As Youth E-cigarette Use Skyrockets, Shaheen Introduces Bill That Requires E-cigarette Manufacturers to Fund Prevention Efforts

**From 2011 to 2018, Youth E-cigarette Use Has Risen Nearly 1400% Fueled by Flavored and Easily-Concealable Products**

**Shaheen Calls Increase in E-cigarette Use Among Youth “Staggering” and That it’s “Time to Crackdown on the Culprits of this Epidemic”**

(Washington, DC)—Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the E-cigarette Youth Protection Act, legislation that requires e-cigarette companies to help fund federal prevention efforts and regulation enforcement. Senator Shaheen’s legislation is being introduced as e-cigarette use is skyrocketing among middle school and high school students. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), e-cigarette use among high school students rose from 1.5 percent in 2011 to 20.8 percent in 2018 – a nearly 1400% increase. Increased nicotine consumption is linked with many health risks, including nicotine addiction, liver damage, increased heart rate and blood pressure, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes in chronic use cases.   

“The increase in e-cigarette use among youth is staggering and the potential health effects are deeply disturbing. It’s past time to crackdown on the culprits of this epidemic,” said Shaheen. “By marketing flavored and easily-concealable products to children, manufacturers bear responsibility for reversing this dangerous trend, and should be required to assist prevention efforts. Congress urgently needs to have this debate, and I will advocate for moving the E-cigarette Youth Protection Act forward on a bipartisan basis.” 

Similar to current fees imposed on traditional cigarette manufacturers, Senator Shaheen’s legislation would require e-cigarette manufacturers to pay a user fee to fund efforts to increase public awareness of the risks of e-cigarette use, particularly outreach to children, as well as enforcing regulations, which includes recently imposed rules that ban flavored products being sold in retail settings and imposing heightened age verification standards online.  These fees on e-cigarette manufacturers would be assessed based on each company’s U.S. market share. 

The text of the legislation can be read here.