Health Highlights: June 26, 2019

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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

San Francisco Is First U.S. City to Ban E-Cigarette Sales

San Francisco is the first major U.S. city to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes.

City supervisors passed the measure in a second and final vote on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.

Supporters believe the ban will reduce underage use of e-cigarettes, while critics say it will make it more difficult for adults to buy an alternative to regular cigarettes.

San-Francisco is also home to leading e-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs. The company says it’s opposed to youth use of e-cigarettes and is working on a ballot initiative that would regulate but not ban e-cigarette sales, the AP reported.

The new law would forbid the sale of e-cigarettes that have not undergone a premarket review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, something no e-cigarette maker has done, CNN reported.

The ban also applies to flavored tobacco products and covers sales in brick-and-mortar stores and online sales shipped to a San Francisco address.

“E-cigarettes are a product that, by law, are not allowed on the market without FDA review. For some reason, the FDA has so far refused to follow the law,” city attorney Dennis Herrera said in statement last week after the measure passed an initial vote, CNN reported.

“Now, youth vaping is an epidemic,” he said. “If the federal government is not going to act to protect our kids, San Francisco will.”

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