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 The AMA, one of the nation's most influential physician groups, also
called on doctors to inform patients about the dangers of
e-cigarettes, including toxins and carcinogens, and swiftly report
any suspected cases of lung illness associated with e-cigarette use
to their state or local health department.
The recommendation followed advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention on Friday for people to consider not using
e-cigarette products while it investigates the cause of the spate of
severe lung illnesses associated with vaping.
Many, but not all, of the cases have involved those who used the
devices to vaporize oils containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the
psychoactive component of cannabis.
CDC officials said some laboratories have identified vitamin E
acetate in product samples and are investigating that as a possible
cause of the illnesses.
Public health experts have not found any evidence of infectious
diseases and believe the lung illnesses are probably associated with
a chemical exposure.
Megan Constantino, 36, from St. Petersburg, Florida, quit vaping six
days ago after hearing reports of the illnesses and deaths related
to vaping.
"It scared me into quitting," she said.
Like many users of vaping pens, Constantino picked up the device
after quitting cigarette smoking three years ago, and said, "It's
the hardest thing I've ever done."
She added, "I threw the last cartridge away. I took a picture of it
and I literally cried."
Constantino said many people who vape have been "on pins and
needles" for the investigation results, and she is concerned that
the reports of a link to vaping THC may give people an excuse to
ignore the warnings.
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E-cigarettes are generally thought to be safer than traditional
cigarettes, which kill up to half of all lifetime users, the World
Health Organization says. But the long-term health effects of vaping
are largely unknown.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has faced mounting pressure to
curb a huge spike in teenage use of e-cigarettes, a trend that
coincided with the rising popularity of Juul e-cigarettes.
"We must not stand by while e-cigarettes continue to go unregulated.
We urge the FDA to speed up the regulation of e-cigarettes and
remove all unregulated products from the market," AMA president Dr.
Patrice Harris, said in a statement.
Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, which
advocates for cigarette smokers to switch to nicotine-based vaping
devices, said the AMA should be "ashamed of themselves for playing
politics with people's health and protecting the profits of drug
dealers."
He criticized the AMA for "fearmongering about nicotine vaping
products" while not mentioning "the very real risks of vaping
illicit THC products."
Juul Labs declined to comment. Altria Group Inc owns a 35 percent
stake in Juul.
(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Additional reporting by
Arjun Panchadar in Bengaluru, Bill Berkrot in New York and Chris
Kirkham in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Editing by Lisa Shumaker
and Clarence Fernandez)
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