WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 7, 2023 – This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) launched a new campaign, “Empower Vape-Free Youth,” which aims to empower educators to speak with youth about the risks associated with e-cigarettes and nicotine addiction and to encourage youth to avoid and/or quit e-cigarettes.
Nationwide, the use of e-cigarettes by youth remains high. In 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC National Youth Tobacco Survey showed that more than 2.5 million middle and high schoolers were using e-cigarettes.
Lisa A. Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), issued the following statement in response to the new campaign:
“We applaud OSH for the commitment to preventing youth from starting to use addictive products like e-cigarettes. Aggressive marketing tactics by manufacturers, including the use of appealing flavors – which is exacerbated by under-regulation of these products - require continued awareness and action to address the epidemic of e-cigarette use by youth.
“ACS CAN continues to urge Congress to provide $310 million — a $63.5 million increase — in funding for OSH and opposes any cuts to its budget. Additionally, ACS CAN advocates for fully funding state tobacco prevention and cessation programs; comprehensive evidenced-based state and local tobacco control laws that include e-cigarettes; and for the FDA to use the full weight of its authority to regulate these products.”
As part of the campaign, OSH released several materials, including print resources, animated videos, live action videos, and social media assets. The materials are available on the OSH Media Campaign Resource Center at www.cdc.gov/mcrc.