Coalition to Restrict Tobacco Flavors to Host Citywide "Back to School, Not Back to Juul" Events

NEW YORK, NY (09/04/2019) (readMedia)-- On Thursday, as NYC public school students head back to school, a broad coalition of parent, community and advocacy organizations will host a day of action throughout New York City to educate parents on the dangers of flavored tobacco products. Volunteers for the coalition -- Flavors Hook Kids NYC -- will also encourage New Yorkers to contact their local Council Members and urge them to support legislation that will restrict the sale of flavored tobacco products, including the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and menthol cigarettes.

There have been a series of recent reports about illnesses and even one death associated with vaping amid a huge increase in youth e-cigarette use. In New York, the state Department of Health recently issued a warning about e-cigarette use, citing multiple cases of "severe pulmonary disease" among patients "who reported recent use of vape products".

According to the CDC's National Youth Tobacco Survey, during the one-year period between 2017 and 2018 e-cigarette use among high school students increased by 78 percent. Over 3 million high school students used e-cigarettes in 2018. And more than 80 percent of kids who have used tobacco started with a flavored product.