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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 10, 2013 10:19 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Deberah Kula |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Reintroduction of HB 1831-Prohibition of Nicotine Products in Schools |
| In the near future, I plan to reintroduce legislation that will prohibit the use of both tobacco and nicotine based products in Commonwealth of Pennsylvania schools. The use of such products on school grounds will result in a summary offense. According to the Federal Trade Commission, tobacco companies spend upwards of $534 million to market their products in Pennsylvania, and influence our children. Because of these egregious marketing campaigns, 90% of tobacco users start smoking and using tobacco products before the age of 18. Approximately 18,500 Pennsylvania youth become new daily smokers each year, and today, nearly 18% of public middle and high school students are cigarette smokers. Many of the nicotine products available on the market today are colorful and attractive to young persons. Often, these products look, smell and taste like mints, gum and other candies. Furthermore, because Pennsylvania lacks a tax or user fee on other tobacco products, such as spit or spitless tobacco products and dissolvable tobacco products, the price of these products is much lower than cigarettes, making them more accessible to children who are more likely to purchase cheaper products. By prohibiting the use of both tobacco and nicotine products on school grounds, we can attempt to decrease the prevalence of tobacco and nicotine use at our Commonwealth schools, as well as enhance the currently tobacco-free environments. |
Introduced as HB284