The Surgeon General is calling for “all hands on deck” to fight teen e-cigarette use. Dr. Jerome Adams released an advisory that calls for placing taxes, age limits and restricted sales on e-cigarettes.
Teen vaping has become a significant public health threat, according to the Surgeon General. A recent survey shows that 37% of high school seniors tried vaping, up from 28% in 2017.
The Surgeon General’s rare advisory, the fourth in 10 years, highlights the growing use and abuse of e-cigarette devices among teens.
“For the first time in over forty years, we’ve seen a doubling of the rate of use of a substance in just over a year,” Adams said.
Part of the problem is that teens may not realize that e-cigarettes can deliver high doses of nicotine. Juul, the most popular vaping device among teens, does not offer nicotine-free flavors. A typical Juul cartridge contains as much nicotine as a pack of 20 cigarettes.
“These products also use nicotine salts, which allow particularly high levels of nicotine to be inhaled more easily and with less irritation than the free-base nicotine that has traditionally been used in tobacco products, including e-cigarettes," Adams added.
Many states have already imposed age restrictions on the purchase of e-cigarettes. Online stores, like VapeActive, do not allow access if the visitor is under the age of 18.
The Food and Drug Administration has announced several measures to help keep vape products out of the hands of teenagers and also limit online sales. The FDA has also proposed a federal age limit of 18 to purchase e-cigarettes.
Although e-cigarettes can help some adults quit smoking, they provide no benefit to teens. In fact, nicotine is harmful to a teen’s young and developing brain. According to Adams, nicotine can cause attention, learning and memory problems in teens. It can also “prime the brain for addiction.”
Although Adams has no regulatory power, he takes on the role of the nation’s top doctor and health advisor.
The Surgeon General’s advisory comes after FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb also declared teen vaping an “epidemic.” The agency has threatened to halt sales of flavored e-cigarettes completely if the industry does not cooperate.
The FDA has targeted more than 1,300 online and physical stores with warning letters or civil penalties for selling to minors. Among those retailers, 131 will have to pay fines.
Many states are not waiting for the FDA to take action against e-cigarettes. California introduced a bill that would ban the sale of flavored tobacco products in vending machines and retail stores. More than two dozen cities and counties already have similar restrictions in place, but California would be the first to implement a state-wide ban.
“We must stop the appalling epidemic of e-cigarette use by youths,” said California Senator Jerry Hill, who introduced the bill. “Enticed by fruit, candy and other appealing flavors, high school and middle school students throughout the U.S. are vaping in record numbers. The surge has reversed the decline in underage use of all tobacco products.”
Violating the proposed ban would result in penalties of $400-$600 for the first incident and increase to $6,000 for a fifth incident within five years.