Teenage Vaping is a Growing Problem and Rates are Reaching Epidemic Proportions.

Vaping is associated with lifelong nicotine addiction. Locally, we have had many wins, as we have banned all tobacco sales in Beverly Hills and Manhattan Beach, and banned flavors in Los Angeles County and Long Beach, and many other cities are considering similar flavor bans. These local ordinances have also sparked other anti-tobacco legislation to come back, include smoking in public areas and smoking in multi-unit housing. We have a need to identify chapter members who can provide testimony about hazards of smoking/vaping in local city council meetings around Los Angeles County and in other counties in our chapter. Please contact us if you are willing to attend you local or nearby city council meeting to provide testimony during public comment if a tobacco-related ordinance is being discussed.

Vaping Op-Eds

Op-ed (Flavored Tobacco Products) August 11, 2021

How can I help my child quit e-cigarettes?

This is a difficult question that a rising number of parents are asking their pediatricians. Nearly half of teens in the US who use e-cigarettes want to quit but find it hard to do. As the executive director of the American Academy of Pediatrics, California Chapter 2… Read More

En Español

¿Cómo puedo ayudar a mi hijo a dejar de fumar cigarrillos electrónicos?

Ésta es una pregunta difícil que un número creciente de padres les hace a sus pediatras. Casi la mitad de los adolescentes en los EE. UU. que usan cigarrillos electrónicos quieren dejar de fumar, pero les resulta difícil hacerlo. Continúe leyendo

Vaping/Nicotine Addiction
Treatment and Counseling

Visit: www.nobutts.org

Or call 1 (800) NO – BUTTS

1(800) 662 – 8887

Addressing the Dangers of Increased E-Cigarette Use Among Youth: A Call to Action for Clinicians

Published by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, September 2019
Tony Kuo, MD, MSHS, FAAFP and Alice Kuo, MD, PhD, MBA, FAAP, FACP and the Los Angeles County Medical Societies

Many in the medical and public health communities are increasingly concerned with the use of electronic cigarette products (e-cigarettes) among youth. These electronic products, which are handheld devices designed to “deliver emissions for inhalation by heating a solution that commonly contains nicotine, a humectant, and flavoring chemicals” (i.e., designed for the act of vaping) are becoming all too common in youth sensitive areas such as schools, parks, and libraries.

resources

policy statement - public policy to protect children from tobacco, nicotine, and tobacco smoke

“Flavoring agents, including menthol, cloves, fruit, and candy flavors, should be prohibited in tobacco products. Flavoring agents increase the appeal of tobacco products to youth. Tobacco use initiation and progression to dependence are more common with use of the flavored products. Menthol flavoring is particularly hazardous to children. Youth who initiate smoking with a menthol-flavored tobacco product are more likely to progress to dependence and to report higher levels of dependence.”

policy statement - e-cigarettes and similar devices

“E-cigarette solutions are often flavored, with thousands of unique flavors advertised. Populare options include fruit, candy, and dessert flavors and are appealing to children and youth. Availability of flavors is among the nost prominently cited reasons for youth e-cigarette use. Studies reveal that candy or fruit-flavored e-cigarettes are more appealing than tobacco flavors to adolescents and young adults. Furthermore, adolescents perceive that e-cigarettes with flavors are less harmful than those with tobacco flavors, creating a potential misperception that e-cigarettes with flavors do not contain nicotine. Flavorings (other than menthol) have been banned in conventional cigarettes since the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 because flavoring encourages youth experimentation and regular use and results in addiction.”

aap richmond center for excellence

The AAP Richmond Center for Excellence has some great resources on the dangers of e-cigarettes, including a customizable PowerPoint presentation. The American Academy of Pediatrics Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence is committed to protecting children from tobacco and secondhand smoke. Clinicians, researchers, advocates, and families all play a critical role. The Richmond Center offers tools and resources to help clinicians and communities, as well as supports research and policy development to create a healthy environment for children, adolescents, and families.

Downloadable fact sheets

These resources are here to help facilitate conversations between providers, parents, and patients.

The Flavor Trap – Resource Document
A 2009 federal law, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, prohibited the sale of cigarettes with characterizing flavors other than menthol or tobacco, including candy and fruit flavors. However this prohibition did not apply to other tobacco products In recent years, tobacco companies have significantly stepped up the introduction and marketing of flavored non-cigarette tobacco products, especially electronic cigarettes and cigars.

This regore documents the widespread availability of these flavored other tobacco products and the scientific evidence demonstrating that flavors play a critial role in the popularity of these products among youth.