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PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE ORDINANCE AMENDMENT #23-2311
AN AMENDMENT TO CHAPTER 54, ARTICLE V, TOBACCO DEALERS
WHEREAS, e-cigarettes are hooking a new generation on nicotine putting millions of kids at risk and threatening decades of progress in reducing youth tobacco use, and tobacco companies have focused heavily on flavorings because they know that's what attracts a new generation of users. Research shows that flavoring, regardless of the tobacco product, increases the appeal to youth and adults; and
WHEREAS, it has become a nationwide crisis of youth addiction, fueled by thousands of kid-friendly flavors and massive doses of nicotine, some containing as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes; and
WHEREAS, according to the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), over 2.5 million U.S. kids used e-cigarettes in 2022 and almost 85% of youth users report using flavored e-cigarettes: Fruit (71.6%), candy/desserts (34.1%), mint (30.2%), menthol (28.8%), are the most popular flavors reported; and
WHEREAS, from 2017 to 2019, e-cigarette use among high school students more than doubled to 27.5%, leading the U.S. Surgeon General and other public health authorities to declare the problem an "epidemic", and 81% of youth who had never used a tobacco product started with a flavored product; and
WHEREAS, in 2021, 46% of high school e-cigarette users vaped on at least 20 days a month, and 30.1 reported vaping every day; and
WHEREAS, a study of more than 150 e-cigarette ads found all contained youth-appealing content and half featured animation; and
WHEREAS, flavored products are driving youth use and as individuals become increasingly addicted to flavored tobacco products there have been significant reports of severe respiratory illnesses and hospitalizations among youth and adults with use of e-cigarette products; and
WHEREAS, the use of menthol flavoring is particularly prevalent among young adults and African Americans with an estimated 85.8% of African...
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