Proud to Protect Kids: Fight Flavored E-Cigarettes

With nearly 1,500 reported cases of vaping related lung illness and at least 33 deaths to date, concern for the risks associated with e-cigarette is intensifying, with good reason. Anyone who has a teenager, or knows one, understands that adolescent vaping has become an epidemic.  The most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Youth Tobacco Survey found a 78 percent increase in use of e-cigarettes among high school students from 2017-2018.

Several states have recently banned the sale of e-cigarettes, at least temporarily, and the president announced last month the administration plans to stop the sale of most flavored versions. We are waiting to see the details of the regulation, and hope it takes the strongest possible action against this growing public health threat.  We also support congressional efforts, including the legislation sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) to protect youth from tobacco products.

But there is still more that can be done to prevent another generation from a dangerous addiction to nicotine, whether it starts through use of e-cigarettes or traditional tobacco products. 

In youths, signs of nicotine addiction can begin as soon as two weeks after the first use. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association in April made recommendations to the FDA to ensure past progress is not lost, and new threats are addressed. We urge regulators to:

1)    Remove flavored products from the market – 97 percent of kids who “vape” use flavors.

2)    Include mint and menthol in the crackdown  – 51 percent of e-cigarette users use menthol or mint flavors

3)    Support initiatives to raise the tobacco purchase age to 21 – 9 out of 10 daily smokers tried their first cigarette by age 18.  

I am encouraged to see legislators on both sides of the aisle come together to tackle this critical health risk. Last week’s House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing continued to raise public awareness on this issue. We were happy to provide a letter of support for The Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019. We are looking forward to working with Congress, the administration and other policymakers and to stop this alarming epidemic.

I am proud of our support of the Truth Initiative and their groundbreaking work to end tobacco use and fight the vaping epidemic. See CEO President and CEO Robin Koval’s Insights piece on BCBSProgressHealth.com: An emerging epidemic threatens progress on teen smoking.

I’m also proud the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association has joined the new Bloomberg Philanthropies and Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids initiative, Protect Kids: Fight Flavored E-Cigarettes to halt the alarming rate of youth e-cigarette users. While across the country teen smoking rates have plummeted, kids make up one third of all e-cigarette users, threatening to undo years of progress. The three-year initiative is working towards the goals of banning all flavored e-cigarettes – 70 percent of teen users cite the flavors as a reason for usage -– and stopping the marketing of products to youth.

Sign up here to join the fight.