Drastic Ban Considered To Curb Youth Vaping Epidemic In CT

Some Connecticut legislators are looking to curtail the use of electronic cigarettes among youth by banning the sale of fruity flavors that are often a draw to people of any age. Use of electronic cigarettes has skyrocketed in recent years with the Food and Drug Administration commissioner calling it an “epidemic” among youth.

There are currently about 18 bills between the State House and Senate that would increase e-cigarette regulations. The bill that has gotten the most attention so far and has more than 30 backers who prohibit the sale of flavored liquid to be used with e-cigarettes.

Another bill would raise the minimum purchasing age to 21. A separate bill would increase fines to those who sell any smoking product to underage youth.

Connecticut is far from the only entity looking to curb e-cigarette use among youth. The country’s most popular e-cigarette manufacturer has taken steps to reduce the availability of fruity flavors and the FDA is also considering somewhat similar measures.

A New Generation Of Smokers

Years of health awareness campaigns and a growing stigma against cigarette smokers has led to a massive drop in youth cigarette smoking rates. Current teenagers either weren’t born or are too young to remember the days where restaurant hostesses asked “Smoking or non-smoking.”

E-cigarette use increased 78 percent among high school students between 2017 and 2018 and 48 percent among middle school students, according to the FDA. Usage among high schoolers was 20.8 percent in 2018 and 4.9 percent for middle schoolers. This follows a steady drop in traditional cigarette smoking rates among high school students over the past 20 years. More than 36 percent of students were current smokers in 1997 compared to less than 11 percent in 2015, according to the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

A 2013-2014 survey found that 81 percent of youth e-cigarette users cited the availability of appealing fruity flavors as their primary reason for use.

E-cigarettes also known as vaporizers or electronic nicotine delivery systems heat a mixture of chemicals that most often include nicotine into a vapor. Vaporizers come in a wide variety of sizes with some being designed to resemble everyday objects like USB sticks. Manufacturers tout them as a way to get adult smokers off of cigarettes, but they have found a new massive market among youth.

While e-cigarettes are generally believed to be safer than smoking traditional tobacco products, they aren’t without risks, especially for adolescents whose developing brains could be permanently affected.

The Surgeon General warns that youth who smoke are at risk for long-term consequences including mood disorders, permanent lowering of impulse control and changes to parts of the brain that control attention and learning. The Surgeon General also warns that there is no evidence that e-cigarettes prevent young people from using traditional cigarettes.

E-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes, but they still can contain harmful and potentially harmful substances including heavy metals, volatile organic compounds and some carcinogens, according to the CDC. A CDC study found that the majority of adults who use e-cigarettes as a way to quit traditional cigarettes end up using both products.

A study found that young users of vaping pods had higher levels of nicotine in their bodies than traditional cigarette smokers, according to The National Cancer Institute.

Connecticut Bill

The bill that would end the sale of flavored e-cigarette liquid drew testimony from supporters and opponents. A hearing took place Feb. 14 at the capital. Several people submitted written testimony before the hearing.

President of the American Vaping Association Gregory Conley submitted testimony against the Connecticut bill noting that some studies including one from the Royal College of Physicians and Public Health England found that vaping carries no more than five percent of the risk of smoking traditional tobacco products. He also noted that an FDA study found that smokers 25-years-old or older who used candy or sweet-smelling vapor products were twice as likely to try and quit traditional tobacco products.

“We share the goal of decreasing youth vaping and want to be a part of the solution, but punishing adults is not the answer,” he said in a letter submitted to the Committee on Children. “Connecticut should rigorously enforce its existing ban on the sale of all nicotine and tobacco products to minors.”

Norwalk resident Kristen Szabo said that she started smoking cigarettes at 17-years-old and switched to only smoking electronic cigarettes eight years ago.

“The shops, grocery stores bodegas, gas stations and pharmacies selling e-cigarette products are mandated by law not that sell e-cigarettes or e-cigarette products, including juice to minors, anyone under the age of 18,” she said in her written testimony.

State Rep. Maria Horn (D-Salisbury) submitted testimony in favor of the bill.

“My concern is to protect our vulnerable teen population, and it is time to ban the sale of these devices, so we can end their e-cigarette dependence, and prevent our younger children from developing this very real addiction,” she said.

FDA, JUUL Taking Steps

Juul Labs had 68 percent market share of the e-cigarette market in 2018, which helped give rise to the verb “Juuling” as a proprietary eponym for smoking e-cigarettes.

Juul stopped accepting retail orders for fruity flavors in November. Its fruit-flavored products will only be available on the company website, which includes age verification for those 21-years-old and older.

“Our data show that flavors play a critical role in adult smokers’ ability to switch from combustible cigarettes, but we must prevent youth access,” CEO Kevin Burns said.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has threatened to pull e-cigarettes off the market is companies don’t increase their efforts to reduce teen use.

The FDA is currently making rules regarding the level of nicotine allowed in combustible cigarettes to reduce their addictive properties. Meanwhile, Gottlieb has been balancing the benefits of e-cigarettes, which are often used as a way to quit traditional cigarettes with the potential of having a new generation heavily addicted to nicotine and potentially switching to traditional cigarette products down the road.

“The bottom line is that kids using e-cigarettes aren’t kids who ‘would have smoked cigarettes.” Gottlieb said in a statement Monday. “Quite the opposite. As a society, we’ve made great strides in stigmatizing cigarette use among kids. The kids using e-cigarettes are children who rejected conventional cigarettes, but don’t see the same stigma associated with the use of e-cigarettes.”

Nicotine isn’t totally benign and it can have effects on a young person’s developing brain, Gottlieb said. The FDA is also working toward greater e-cigarette regulation and is considering banning the sale for all e-cigarette flavors other than tobacco, mint and menthol in physical locations where anyone under the age of 18 is allowed to enter.

“I use the word epidemic with great care,” Gottlieb said referring to use among youth. “E-cigs have become an almost ubiquitous ‒ and dangerous ‒ trend among teens. ...I’ll be clear. The FDA won’t tolerate a whole generation of young people becoming addicted to nicotine as a tradeoff for enabling adults to have unfettered access to these same products.”

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