WASHINGTON, DC - The House Energy and Commerce Committee added to its bipartisan #RecordOfSuccess on Thursday as President Obama signed S. 142, the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act into law. S. 142 is the companion legislation to H.R. 3242, authored by committee member Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN) and Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) and was approved by the House earlier this month. The bipartisan legislation requires child-resistant packaging for e-liquid products that contain poisonous nicotine, which come in many colors and flavors, often appearing attractive to children. Small amounts of concentrated liquid nicotine can be fatal for young children.
“As Ben Franklin once said ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ - and that’s what this effort is all about. With the stroke of the president’s pen, our kids will now safer from liquid nicotine poisoning," said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI). “I applaud the leadership of Rep. Susan Brooks - she identified a problem and came up with a thoughtful solution to protect our kids that’s now law. I am proud that the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act is part of our bipartisan record of success."
“Child safety packaging is a natural solution to the growing number of people, especially children, experiencing medical emergencies and even death from swallowing or touching liquid nicotine products," added Brooks. “I want to especially thank Hoosier pediatricians and the Indiana Poison Center for their important advocacy on this proposal, and am pleased that our kids are now better protected from liquid nicotine poisoning under this new law."
