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Politically Speaking: Vaping, Police Residency, GM Incentives

A recent study in the U.S. indicated that 3.6 million teens used e-cigarettes in 2018, a steep climb from 1.5 million teens in 2017.
Lara Hamdan | St. Louis Public Radio
A recent study in the U.S. indicated that 3.6 million teens used e-cigarettes in 2018, a steep climb from 1.5 million teens in 2017.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Julie O’Donoghue and Jaclyn Driscoll review some of the week’s biggest stories in state and local politics.

We break down how Gov. Mike Parson is responding to the recent spate of illnesses and deaths related to vaping.

Parson held a press conference this week highlighting a new state education campaign about the danger of vaping that’s targeted to teenagers. At least a handful of states are taking more aggressive action to deter vaping than Parson has implemented. 

Parson has not said whether he would be willing to consider taxes or restrictions on vape products moving forward. He also said he’s not clear on what the health implications of vaping products are, even though the American Medical Association this week called for a ban on most vape products because of health concerns.

Parson has said he is waiting to see how the Missouri General Assembly might want to handle vaping when they return for the 2020 legislative session in January.

Here are some other topics discussed on the show:

  • Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s call for the city of St. Louis to drop its residency requirement for police officers. Here’s St. Louis Public Radio’s Rachel Lippmann’s latest story on this issue. 
  • Whether the General Motors plant in Wentzville might still shed hundreds of jobs even if it gets a package of tax incentives from Missouri. We talked with Associated Press Jefferson City correspondent Summer Ballentine about her recent story on this issue.
  • What Democrats’ recent wins in Louisiana and Kentucky mean for Auditor Nicole Galloway, who is running against Parson next year. 


Outgoing music: “Callin' Baton Rouge” by Garth Brooks 

The podcast is sponsored by the St. Louis-based law firm of Capes Sokol

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Jaclyn Driscoll on Twitter: @DriscollNPR

Follow Julie O’Donoghue on Twitter: @jsodonoghue

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Since entering the world of professional journalism in 2006, Jason Rosenbaum dove head first into the world of politics, policy and even rock and roll music. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Rosenbaum spent more than four years in the Missouri State Capitol writing for the Columbia Daily Tribune, Missouri Lawyers Media and the St. Louis Beacon.
Julie O'Donoghue
Jaclyn Driscoll is the Jefferson City statehouse reporter for St. Louis Public Radio. She joined the politics team in 2019 after spending two years at the Springfield, Illinois NPR affiliate. Jaclyn covered a variety of issues at the statehouse for all of Illinois' public radio stations, but focused primarily on public health and agriculture related policy. Before joining public radio, Jaclyn reported for a couple television stations in Illinois and Iowa as a general assignment reporter.