WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 16, 2015 – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data today from its National Youth Tobacco Survey that found a dramatic increase over one year (from 2013-2014) in teen use of e-cigarettes (now 13.4 percent for high school students) and hookah (now 9.4 percent for high school students). However, there has been no change in overall tobacco use rates among middle and high school students (7.7 percent and 24.6 percent respectively). Teen use of more traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes and cigars has declined.
Following is a statement from Chris Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), about the survey results:
“Six years after passage of the Tobacco Control Act, the Food and Drug Administration’s continued delays in regulating e-cigarettes and several other tobacco products as Congress intended are proving to have dangerous consequences for our nation’s youth.
“Although we are pleased that fewer youth are smoking cigarettes and cigars, the CDC data released today reveal that a rapidly growing number of teens are using unregulated products such as e-cigarettes and hookahs. The FDA has the authority to put an end to the tobacco industry’s egregious efforts to addict youth to these products, but it has yet to take action.
“What’s more, if finalized as written, the FDA’s one-year-old proposal to regulate all tobacco products would do nothing to eliminate flavors that are attractive to youth or restrict provocative industry marketing aimed at teens. Each passing day without meaningful FDA regulation enables the industry to continue its despicable tactics to addict our sons and daughters to nicotine.
“There is no reason for a teen to use any tobacco product. Nicotine exposure at a young age can cause lasting harm to brain development, and the addiction to nicotine often lasts for life. There’s never been more urgency for the FDA to act swiftly.”
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Lauren Walens or Steven Weiss
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Phone: (202) 661-5763 or (202) 661-5711
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
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