Vaping has become the center of a controversial, nationwide discussion.
The number of Americans with vaping-related lung disease is climbing every week. The latest numbers from the CDC show 1,479 confirmed cases in the United States; 29 of those cases are in Massachusetts
Thirty-three people have died nationwide, including one in Mass.
In fact, the CDC just gave the disease a name: "EVALI," which stands for e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury.
Boston 25 News anchor Kerry Kavanaugh spent months looking at the soaring number of young people vaping. She talked candidly with students who feel peer pressure, recovering vape addicts, and a teen who developed lung disease earlier this year. She sat down with local school leaders, lawmakers, and doctors about what should be done to address the youth vaping crisis. Vaping supporters also discuss how the vaping backlash is affecting them.
For more information on The 84 Movement, which mobilizes students against tobacco use, click here.
This week, Juul announced it was suspending the sale of all fruity flavors. Juul told Boston 25 News, "We never designed our marketing to appeal to youth and do not want any non-nicotine users to try our products as they exist to help adult smokers find an alternative to combustible cigarettes. We need to urgently address underage use of vapor products and earn the trust of regulators, policymakers and other stakeholders. That is why we are focusing on taking aggressive actions to reduce youth usage of our products, working through the FDA's PMTA process and supporting and complying with FDA's final guidance on flavored products once effective."
>> MORE: Latest vaping news in Mass. and across the country