FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jim McVay, Dr.P.A.
(334) 206-5600
[email protected]
The Alabama Department of Public Health supports efforts to restrict sale of all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, cigars, hookah tobacco and pipe tobacco, among others, and to restrict the sale of all tobacco products to minors.
“Tobacco use remains a significant public health threat and is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in Alabama,” State Health Officer Dr. Tom Miller said. “We applaud efforts by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to control these dangerous products.”
Nearly 9,000 deaths in Alabama are attributed to smoking-related diseases. These deaths are due to cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, secondhand smoke and smokingrelated fires. While there has been a significant decline in the use of traditional cigarettes among youth over the past decade, their use of other tobacco products continues to increase.
A recent survey supported by the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows current e-cigarette use among high school students has increased from 1.5 percent in 2011 to 16 percent in 2015 (more than 900 percent).
A special concern in Alabama is “vaping” by teenagers. This is the use of liquid tobacco in ecigarettes. These are battery-powered devices that heat a liquid — usually containing nicotine mixed with the chemicals propylene glycol and glycerin, and often flavorings ranging from bubble gum to watermelon — into a vapor that users can inhale. They deliver nicotine, a highly addictive drug, to the body without producing any smoke.
This regulatory action is a milestone in consumer protection. Going forward, the FDA will be able to
· Review new tobacco products not yet on the market
· Help prevent misleading claims by tobacco product manufacturers
· Evaluate the ingredients of tobacco products and how they are made
· Communicate the potential risks of tobacco products
The final rule goes into effect on Aug. 8, 2016.