Below, a communication from the New York State Somoker's Quitline...which calls on vapers to help eradicate marketing promotions targeting young vapers...
Names such as “Twisted Berry”, “Frooty Lemonade”, “Slushy Tropical” and “Smooth Ice” refer to tobacco products aimed particularly at young people. The tobacco industry's marketing strategy uses flavors to attract new consumers. In fact, more than 80% of young people who tried tobacco started with a flavored product.
Ending the marketing of all flavored tobacco products is crucial to preventing children from starting to use these products. Flavorings make it easier to get started and harder to stop, whether for vaping products, little cigars or smokeless products. New York State took an important step in banning the sale of all flavored e-cigarette products, but failed to address enforcement loopholes and limitations, allowing access and continued promotion of these products among young people. When children have easy access to tobacco, it predisposes them to many years of addiction, lung damage, and other life-threatening illnesses.
Flavorings mask the dangers of tobacco, with many young people not recognizing the risks involved. Once they start using these products, nicotine addiction pushes them to smoke as adults. Nicotine is particularly harmful to adolescent brain development, potentially leading to learning and attention difficulties, memory loss, increased stress, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. The Surgeon General also found that nicotine use during adolescence may increase the risk of future dependence on other drugs.
Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of disease, disability and death. Coordinated action across different sectors, including well-designed policies and environmental changes, is essential to change the norm around tobacco use, combat addiction and improve public health. Visit the Tobacco Free Zone of Cortland, Tompkins and Chenango website for more information and to learn how you can be a part of local change. The Tobacco Free Zone program includes Reality Check, a national initiative for teens interested in exposing the tobacco industry's deceptive marketing practices and promoting a tobacco-free standard in their community.
The editorial point of view: There is no doubt that in France this type of approach cannot take place, since the sale of nicotine products (vape or unfortunately cigarettes) is conditional on the majority of the buyer... That said, if the approach of this association is laudable for protecting children who do not always make informed choices, it is a shame to see that there is a confusion (once again) between nicotine and smoking.
