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U.S. senators urge FDA to remove pod, cartridge-based e-cigarettes from market

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Friday urged federal regulators to immediately remove all pod and cartridge-based e-cigarettes from the market until it can be proven the products are safe. In a letter to Ned Sharpless, acting commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),

Overnight Health Care

Welcome to Friday’s Overnight Health Care. More vaping fallout: Walmart is taking a stance and will not longer sell e-cigarettes. And on Capitol Hill, senators want FDA to enact a near total ban immediately. Also on drug pricing, at least one House Democrat wants changes to Speaker Pelosi’s bill. We’ll

Merkley fields questions on CBD oil

SALEM — As appropriations bills get ready to hit the Senate floor, a $2 million appropriation for research on cannabidiol could guide Oregon farmers growing the crop. Cannabidiol, known more commonly as CBD, is a main component of hemp, which is on track to be a billion dollar crop for

Lawmakers urge FDA to immediately pull Juul, other e-cigarettes from the market

A bipartisan group of senators is urging acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Ned Sharpless to immediately pull most e-cigarettes off the market, including market leader Juul. Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., sent Sharpless a letter Friday pushing the FDA to remove all

Sen. Merkley discusses new initiatives for rural communities

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley announced provisions in bills coming out of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development that will impact Oregon and its rural communities Thursday and briefed Oregon media outlets on local affects. Merkley expects several of the bills to make it through the Senate floor

Merkley Joins Romney to Introduce New, Bipartisan Legislation to Address Vaping Crisis

WASHINGTON—Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today joined Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) to introduce the Ending New Nicotine Dependencies (ENND) Act, bipartisan legislation that would regulate e-cigarette standards and protect public health by prohibiting non-tobacco flavors and ensuring that electronic nicotine delivery systems are tamper-proof. Additionally, the ENND Act would require HHS

Merkley Announces Nearly $1 Billion in New Funding to Combat Homelessness

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee has passed the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Committee bill, which includes an additional $938 million over last fiscal year to battle homelessness. “Infrastructure and housing are pressing issues for communities across Oregon—urban and rural,”

Merkley Secures New Funding, Policy Guidance for Broad Range of Oregon Agriculture Priorities

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development, today announced key provisions in the Senate Agriculture Appropriations bill that will help Oregon’s rural communities—from investments in rural housing; to research into the impacts of wildfire smoke on crops;

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