With more than 1 in 4 high schoolers now using e-cigarettes, Vermont lawmakers need to take action to address the youth e-cigarettes crisis. The tobacco industry’s biggest marketing weapon is flavors, including menthol. 80% of teens who have ever used tobacco started with a flavored product.
It’s not just e-cigarettes, menthol cigarettes are also a big draw to kids because of the cooling sensation that masks throat irritation when smoking. Because of heavy advertising to youth and African Americans, more than 54% of high school students who smoke, smoke menthol, and 9 out of 10 African American smokers use menthol.
Vermont needs to step up its efforts against tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to protect our youth. E-cigarette pods can have just as much nicotine in one pod as a whole pack of cigarettes. Young adults are more susceptible to the effects of nicotine as they are going through critical periods of growth and development.
Flavored tobacco products, including menthol, make smoking and vaping more appealing to youth. Sign the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Vermont and the American Heart Association’s petition to restrict tobacco flavorings in Vermont: https://act.yourethecure.org/NvsbmwA.