DeLauro, Esty Introduce Bill Banning E-Cigarette Marketing to Children

1 in 4 Connecticut high school students have tried e-cigarettes

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, U.S. Representative Elizabeth Esty (CT-5) introduced the Protecting Children from Electronic Cigarette Advertising Act, H.R. 478, which would prohibit advertising and marketing e-cigarettes to children. U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) is a coauthor of Esty’s bill.

According to a recent Yale University study, one in four Connecticut high school students has tried e-cigarettes. Between 2011 and 2013, the percentage of middle and high school students nationwide who have tried e-cigarettes more than tripled.

Today at 11 AM, Reps. Esty and DeLauro will join Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn), who has championed this issue in the Senate, to host a roundtable with students at the Metropolitan Business Academy in New Haven for a candid discussion on the use of e-cigarettes among their peers.

“While e-cigarettes remain largely unregulated on the federal level, more and more of our children are getting hooked on nicotine. Alarmingly, one in four Connecticut high school students has tried e-cigarettes. Children and adolescents are not using e-cigarettes and vaporizers to quit smoking, but instead are using these devices to start smoking. That’s why I’m introducing the Protecting Children from Electronic Cigarette Advertising Act to prohibit the advertising and marketing of e-cigarettes to children. E-cigarette companies are using shameful tactics, such as advertising with Joe Camel-like cartoons and developing flavors like bubblegum and cotton candy, to addict our children early—and guarantee another generation of smokers. We have made too much progress reducing nicotine use to roll back the clock now,” said Esty, who worked on smoking prevention and cessation as a lawyer, a state legislator, and a PTA volunteer in her children’s classrooms.

“We must continue to fight the scourge of nicotine use among our nation’s youth, including e-cigarettes,” said DeLauro, a member of the subcommittee responsible for funding the Food and Drug Administration. “Multiple reports, including from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Yale indicate that many more adolescents are seeking out these potentially dangerous nicotine delivery systems. Even worse, companies are aggressively targeting this market with candy-flavored products and celebrity endorsements. They are not healthy and fun; they are lethal, addictive, dangerous toxic nicotine delivery devices. Just one teaspoon of liquid nicotine can be lethal to a child. We should treat e-cigarettes like other tobacco products and stop companies from marketing them to children and teenagers. I am proud to join Congresswoman Esty in reintroducing this bill that would do just that.”

“The graphic stories behind the statistics – of growing youth e-cigarette use – need to be heard to help prevent the spread of nicotine addiction and disease. Yale’s findings signal chronic health problems ahead for thousands of Connecticut youth. This study confirms and amplifies earlier research that shows children who have not previously used traditional tobacco products are experimenting with e-cigarettes. They are a glaring alarm bell that should serve as a call to action to lawmakers and regulators. We cannot continue to allow tobacco companies to lure the younger generations into addiction by using flavoring and advertising campaigns that are enticing to kids. I am working with my colleagues in Congress to introduce legislation that will protect our children from this growing health scourge,” said Blumenthal.

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