The e-cigarette epidemic threatens the health of Minnesota youth. As youth e-cigarette use has soared to epidemic levels, more must be done to protect young people. As part of Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation, ClearWay Minnesota supports regulating e-cigarettes to protect youth and young adults.
Adolescents are especially vulnerable to the health impacts of tobacco use, and easy access, prolific advertising and kid-friendly flavors make e-cigarettes popular among Minnesota youth.
Vaping-related lung injuries and deaths highlight the need for preventing youth e-cigarette use. While injuries in Minnesota seem to be linked to illegal THC and vitamin E acetate, the outbreak highlights the need for prevention. These hospitalizations and deaths serve as another wake-up call that more action is needed to protect teens from harmful e-cigarettes.
E-cigarettes are not proven to be better for quitting than existing cessation programs, and we recommend tobacco users attempting to quit use FDA-approved, scientifically proven cessation methods such as counseling and nicotine replacement therapy (patches, gum and lozenges, e.g.).