Public Service Announcements / Vaping: What You Need to Know

Safety Alert - Vaping

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently declared that electronic cigarette use among teenagers has reached an alarming rate. The FDA commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, said that "more than two million middle and high school students were regular users of e-cigarettes" in 2017. To help decrease minors from purchasing and using e-cigarette devices, the FDA gave major manufacturers of these devices two months "to prove that they can keep their devices away from minors." If these companies fail to prevent sales to minors, the FDA threatened to remove certain flavored products from the market. They also targeted sellers of e-cigarettes, sending 1,000 retailers warning letters and issuing 131 fines, ranging from $279-$11,181, for selling minors e-cigarettes.

E-cigarettes contain fewer chemicals than traditional cigarettes, but they can contain higher levels of nicotine(what makes them addictive). The agency is particularly concerned about the Juul device. This device looks like a flash drive, offers potent nicotine hits, and comes with eight flavored "pods." Juul is the dominant e-cigarette seller and has recently become a trend among students.

The FDA is trying to reduce smoking rates among teenagers and stop companies from marketing nicotine products to minors.

Resource: SafeSchools by Vector

Additional Resources
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/pdfs/parent-teacher-ecig-508.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/infographics/youth/pdfs/e-cigarettes-usb-flash-508.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/pdfs/Electronic-Cigarettes-Infographic-508.pdf
https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/
https://teen.smokefree.gov/the-risks-of-tobacco/know-the-risks
https://www.cdc.gov/features/ecigarettes-young-people/
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/
https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/microsites/flavortrap/full_report.pdf
https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/tobacco_control/reports/statshots/volume10/n5_ends_use_doubles.pdf
https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/tobacco_control/campaign/e-cigarettes/