Apple will remove all 181 vaping-related apps from the App Store this morning amid growing health concerns over e-cigarettes.
Ina Fried, Mike Allen for Axios:
The move comes after at least 42 people have died from vaping-related lung illness, per the CDC. Most of those people had been using cartridges containing THC, though some exclusively used nicotine cartridges.
The company has never allowed the sale of vape cartridges directly from apps. But there were apps that let people control the temperature and lighting of their vape pens, and others provided vaping-related news, social networks and games.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple is a company focused on health and so this move is actually overdue. We applaud Apple for taking this step.
If you zoom out into the future, and you look back, and you ask the question, ‘What was Apple’s greatest contribution to mankind?’ It will be about health. — Apple CEO Tim Cook, January 8, 2019
Hint: Breathing foreign substances, regardless of what the substances are, is not what lungs are designed for and will almost certainly be detrimental to the lungs and, therefore, overall health.
Don’t start smoking or vaping. If you smoke or vape, stop now. Get 24/7 help with quitting with a Smokefree app for your iPhone.
Recently, experts ranging from the CDC to the American Heart Association have attributed a variety of lung injuries and fatalities to e-cigarette and vaping products, going so far as to call the spread of these devices a public health crisis and a youth epidemic. We agree, and we’ve updated our App Store Review Guidelines to reflect that apps encouraging or facilitating the use of these products are not permitted. As of today, these apps are no longer available to download. — Apple statement to Axios
“What I saw in his lungs is like nothing I’ve seen before, and I’ve been doing lung transplants for 20 years." https://t.co/XoF7VJuCR0
— NYT Health (@NYTHealth) November 14, 2019
Voters across the political spectrum overwhelmingly support the Trump Administration’s plan to take flavored e-cigarettes off the market, with nearly three-quarters of all likely voters expressing support, according to a new national poll released last month by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
By a 73% to 22% margin, voters support the Trump Administration plan to take flavored e-cigarettes off the market.
Other key findings:
• The Administration’s plan receives broad-based support across party lines, with 77% of Democrats, 74% of Republicans and 70% of Independents in favor.
• Support is consistent across regional areas, with 73% of Northeast voters, 75% of Southern voters, 70% of Midwest voters, and 73% of West voters in favor.
• The proposal garners strong support across ideology, age and gender groups, and among voters of all income levels.
• In addition to support for the Administration’s plan, the survey found nearly identical levels of support for prohibiting the sale of flavored e-cigarettes generally (72%) as well as at the state level (73%). By a 70%-23% percent margin, voters also support Congress passing legislation to prohibit the sale of flavored e-cigarettes.
More info here.
Yeah let’s punish nicotine vapers for illicit black market THC cartridges which have nothing to do with vaping nicotine products. Vaping nicotine isn’t the problem, prohibition is what pushed people to use the black market because weed is not legal in every state. The idiot making the cartridges is what people should be worried about. Prohibiting flavors is just going to create a black market for nicotine vapers.
This affects herbal cannabis vapes as well which are used for medical purposes. Come on Apple, don’t lump all vapes into the same group.
It Was Actually black market cannibus pods that were responsible for the out break! IT WAS NOT ECIGARETTS OR NICOTINE JUICES SOLD LEGALLY
Herbal cannabis vapes were not involved.
Same people who love marijuana, vaping, etc., seem to be the same ones who are anti cemetery stick (cigarettes) smoking.
Good idea
Concerned about health is admirable and a worthy pursuit, but again, SJW-ism seems to compromise freedom in this swoop-in to save the citizenry. Salt, fat, alcohol and other common substances are linked to far greater illnesses and death…so, can we assume there are no such related apps, or they will be removed or strongly curated, if so?
I’m not interested in regulating the above…that’s your biz, but if acting as a savior, there’s needs to be consistency. The comments about not lumping all vaping into one ball and distinguishing the black market crap from the rest, from all I’ve read, is key to this argument.
“Apple is a company focused on health”
Once upon a time Apple was a company focused on Macs. C’est la vie.
As to the MDN take on the Trump party’s actions, predictable support.
As disgusting and unhealthy as I personally feel vaping to be, this is clearly an overreach on Apple’s part.
Yes, vaping should probably be outlawed. But it’s not Apple’s job to do this.
yes, it is really cool