Weekly Mass Torts Bulletin 2024-February-19

A recent study's findings indicate that young people with disabilities and depression are more likely than their peers to become addicted to vaping, adding to the ongoing concerns about the teen vaping pandemic in the US.

American experts caution that in order to effectively combat nicotine addiction among young people in the country, government, school nurses, counsellors, and mental health specialists will probably need to send out more targeted messages alerting them to the health hazards associated with vaping.

Other recent studies have found similar results, showing that individuals with impairments are more likely than those without to vape nicotine, but little is known about the vaping habits of teens and young adults with disabilities.

Researchers from Duke University, George Mason University, and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School analyzed data from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which contained information from around 25,000 young adults and adolescents (AYA).

They estimated the nationwide prevalence of vaping for nicotine based on major depressive episodes and disability types using those data. The study looked at vaping among people with various kinds of disabilities, such as cognitive, hearing, mobility, and communication impairments.

Overall, 14% of teens with any disability used nicotine vapes, and 14% of teens and young adults with cognitive disabilities used vapes in the past month. Depression is one type of cognitive disability; others include autism spectrum disorder, brain injury, dyslexia, and language delays.

In contrast to 10% of teens and young adults without impairments, 14% of teens and young adults with disabilities reported using nicotine e-cigarettes in the previous month. In all, 14% of adolescents with disabilities of any kind and 14% of adolescents and young adults with cognitive disabilities reported using vapes in the previous month. A few more types of cognitive disabilities are dyslexia, brain damage, autism spectrum disorder, and language difficulties. Depression is one of these.

This is the first study to examine the relationship between depression, disability, and vaping risk among youths and young people between the ages of 12 and 25. The findings revealed trends among teenagers that were comparable to those discovered in adult studies.

According to researchers, one explanation for this could be that individuals with cognitive impairments also have higher rates of severe anxiety and depression in adulthood. Teens with cognitive difficulties follow this same trend.

Recent years have seen a worsening of the teen vaping epidemic, primarily due to the high nicotine delivery rates from devices like JUUL. There was a rise in high school students' e-cigarette use from 2017 to 2018. During that period, use among young adults climbed from 5% to 8%, while among high school kids it increased from 12% to 21%.

However, the percentage of middle and high school students who vape started to decline in 2023, going from 14% in 2022 to 10% in 2023. However, around 3 million teenagers continue to use tobacco products of any kind.

According to research, e-cigarettes are just as harmful to blood flow and the development of cardiovascular disease as regular tobacco cigarettes, and they pose several health problems. Furthermore, vaping has been connected to a higher risk of oral cancer and is thought to harm human DNA.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has reversed its earlier decision to strip Morris & Dickson Co., one of the nation's largest wholesale drug distributors, of its licenses for its failure to properly monitor the shipment of tens of millions of addictive painkillers contributing to the opioid crisis.

In a settlement, Morris & Dickson admitted wrongdoing, agreed to comply with heightened reporting requirements, and surrendered one of its two DEA certificates. The Louisiana-based company, with around 600 employees and about $4 billion in annual revenue, also agreed to forfeit $19 million.

Last May, the DEA Administrator revoked both licenses after an investigation revealed that Morris & Dickson continued shipping drugs for nearly four years after a federal judge recommended the harshest penalty for its "cavalier disregard" of rules preventing opioid abuse. The delay in issuing the order raised concerns about the revolving door in Washington, as the DEA's deputy, who was previously a consultant for Morris & Dickson, Purdue Pharma, and other drugmakers tied to the opioid epidemic, resigned and returned to Guidepost Solutions, a firm that has advised drug makers and distributors.

The DEA's decision to revoke the licenses was unusual and lengthy. The judge handling the case described Morris & Dickson's violations as the most blatant and egregious, and the company showed no real acceptance of responsibility for the violations. The DEA acknowledged the longer-than-typical time to issue the decision but partly blamed Morris & Dickson for seeking delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its lengthy pursuit of a settlement.

The settlement with Morris & Dickson allows the company to stay in business but requires it to admit wrongdoing, comply with stricter reporting requirements, and forfeit $19 million. While the DEA did not specify why it reversed its earlier order, it faulted Morris & Dickson for overlooking thousands of unusually large orders for hydrocodone and oxycodone. The settlement allows the 182-year-old company to continue operations, avoiding the threat of closure, and Morris & Dickson emphasized its efforts to enhance compliance over the past five years, with a recognized state-of-the-art compliance program.

The DEA's decision to allow Morris & Dickson to remain in business raises questions about regulatory oversight and the handling of cases involving major players in the opioid crisis. Critics argue that the settlement may not be strong enough to deter improper practices in the pharmaceutical distribution industry and highlight the need for more robust measures to address the opioid epidemic's root causes and hold accountable those contributing to it.