutely.
Thanks, Pap.
Thanks for joining me.