WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter to President Donald Trump slamming his Administration for a seemingly reversing course on a planned e-cigarette flavor ban. For years, e-cigarette use among children has skyrocketed nationwide, leading the Trump Administration to finally announce—on September 11, 2019—that it would soon ban all non-tobacco e-cigarette flavors “within weeks.” Now, more than two months later, it appears that President Trump is planning to cave to lobbying pressure from Big Tobacco and Big Vape, breaking his promise to protect our nation’s children from a lifetime of nicotine addiction.
“I have watched in horror over the past two months as you have seemingly caved to Big Tobacco and Big Vape lobbying pressure, breaking your promise to address our nation’s youth vaping epidemic,” Durbin wrote. “Children and families nationwide are still hoping that you will reverse course and quickly implement an e-cigarette flavor ban that protects our next generation from a lifetime of nicotine addiction, illness, and death.”
Five million children are now vaping, including one in four high school students—an increase of 135 percent over the past two years alone. Between 2017 and 2018, America saw a 78 percent increase in the number of high-school children using e-cigarettes and a 48 percent increase in the number of middle-school children using these addictive and dangerous products.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2,172 people have been sickened by vaping related illnesses, with 42 deaths reported—including four in Illinois. The illnesses have spread across 49 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In March, Durbin, along with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO-01) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), reintroduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to crack down on kid-friendly flavorings in highly-addictive e-cigarettes and cigars. The Stopping Appealing Flavors in E-Cigarettes for Kids (SAFE Kids) Act will place strong restrictions on e-cigarette flavorings and ban cigar flavorings altogether.
In September, Durbin, along with Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), urged FDA to immediately remove all pod- and cartridge-based e-cigarettes from the market, unless or until they can prove that they benefit the public health.
