Flavored Tobacco and Youth

The tobacco industry is targeting a new generation of kids with flavored tobacco products and lower prices. In 2009, the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the sale of flavored cigarettes (other than menthol) because they appeal to youth. But flavored e-cigarettes, e-liquid, cigars, hookah, and chewing tobacco are still allowed to be sold.

Tobacco is the only product sold that kills when used as intended and is harmful and deadly to everyone-even to people who do not use tobacco products.

In the last two years, vaping has increased 218% among middle schoolers and 135% among high schoolers, with 91.6% of high school students using flavored tobacco (Journal of the American Medical Association/CDC).

Sweet Flavors and Youth

Flavors, including menthol, make it easier to start smoking because they taste good and mask tobacco's harshness making it easier to breath in. There are currently more than 15,586 tobacco flavors on the market, many of which are kid friendly. Examples, include "Gummy Bear", "Bubblegum", and even "Cotton Candy". Smokers who start at a younger age, are more likely to develop a severe nicotine addiction. For these reasons, it is dangerous for youth to use these tobacco products.

Kids should grow up without the tobacco industry poisoning their childhood.

Below, over 40 different tobacco/cannabis related devices and items that were confiscated from a local Shasta County School. The most popular flavor? Aloe Grape and Strawberry Banana.

Health Risks of Flavoring Chemicals and Nicotine

Nicotine is poison for the adolescent brain and changes the way connections form in the brain. Nicotine can interfere with attention and learning and can increase anxiety, mood swings, and irritability.

Tobacco companies use a highly concentrated form of nicotine called nicotine salts that are made for vaping. Nicotine salts allow for higher concentrations to be inhaled more easily and absorbed more quickly than regular nicotine. Whether it's regular nicotine or nicotine salts, addiction happens fast and can lead to further substance abuse.

E-cigarette flavors are created with chemicals, many of which are toxic. Some of the common chemicals used include propylene glycol- used to make things like antifreeze and paint solvents, acrolein- a herbicide primarily used to kill weeds, and carcinogens known to cause cancer, and even formaldehyde- an embalming fluid.

When the e-liquid heats up additional toxic chemicals are created. While the health impacts of inhaling some of these chemicals is still unknown, we do know that many of these chemicals cause cancer, lead to breathing difficulties, chest pain, nausea, abdominal pain, fever, weight loss, and much, much more.

What Can Be Done?

1. Educate yourself:Can you spot the vapes hiding in plain sight in the video below?

2. Talk to your children about the dangers of smoking at an early age. Tell them about how flavors are used to make tobacco less harsh and make people want to try them. Talk to them about the harmful chemicals in e-liquid. Flavors and menthol do not make tobacco safer.

3. Make your home smoke-free and don't use tobacco in front of children.

4. Make your voice heard! Speak out about how flavors entice kids into wanting to use tobacco products and how menthol cigarettes are more addictive than non-flavored cigarettes. Write a letter to the newspaper, an opinion piece, a blog or use Facebook and other social media to tell others what you think.

5. Keep learning and teaching others about policies that make it harder to buy menthol cigarettes and flavored tobacco products.