It's time Congress and the FDA acted to protect young people from e-cigarettes and tobacco.
It has been more than 50 years since the U.S. Surgeon General's first report on the health consequences of smoking, and tobacco products are still finding their way into the hands of children and adolescents across the country in increasingly diverse ways.
E-cigarettes are an increasingly popular tobacco product among teenagers, and use among teens is rising. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13.4 percent of high school students reported using e-cigarettes in 2014, compared to only 1.5 percent in 2011.
Aggressive marketing campaigns are targeting young people with messages that glorify e-cigarettes, and the product, which comes in flavors like gummy bear and cotton candy, is increasingly designed to appeal to a young audience.
But there are no federal regulations for e-cigarettes. There are no safety requirements for how to package toxic liquid nicotine refill containers, and nicotine poisonings are on the rise. Tragically, a one-year old boy from New York became the first child to die from liquid nicotine poisoning in the United States last December. This must change.
[READ: Jeb Bush's Health Care Plan Fills Obamacare's Health IT Gaps]
In its new policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics calls on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expand its jurisdiction to include e-cigarettes, liquid nicotine and all other tobacco products. The FDA has expressed intent to develop regulations requiring nicotine exposure warnings and child-resistant packaging for tobacco products, including liquid nicotine used to refill e-cigarettes. Since the rule-making process can take years to complete, the academy has endorsed legislation currently under consideration in both chambers of Congress that would allow immediate action to make liquid nicotine containers child-resistant. These are basic steps our government can take to protect children from liquid nicotine poisoning, and they should be taken immediately.
E-cigarettes are just the latest threat tobacco products pose to young people. National data show that 95 percent of adult smokers begin smoking before they turn 21. Recognizing this, the academy strongly recommends an increase in the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and electronic nicotine delivery systems, to age 21, nationwide. The recent introduction of the bicameral Tobacco to 21 Act, which would do just that, is an important step in the right direction. A study from the Institute of Medicine showed that increasing the purchase age would lead to 223,000 fewer premature deaths from tobacco-related disease for those born between 2000 and 2019. While less than half of adult smokers (46 percent) become daily smokers before age 18, 4 out of 5 do so before they turn 21.
[READ: Consumers Should Ask More Questions On 'Dangerous' Products]
Hawaii has taken action to increase the purchase age to 21, and several cities, including New York City, have already made this change. It's time the federal government followed suit. Every child needs an environment that promotes health, and their ZIP code should not determine whether or not she can purchase tobacco as a teenager.
Time is not on our side, which makes the FDA's slow progress toward expanding its jurisdiction to include e-cigarettes all the more frustrating. The longer we wait, the more likely we are to see another toddler die by accidentally swallowing toxic liquid nicotine. The longer we wait, the more teenagers will be able to purchase a product we know can cause lifelong addiction, cancer, other health ailments, and even death.
The message from pediatricians is clear: Tobacco threatens children's health. The academy's new policies call on Congress and the FDA to act on this threat by taking action to keep tobacco out of the lives of young people.
E-cigarettes are an increasingly popular tobacco product among teenagers, and use among teens is rising. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13.4 percent of high school students reported using e-cigarettes in 2014, compared to only 1.5 percent in 2011.
Aggressive marketing campaigns are targeting young people with messages that glorify e-cigarettes, and the product, which comes in flavors like gummy bear and cotton candy, is increasingly designed to appeal to a young audience.
But there are no federal regulations for e-cigarettes. There are no safety requirements for how to package toxic liquid nicotine refill containers, and nicotine poisonings are on the rise. Tragically, a one-year old boy from New York became the first child to die from liquid nicotine poisoning in the United States last December. This must change.
[READ: Jeb Bush's Health Care Plan Fills Obamacare's Health IT Gaps]
In its new policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics calls on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expand its jurisdiction to include e-cigarettes, liquid nicotine and all other tobacco products. The FDA has expressed intent to develop regulations requiring nicotine exposure warnings and child-resistant packaging for tobacco products, including liquid nicotine used to refill e-cigarettes. Since the rule-making process can take years to complete, the academy has endorsed legislation currently under consideration in both chambers of Congress that would allow immediate action to make liquid nicotine containers child-resistant. These are basic steps our government can take to protect children from liquid nicotine poisoning, and they should be taken immediately.
E-cigarettes are just the latest threat tobacco products pose to young people. National data show that 95 percent of adult smokers begin smoking before they turn 21. Recognizing this, the academy strongly recommends an increase in the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and electronic nicotine delivery systems, to age 21, nationwide. The recent introduction of the bicameral Tobacco to 21 Act, which would do just that, is an important step in the right direction. A study from the Institute of Medicine showed that increasing the purchase age would lead to 223,000 fewer premature deaths from tobacco-related disease for those born between 2000 and 2019. While less than half of adult smokers (46 percent) become daily smokers before age 18, 4 out of 5 do so before they turn 21.
[READ: Consumers Should Ask More Questions On 'Dangerous' Products]
Hawaii has taken action to increase the purchase age to 21, and several cities, including New York City, have already made this change. It's time the federal government followed suit. Every child needs an environment that promotes health, and their ZIP code should not determine whether or not she can purchase tobacco as a teenager.
Time is not on our side, which makes the FDA's slow progress toward expanding its jurisdiction to include e-cigarettes all the more frustrating. The longer we wait, the more likely we are to see another toddler die by accidentally swallowing toxic liquid nicotine. The longer we wait, the more teenagers will be able to purchase a product we know can cause lifelong addiction, cancer, other health ailments, and even death.
The message from pediatricians is clear: Tobacco threatens children's health. The academy's new policies call on Congress and the FDA to act on this threat by taking action to keep tobacco out of the lives of young people.
Resource :- http://www.usnews.com
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