News Briefs
Insurance Journal Quotes Stewart on the Vaping Health Crisis
December 9, 2019
Ian Stewart (Partner-Los Angeles) was quoted in “Vape Crisis Prompts Calls for Greater Clarity in Cannabis Regulation,” which appeared in the December 3, 2019, edition of Insurance Journal. Panelists at the 2019 Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS) Conference in Washington D.C. were asked for comments on the ongoing vape crisis, in particular the need for better regulation. For the first time the CDC has detected a chemical of concern in biologic samples from patients with these lung injuries, and its investigation into the vape crisis is ongoing, with information updated on its website every Thursday. “I think the industry is saying, ‘Look, the time of the federal government’s only policy response to marijuana being criminal enforcement is over,’” said Ian. “This is now a public health crisis; people are dying because it’s not regulated.” The panelists emphasized the importance of moving toward regulatory uniformity for all cannabis products. “The risks that we’re seeing have arisen out of failure to comply with regulatory requirements,” Ian said. “We’ve got this very dynamic regulatory environment where states are changing and updating their regulations.”