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☆ There was a gonorrhea outbreak at a McDonald's branch among staff who were having sex with each other, a report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

There was an outbreak of gonorrhea among staff at a McDonald's branch in the UK, a report says. The BBC reported that there had been an outbreak of gonorrhea among staff at a branch in Northern Ireland but did not provide any further details. Another manager at a Cheshire branch is alleged to have tried to pressure a 16-year-old female worker into having sex. He added that McDonald's UK would investigate all of the allegations. The US-owned hamburger chain has 1,450 outlets in the UK and employs 170,000 staff, the BBC reported.

Persons: Alistair Macrow Organizations: Northern, Service, BBC, . Workers, vapes, Workers, Ireland Locations: Northern Ireland, Wall, Silicon, Hampshire, Cheshire, Plymouth

☆ McDonald's workers in the UK as young as 16 say they were sexually harassed on the job, an explosive report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A five-month BBC investigation paints a picture of a toxic work culture McDonald's UK. McDonald's UK apologized and said it would investigate the allegations. In many cases, managers were responsible for the incidents, the current and former workers told the broadcaster. "It's the expectation that if you work at McDonald's, you will be harassed," a former worker told the BBC. Macrow added that McDonald's UK would investigate all the allegations.

Persons: McDonald's, Alistair Macrow, Macrow Organizations: Service, Workers, vapes, BBC, Ireland Locations: Wall, Silicon, Wales, McDonald's, India

☆ UK councils call for ban on disposable vapes by 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, July 15 (Reuters) - Councils in England and Wales have called on the UK government to ban the sale of single use vapes by 2024 on both environmental and health grounds. The LGA said 1.3 million disposable vapes were thrown away every week. The LGA said councils were also concerned about the impact vaping was having upon children and young people. "Disposable vapes are fundamentally flawed in their design and inherently unsustainable products, meaning an outright ban will prove more effective than attempts to recycle more vapes," David Fothergill, Chairman of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board, said. The UK Vaping Industry Association defended disposable vapes.

Persons: vaping, David Fothergill, John Dunne, James Davey, David Evans Organizations: Local Government Association, European Union, LGA, Vaping Industry, BBC, Thomson Locations: England, Wales, France

☆ Tech execs are stressed out. Half are heavy drinkers and 45% take painkillers, a new study says.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Haley Tenore | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Half of tech executives reported heavy drinking in a new survey. The study polled 501 tech executives at companies with at least 1,000 employees. The survey, titled "2023 Mental Health in Tech Report," was taken between April 27, 2023 and May 15, 2023. Along with long-term fears of job loss, some tech executives reported struggling day to day. Steven Tweedie/Business InsiderAlong with controlled substances, heavy alcohol use was reported by tech executives.

Persons: Steven Tweedie Organizations: Morning, Health, Mental Health Services Locations: Colorado

☆ Vaping helps fuel huge rise in bad behavior on planes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —There was the hope that when mask mandates on planes ended and people got used to traveling again, airplane passenger behavior might improve. Unruly passenger incidents were more than a third higher in 2022 than in 2021, a new global analysis by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revealed. Incidents of physical abuse remain thankfully rare but had a worryingly huge increase of 61% in 2022 over 2021. Zero tolerance“The increasing trend of unruly passenger incidents is worrying. IATA also wants to increase guidance, training and sharing of best practice when it comes to preventing and de-escalating incidents.

Persons: ”, Conrad Clifford, Said Clifford, “, Clifford Organizations: CNN, International Air Transport Association, US Federal Aviation Administration Locations: Paris, Canada, Montreal

Guardia Civil/Handout via REUTERSMADRID, June 1 (Reuters) - Spanish police raided three clandestine tobacco factories early this year, seizing nearly 40 million euros ($44 million) worth of tobacco leaf and illicit cigarettes. This operation is one of dozens across the EU that regional policing and anti-fraud agencies say have driven seizures of illicit cigarettes to record levels. It may have been further accelerated by the war in Ukraine, which for years has been a production hub and transit route for illicit tobacco, OLAF added. TOBACCO INVESTIGATORSThe industry has responded by hiring investigators to research illicit operations and share intelligence with European authorities, executives at Japan Tobacco, BAT and Imperial Brands told Reuters. "A good many workers from Ukraine have been found in these illegal factories," Japan Tobacco's Byrne said about counterfeiting operations across the EU.

