Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) issued the following statement today regarding a concerning new report that shows 7 in 10 U.S. middle and high school youth were exposed to e-cigarette ads in 2014, which may contribute increases in e-cigarette use among youth. Pallone once again renewed his call for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to finalize a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed rule to assert jurisdiction over all unregulated tobacco products, including e-cigarettes:
“This latest report confirms what we have long-known-young people in middle and high school, who are more vulnerable to misleading ads, are being enticed to try and use e-cigarettes when they are on the Internet, watching TV, and out shopping. With this new and conclusive data that shows more young people using e-cigarettes as spending to advertise these tobacco products increases, the time to act is long past due.
“For far too long already, the tobacco industry has exploited loopholes and continued to market its products to children. The longer FDA delays in finalization of the rule, the more harm these products will cause to the health of our nation and our children. We need more sufficient regulation and oversight of this industry to prevent companies from marketing potentially addictive products to our kids.
