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Trump Hears From Vaping Opponents, Industry Executives

Patsy Widakuswara

   WHITE HOUSE - After weeks of mixed signals from President Donald Trump
   about his administration's plans to ban flavored vaping products, the
   White House convened a meeting Friday between proponents and opponents
   of the electronic cigarette industry.

   In a spirited discussion that the White House billed as a "listening
   session," Trump heard from anti-vaping stakeholders who pleaded with
   him to stick to his September commitment to ban all flavors in
   e-cigarettes, including menthol.

   Anti-vaping activists insist that youth e-cigarette usage is an
   epidemic fueled largely by kid-friendly flavors such as mango and
   cotton candy.

   "We have stories of young people who say, 'I started because this is
   cool and literally within days I lost control,' " Matthew Myers,
   president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said. "Kids sleep with
   these products, because they need to wake up [to vape]in the middle of
   the night."

   "Parents are in pain and we need you," Penny Nance, president of
   Concerned Women for America, said to Trump. She urged the
   administration to ban all flavors, implement an age limit of 21 and ban
   advertising, as per Trump's "original solution."

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