Anapol Weiss Shareholder and Attorney Tracy Finken was a guest on PHL17 Morning News January 10, 2020 to discuss the legal implications of vaping injuries. Tracy also shared the EndVaping.org initiative launched by Anapol Weiss in 2019.
A dangerous trend that has gained popularity with minors, vaping is considered by many to be an epidemic. Tracy Finken, an expert in pharmaceutical law, is on the forefront of representing individuals who are addicted to Juul and various vaping devices. In addition to nicotine addiction, plaintiffs have suffered from a range of injuries, including acute lung illnesses and seizures.
“The bottom line is this is a huge public health crisis going on right now. I am not just an attorney, I am a mother of four. I am on our local school board. I see every day how this is affecting teenagers in our country—everybody needs to work together to solve this.” Tracy continued: “The latest statistics show that over 5 million kids are vaping. We have over one in four high school students that have vaped in the last thirty days. It’s not getting better.”
Tracy offered advice for parents who are concerned about their children being exposed to or taking part in Juuling. It is difficult to detect because, unlike combustible cigarette smoke, vapor is odorless. But parents and administrators can look for changes in behavior such as irritability and anxiety, as well as changes in performance at school. The most important advice is to have conversations with kids to educate them about the risks of vaping. Though marketed as a harmless alternative to smoking, the science bears out that it is addictive and dangerous. Visit Endvaping.org for resources on how to talk to teenagers about vaping.
The University of California San Francisco released a new study by researchers showing that Juul has a five to eight times higher concentration of nicotine than other e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes. Tracy contends that vaping companies like Juul took a page out of the playbook of Big Tobacco—they know that if they can addict teenagers, they have customers for life. She emphasized that tobacco document registries at the University of California confirm this. While companies like Juul claim they did not intentionally target minors, their documents and advertisements tell a very different story.
To help combat this public health crisis, Anapol Weiss, along with the Anapol Weiss Foundation, is giving back to communities through educational presentations to help end vaping. These presentations are free of charge and can be scheduled through the website EndVaping.org.
“It’s an interactive conversation that we have with kids, to try to get them involved in the solution to the problem.” Tracy finished. “Kids today are really, really smart, and they are the key to ending this epidemic.”
If you or a loved one has experienced a health issue due to vaping, get in touch with us today.