Persons: who'd, OLAF, Cyrille Olive, Philip Morris, Olive, Europol, Vincent Byrne, Byrne, Japan Tobacco's Winston, Alex McDonald, Ernesto Bianchi, McDonald, Japan Tobacco's Byrne, They're, they're, Richa Naidu, Emma Pinedo, Emilio Parodi, Matt Scuffham Organizations: Guardia Civil, REUTERS, Spanish, EU, BAT, Imperial Brands, Japan Tobacco, Philip Morris International, Reuters, Marlboro, America's Dunhill, Supplies, Investigators, Mobile, Thomson Locations: Seville, Spain, Guardia, REUTERS MADRID, Alfaro, Europe, Ukraine, British American, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Denmark, Czech Republic, Ireland, Japan, China, Asia, EU, Russia, Belarus, Roda de Ter, Barcelona, Spanish, Italy, Pomezia, Russian, Moldovan, London, Madrid, Milan

Vaping involves heating a liquid that contains nicotine in an e-cigarette which is vaporized and inhaled by the user. “Vaping was sold to governments and communities around the world as a therapeutic product to help long-term smokers quit,” Butler said. “It was not sold as a recreational product – in particular not one for our kids. Vaping concerns across the worldResearchers have found links between nicotine addiction among adolescents and children as a result of increased vaping habits. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom is also tackling high-levels of youth vaping but is pushing it as an alternative to help long-term smokers quit.

☆ Australia to ban recreational vaping in e-cigarette crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, May 2 (Reuters) - Australia on Tuesday proposed to tighten e-cigarette laws, including introducing new controls on import and packaging to stamp out vaping especially among kids, in the biggest crackdown on the tobacco industry in more than a decade. But Butler will say that vaping has become a recreational product now, mostly sold to teenagers and young people. "This is a product targeted at our kids, sold alongside lollies and chocolate bars," Butler will say. Tobacco firms were quick to switch to e-cigarettes that offer different flavours and created designs targeting a new generation of users. ($1 = 1.5088 Australian dollars)Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Juul to pay $462 million to six states in its largest settlement ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Juul Labs, the e-cigarette maker, is paying $462 million to six US states and DC in the largest multi-state settlement yet for the troubled company that has been accused of contributing to the rise of vaping among youth. Based on responses to the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, 14.1% of high school students and 3.3% of middle school students reported using e-cigarettes within the previous 30 days. California is getting $175.8 million, Illinois is getting $67.6 million, Massachusetts is getting $41.7 million, Colorado is getting $31.7 million, New Mexico is getting $17 million and District of Columbia is getting $15 million. West Virginia said on Monday that Juul is paying $7.9 million for similar accusations of marketing toward youth. Last summer, the FDA ordered Juul products to be removed from the US market.

☆ Britain to encourage smokers to swap cigarettes for vapes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 11 (Reuters) - Up to one million smokers will be encouraged to swap cigarettes for "vapes", with pregnant women offered financial incentives to make the change in what will be a world first, the British government said on Tuesday. Under the scheme, almost one in five smokers will be given a vape - an e-cigarette - starter kit along with support to help quit smoking, the Department of Health (DoH) said. "We will offer a million smokers new help to quit. We will be funding a new national ‘swap to stop’ scheme – the first of its kind in the world." Health service figures show 9% of 11 to 15-year-olds in Britain had used e-cigarettes in 2021, up from 6% three years before.

☆ Juul settles lawsuit with West Virginia for $7.9 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —West Virginia has settled a lawsuit with e-cigarette maker Juul Labs for a total of $7.9 million, the state’s attorney general announced Monday. The company was accused of unfair, deceptive acts or practices in the advertising and marketing of Juul products in the state, specifically targeting teenagers. The lawsuit claimed Juul targeted these users through social media, influencer marketing and fashion bloggers and celebrities popular with teenagers. “This settlement puts companies like Juul in check to not copy big tobacco’s playbook and gear marketing strategies toward underage people,” West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said. Last summer, the FDA ordered Juul products to be removed from the US market.

