FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 22, 2019
CONTACTS:
Dave Lemmon, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, (202) 296-5469
Mike VanDenHeuvel, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, (202) 585-3246
Stephanie Goldina, American Lung Association, (312) 801-7629
Jamie Poslosky, American Academy of Pediatrics, (202) 724-3301
Nicole Dueffert, Truth Initiative, (202) 454-5589
Roni Selig, Parents Against Vaping e-cigarettes (PAVe), (648) 872-1351
Jack Deutsch, American Medical Association, (202) 789-7442
Rhea Zigmund, American Academy of Family Physicians, (859) 963-6881
Statement of American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association, American Medical Association, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Parents Against Vaping e-cigarettes (PAVe) and Truth Initiative
The organizations issuing this statement participated in today’s White House meeting on e-cigarettes.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Our organizations have commended President Trump and his Administration for recognizing the severity of the youth e-cigarette epidemic and the need for bold action to prevent e-cigarettes from addicting a generation of children. Today, we reiterate our strong and united support for the Administration’s plan, announced in September, to clear the market of all flavored e-cigarettes including mint and menthol, and we urge the Administration to implement this plan without further delay and without weakening it.
For the Administration’s plan to be effective at stemming this epidemic, it must remove all flavors and apply to all retailers. The health of our children must come first and must not be compromised.
There is no time to waste as the youth e-cigarette epidemic continues to get worse and over 5 million kids now use e-cigarettes. The evidence is clear that flavored products have fueled this epidemic as most youth e-cigarette users report using flavored products and cite flavors as a key reason for their use. E-cigarettes are addicting and endangering millions of kids, and parents, educators and health care providers across the country are struggling to cope.
We urge the Administration to stand with kids and families by swiftly implementing its plan to clear the market of all flavored e-cigarettes. This would represent truly historic action to protect the health of our nation’s children.
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About American Academy of Family Physicians
Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 127,600 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the largest medical society devoted solely to primary care. Family physicians conduct approximately one in five office visits -- that’s 192 million visits annually or 48 percent more than the next most visited medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America’s underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care. To learn more about the specialty of family medicine and the AAFP's positions on issues and clinical care, visit www.aafp.org. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s consumer website, www.familydoctor.org.