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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 19, 2018 04:05 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Lisa Baker |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Preventing Alternative Nicotine / Vaping Product Sales to Minors |
| As many of us know, there is a complex and expanding marketplace for Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) and Alternative Nicotine Products. ENDS include vapor products such as e-cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or similar products that use vapor cartridges or other containers of nicotine in a solution. Alternative Nicotine Products include noncombustible products containing nicotine that can be chewed, dissolved, absorbed, or ingested such as gum and patches. The Food & Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention have published data from the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey highlighting the exponential increase in e-cigarette use by our children. The percentage of high school-age children reporting past 30-day use of these products rose by more than 75% between the 2017 and 2018 surveys. Use among middle school-age children increased nearly 50%. Clearly this is a national epidemic with product use increases never before seen. I'm planning to introduce legislation that is similar to SB 191 from last Session. The bill will amend Title 18 to prohibit the sale of ENDS and alternative nicotine products to minors, just as current law prohibits such sales for tobacco products. In addition, use of these products would be prohibited in schools, again being consistent with current law on tobacco use in schools. Reversing the dramatic teenage use rates requires efforts on multiple fronts. While the FDA recently published new tobacco sales rules, our state law should reflect the reality of sales history and strive to curb exposure to minors. Please join me by co-sponsoring this legislation. |
Introduced as SB396