☆ FDA fines e-cigarette makers for selling products illegally in ‘wakeup call’ to tobacco manufacturers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

BAM Group LLC, Great American Vapes LLC, The Vapor Corner Inc and 13 Vapor Co LLC did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment. “Holding manufacturers accountable for making or selling illegal tobacco products is a top priority for the FDA,” said Dr. Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “These actions should be a wakeup call that all tobacco product manufacturers – big or small – are required to obey the law,” King said. The agency can seize products, file injunctions to not sell the products, and the companies can face criminal prosecutions. “With these fines, FDA is finally speaking a language these manufacturers understand,” Sward told CNN.

☆ Vapes on a Plane Aren’t Just Annoying, They’re Unsafe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Allison Pohle | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Passengers and crew members alike are keeping an eye out for vapes while flying. Federal officials have highlighted risks about fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in cellphones, laptops and e-cigarettes in recent years. These incidents are rare for airlines. But the number of lithium-battery air incidents that involve smoke, fire and extreme heat because of vapes or e-cigarettes has tripled since 2019, according to a Federal Aviation Administration database.

☆ More Vape Incidents on Planes Add Risk to Annoyance
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Allison Pohle | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Canopy Growth sheds assets in Canada, plans more layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 9 (Reuters) - Canopy Growth Corp (WEED.TO) said on Thursday it would shed assets in Canada and reduce its workforce by about 60% as part of the pot producer’s efforts to reduce costs and turn profitable. U.S.-listed shares of Canopy tumbled nearly 9% in premarket trade after the company also reported a bigger quarterly loss. The company has been cutting costs through layoffs, exit from some international markets, store closures and divestiture of its retail business across Canada. Hong said the company expects to deliver at least quarterly breakeven adjusted EBITDA in its Canadian cannabis business in fiscal 2024. The Ontario-based company's adjusted core loss widened to C$87.5 million ($65.29 million) in the quarter ended Dec. 31, from C$67.4 million a year earlier.

Vaping may increase a person's risk for cavities and tooth decay, preliminary new research suggests. Adding artificial sweeteners and flavorings to the sticky aerosol may create the perfect breeding ground for cavities. The new study, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Dental Association, is considered preliminary and does not prove that vaping causes cavities. But because e-cigarette usage is so rampant among adolescents — with 2.5 million teens vaping in the United States alone — the possibility that it could increase the risk for tooth decay in this generation is worrisome, experts who study vaping in young people said. Among these high-risk patients, e-cigarette users, Irusa found, were at a "significantly" higher risk of developing cavities, compared with those who did not vape.

☆ An airline passenger was seriously injured when an e-cigarette caught fire mid-flight
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An Air France passenger was seriously injured after an e-cigarette caught fire mid-air. France's air safety body said it was investigating the incident on the Paris-bound flight. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyA passenger was seriously injured on an Air France flight when an e-cigarette caught fire mid-flight, authorities said. The bureau said one person had been seriously injured after an e-cigarette caused a lithium battery fire as the plane was coming in to land. Air France and the air safety bureau didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.

☆ Cannabis company inks deal with Circle K to bring weed to Florida gas stations
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Select Circle K locations in Florida will begin selling marijuana for medical use in 2023. In Florida, citizens may receive a medical marijuana card for PTSD, cancer, and Parkinson's disease, among other conditions, Axios reports. "The opening of RISE Express stores at Circle K locations is a game-changer. Florida's current laws around marijuana use only permit the drug for those who possess a medical marijuana card typically issued for chronic conditions. Over 700,000 Floridians are currently registered active cardholders in the state's medical marijuana program, according to the Florida Department of Health.

☆ Check out the pitch decks that hot cannabis startups used to raise millions from top investors
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-19 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | Jeremy Berke | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read more:The cannabis-tech startup Fyllo used this pitch deck to land $26 million. Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck it used to close the round. Once hailed as the "Uber of weed," Eaze vastly scaled back ambitions in 2020, as evidenced by its pitch deck. Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck that helped Cann raise $5 million. Here's the pitch deck that made it happen.

☆ 12 health revelations, innovations, and movements that changed how we live in the 2010s
▼ + stars: | 2019-12-26 | by ( Julia Naftulin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

After thousands of Americans were hospitalized for vaping-related illnesses, many resulting in death, it became startlingly clear the habit isn't safe. Vaping isn't as safe as it was once thought to be. Until these illnesses cropped up en masse, though, many people considered vaping a safer alternative to smoking nicotine-containing products. Companies like Juul that sell popular flavor-containing vape juices and vape devices are now taking a financial hit. Nonetheless, it's clear vaping isn't risk-free like it was once thought to be.

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