* Rebecca Anzel at Capitol News Illinois…
Half of Illinois high school students reported using an electronic tobacco product last year, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey found, “erasing gains” made by health advocates in recent years to curb tobacco use.
That trend of increasing e-cigarette, hookah and vape pen use is on par with the U.S. at large, which the nation’s wellness protection agency noted was a factor that prompted the surgeon general to proclaim electronic tobacco use an “epidemic.”
Fighting traditional cigarette, cigar and smokeless tobacco use “has always been a multi-prong approach,” Shana Crews, Illinois government relations director for the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network, said in an interview. State officials and advocates passed “strong smoke-free laws” and secured increased funding for tobacco cessation and education programs.
But in Illinois, electronic cigarettes are not included in a statewide ban of smoking at virtually all public places, taxes on the products are not “at parity” with traditional tobacco products and legislative proposals to ban flavored electronic products were not addressed by the General Assembly this session.
“We need to make sure that we’re treating electronic cigarettes just as we are combustible cigarettes,” Sen. Julie Morrison, a Democrat from Deerfield and long-time anti-tobacco advocate, said in a phone interview. “We were doing so well on changing the culture of smoking and now, especially the younger generation has gone backward.”
The study is here.
- Anon E Moose - Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 9:48 am:
How else can they satisfy that “t-zone”? /snark
- Anon E Moose - Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 9:49 am:
t-zone reference for youngsters: http://tobacco.stanford.edu/tobacco_web/images/tobacco_ads/for_your_throat/t_zone/large/tzone_03.jpg
- Lurker - Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 10:00 am:
For teens, vaping has nothing to do with traditional tobacco. Just saying.
- DuPage Saint - Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 10:06 am:
I thought you had to be 21 now. And treat it just like tobacco tax it and restrict it. It has no value except maybe for smokers to quit and only a guess but would not be surprised if it leads to smoking among you people
- Mr. Hand - Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 10:09 am:
Definitely epidemic that is rooted in peer pressure. However, I am interested to see if Illinois has any positive results since passing more stringent laws with vaping in July 2019.
- Fav Human - Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 10:09 am:
treating electronic cigarettes just as we are combustible cigarettes,” Sen. Julie Morrison,
Uh, these things didn’t just appear, they’ve been around for like 10 years. I wonder what the Senator was doing all this time…..
- Fresh ideas - Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 10:44 am:
The rate of increase in how many kids are vaping is incredibly alarming, and should call for incredibly drastic action to restrict access and discourage use. Revise anti-tobacco curriculum in health classes ASAP, boost enforcement of Tobacco 21 for vapes in particular, massive public campaigns against vaping and significant regulations on the level of nicotine allowed in vapes on the market in Illinois.
We cannot have another generation addicted to nicotine because we didn’t have the political will to stop it, there is enough public health issues going on already
- Moderate Mom - Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 10:47 am:
In my experience working with teens many of them vape because nicotine is a stimulant and they think it helps them to focus while doing school work and testing. It is sometimes taking the place of Adderall abuse for the same things. Because they aren’t smoking a cigarette they think they aren’t doing any damage to their bodies. They ask my why suddenly their sports performance is failing and the first question I ask is are you vaping?
- cermak_rd - Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 10:55 am:
If vaping does not create the second hand smoke problem then it seems that allowing people to vape in non-smoking areas should be OK since the justification was that second hand smoke was dangerous to non-partakers.
What I would like to see is more concern for the materials in the chemicals used. IT wasn’t so long ago that everyone was concerned about vaping lung (or whatever it was called)
- Nearly Normal - Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 11:39 am:
Vaping may also be spreading COVID-19. Young adults who vape and have gotten COVID have admitted they shared their vape with others. I doubt there was any sanitizing of the mouthpiece in these cases.
- Dotnonymous - Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 12:11 pm:
Tobacco dealers and the tobacco Cartels are criminals who push a known to be deadly product…at kids.
They are the actual drug pushers.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 12:20 pm:
=Uh, these things didn’t just appear, they’ve been around for like 10 years. =
Yep, it was a niche market until Juul got the bright idea to market toward kids and their revenue quadrupled in a year.
Anecdotally only, not gard data, we are seeing a decrease in schools. Part education and part hard core enforcement with substantial fines seems to be having a tangible impact.
- Present - Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 1:11 pm:
I know of a young man who did not consume any tobacco. Vaping was considered safe. You can buy some that smells likes air. He started with the non tobacco smelly kind. Now he has added tobacco and being told they are not safer. When people started smoking tobacco everyone thought it was fine too. Doctors gave it to patients and the military found them in their rations. I recently started using one and I will never smoke cigarettes again. You really have the illusion its much better. No smoker coughs, headaches or smells. The smell of cigarettes is horrible so without that you could easily hide it.
- jim - Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 2:51 pm:
“electronic tobacco”?
didn’t know there was such a thing.
- Al - Wednesday, Aug 26, 20 @ 4:07 pm:
The ban on bubble gum, fruit and candy flavors by the FDA should have been implemented years ago. Hopefully with the ban in place the numbers will improve going forward.