By Dan Murphy
The outcry from public health officials and Westchester elected officials from all levels of government warning about the use and abuse of vaping by teens and young adults has resulted in a discussion over whether communities in Westchester should ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes.
The Town of Eastchester and the City of Yonkers are moving forward with anti-vaping laws. At the Sept. 3 Eastchester Town Board meeting, the board voted to adopt a local law to prevent the sale of electronic nicotine delivery products within the town.
The Electronic Nicotine Delivery Product Law would prohibit the sale of tobacco substitutes containing nicotine from being sold in town. This includes, but is not limited to, e-cigarettes, vaporizers and vape pens, lozenges or other candy, drinks, liquid nicotine and other e-liquids, and inhalers.
Any retailer who has sold these products prior to the enactment of the law would have to cease selling them within six months.
Countless studies have shown that these products are heavily favored by the youth of the community, therefore the adoption of this law would prevent easy access for our youth and protect the health, safety and welfare of the community
In Yonkers, Mayor Mike Spano & City Council President Mike Khader joined in support for legislation to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarette products in Westchester’s largest City.
“Nicotine poses very serious health risks to adolescents, and parents and health professionals are rightfully demanding action, especially since the state health department is reporting a growing number of cases where vaping is causing lung damage resulting in hospital stays,” said Spano. “Federal and state action is ultimately needed to effectively address this problem, but we will not wait to act while more of our children become addicted and sickened by e-cigarette use.”
Khader added: “When a vaping company’s CEO tells you not to use their product, it raises a red flag. Aggressive marketing by big tobacco has introduced a whole new generation to nicotine addiction, almost completely unnoticed. With flavors like bubble gum and Fruit Loops, it makes vaping all too appealing to teens. That’s why I’m proud to stand alongside Mayor Spano, my colleagues on the council, and the Board of Education in supporting a ban on the sale of flavored e-liquids in Yonkers. Let’s keep these products out of the hands of our youth, and start putting people before profits.”
The U.S. surgeon general has issued an advisory on e-cigarette use among youth and young adults, calling it a public health concern. Additionally, studies consistently report that availability of flavors is among the most prominently cited reasons for youth e-cigarette use. E-cigarettes are now the most commonly used tobacco product among youth, and in the U.S., youth are more likely than adults to use e-cigarettes.
Data from the 2011-18 National Youth Tobacco Survey shows that among high school students, the prevalence of current e-cigarette use increased from 1.5 percent (220,000 students) in 2011 to 20.8 percent (3.05 million students) in 2018. Among middle school students, current e-cigarette use increased from 0.6 percent in 2011 (60,000 students) to 4.9 percent (570,000 students) in 2018.
The survey noted a particularly shocking increase in use from 2017 to 2018, during which time there was a 78 percent increase in current e-cigarette use among high school students and a 48 percent increase among middle school students. More than two-thirds are using flavored e-cigarettes.
According to the surgeon general, the e-cigarette aerosol that users breathe from the device, and exhale, can contain potentially harmful substances, including nicotine, ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs, flavoring such as diacetyl – a chemical linked to a serious lung disease. volatile organic compounds, cancer-causing chemicals, and heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead.
“Let’s be honest – flavored e-cigarettes aren’t about helping adults stop smoking,” said Spano. “They’re about helping our kids start smoking. Yonkers needs to say ‘no’ to creating a new generation of nicotine addicts.
“If we do not act now, we risk the health of an entire generation of young people who may become addicted to nicotine through the appeal of flavored e-cigarettes,” he continued. “We risk seeing more young people being treated for health problems due to the potentially serious negative impacts of e-cigarette aerosols. We also risk the significant progress achieved in reducing cigarette use and the associated health care costs for treating the diseases caused by cigarettes. Elected leaders and parents have a responsibility to take action to protect our youth.”
The Yonkers City Council moved quickly, calling a special meeting and unanimously approving the new law which will become effective October 1, 2019.
