Letter to the Hon. Alex Azar, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services - With New York state ban on kid-friendly e-cig flavors totally frozen, Schumer --standing with Orange County kids-- pushes new plan that bans flavors at the national level; legislation, with strong backers, could pass--but it requires congress to act

Letter

Dear Secretary Azar:

I write to strongly urge you to develop and implement an interagency, national strategy to combat the alarming epidemic of youth e-cigarette use. As the leader of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), you oversee the core agencies responsible for responding to this public health crisis, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG). While I am pleased by recent actions taken by these agencies, it is imperative that the administration complement these actions with a long-term strategy to educate the groundbreaking number of youth e-cigarette users and prevent additional youth from initiating use.

In the midst of the current outbreak of severe respiratory illness associated with e-cigarettes, of which 16 percent of patients are under 18 years old, it is crucial that we do not lose sight of the sustained trend of youth use of these products. Nearly one in four high school students currently use e-cigarettes, and there were 1.5 million more current youth e-cigarette users in 2018 than 2017, representing a staggering 78 percent increase. The disproportionate use of e-cigarettes among youth is particularly alarming due to the harmful effects of nicotine on the developing brain. We cannot continue to subject our youth to these products and a potential lifetime of nicotine addiction, when the products themselves should not have been allowed on the market prior to a comprehensive review of their impact on public health.

I support recent actions the FDA, CDC, and OSG have taken steps to address the e-cigarette youth epidemic, such as the Surgeon General's advisory released in December 2018 and the FDA's move to clear the market of all unauthorized, non-tobacco flavored e-cigarettes. In coordination with the CDC's epidemiological resources and capacity, I believe the agencies are well-equipped to handle this epidemic. However, due to the unprecedented scale of the youth e-cigarette epidemic, more must be done. The FDA's "The Real Cost Campaign", while an important educational tool, will not ameliorate this crisis alone. In fact, almost 80 percent of middle and high school students still do not perceive e-cigarette use as harmful to their health. This must change if we are to turn the tide on the epidemic.

The need for a national strategy and awareness campaign on youth e-cigarette use is clear. Much like e-cigarette manufacturers targeted children at school and summer camps with enticing marketing tactics, there should be a concerted effort on behalf of our public health agencies to counter these messages with programmatic interventions and resource dissemination. It is imperative that these initiatives are carried out in a timely manner in order to meet the needs of our youth who are already using and addicted to e-cigarettes, as well as prevent others from engaging with these products in the first place. Communities and families across the country are depending on swift action to keep their children safe not only in the short-term, but for years to come.

We must continue to prioritize the health of our nation's youth. I stand ready to work with you, and welcome any input on ways in which Congress can assist in these efforts. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.

Source