Help Fight Tobacco Use

Tell the Congress: It’s Time to Prohibit All Flavored Tobacco Products

Congress Must Act to Protect Our Kids from E-Cigarettes and Other Candy-Flavored Tobacco Products For too long the federal government, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has been asleep at the switch when it comes to protecting America's youth from tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. The result? Now one out of four high school students use e-cigarettes — 5 million youth in all — a staggering 135 percent increase in high school e-cigarette use in just one year.

What is one major reason kids are attracted to e-cigarettes? The flavors. It is clear that the FDA must halt the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including flavors like "tutti-frutti" and "gummy bear" that clearly appeal to kids. Federal legislation called “Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic” is now pending in the House and Senate. These bills prohibit the sale of all flavored tobacco products and prohibit online sales of e-cigarettes and almost all other tobacco products.

Please ask your Members of Congress to cosponsor these bills.

But kids aren’t only using flavored e-cigarettes, all flavored tobacco products attract kids.

• According to a 2019 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 64% of high school students who used tobacco products, including e-cigarettes used a flavored product in the past 30 days in 2018.
• Menthol in cigarettes and tobacco products makes the poison go down easier, which means more kids starting to use tobacco. It also makes it harder for smokers to quit.
• Flavors in cigars make them extremely popular, especially among high school boys.
That’s why Congress must pass the Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic. Please send a letter to your three Members of Congress urging them to cosponsor this important legislation now.