Colorado Fails In Smoking Prevention Efforts: American Lung Assn.

COLORADO – A new report from the American Lung Association finds that both the federal government and states are not doing enough to prevent and reduce tobacco use. While the implementation of policies called for in the “State of Tobacco Control Report” has led to an all-time low in adult and youth cigarette smoking rates, there was a “dramatic and extremely troubling” 78 percent rise in youth e-cigarette use from 2017 to 2018, the report states.

Overall, Colorado received two "F" grades, two "B" grades and "D" grade from the American Lung Association, which alled for specific actions Colorado lawmakers can take to reduce tobacco use.

E-cigarette use among teens could set the stage “for not only another generation of Americans addicted to tobacco products but ultimately more tobacco-caused death and disease,” the report says. The report criticizes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for failing to use its full authority over the manufacture, marketing and sale of tobacco products to put meaningful restrictions in place, giving the agency an “F” grade for regulation of tobacco products.

The report blames the FDA’s inaction for the steep rise in e-cigarette use among youths. It also singles out the popular e-cigarette “JUUL,” which it says has claimed the largest share of the overall e-cigarette market in a very short time period. Sales restrictions implemented by the FDA on flavored products don’t go far enough, as they don’t apply to mint or menthol of e-cigarettes, the report says.

The City of Lakewood voted this week to more strictly regulate the sale of e-cigarettes in tobacco stores. The Jefferson County Health Department declared youth vaping a county-wide health crisis,especially for children and teens. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has said Colorado youth are vaping nicotine at twice the national average.

In an article cited in the publication says that more than 50 percent of high schoolers use mint or menthol e-cigarettes. Furthermore, the American Lung Association says, the FDA’s decision to delay the review of all e-cigarettes until 2022 also contributed to the rise of e-cigarette use among youths.

However, the Lung Association did praise the FDA on two measures: a proposed rule that would prohibit the sale of menthol cigarettes and all flavored cigars, as well as a nationwide media campaign focused on reducing e-cigarette use among youths aged 12-17.

The Lung Association said that overall, states “continued their unfortunate record of failing to put in place the proven policies” called for in the report to reduce deaths caused by tobacco.

The policies the organization says states should adopt are:

• Increase funding for tobacco control programs and focus these programs on at-risk populations
• Comprehensive smoke-free laws must be passed in the 22 states that do not have them
• Expand comprehensive cessation coverage in all-Medicaid programs
• Increase tobacco taxes and equalize taxes across all tobacco products
• Increase the minimum age of sale to 21

The report also pointed out positive measures adopted by states; Massachusetts became the sixth state to pass a law increasing tobacco sale age to 21; Oklahoma and the District of Columbia approved significant increases to state tobacco taxes; and Kansas and New Jersey expanded Medicaid coverage for smoking cessation treatments.

Each state was given a grade for the five policies recommended in the report and while no state received an “A”in each category, the Lung Association says the states doing the best job are Alaska, California, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia.

Here are the actions the Lung Association says Colorado can take to reduce tobacco use:

"All states and the federal government can do more to reduce tobacco use; the FDA in particular has been asleep at the switch for far too long. Their failure to act for years set the stage for e-cigarette use among youth to finally explode into an epidemic," American Lung Association President and CEO Harold P. Wimmer said in a news release. "We call on the FDA and Commissioner Gottlieb to make 2019 the year it takes decisive action on youth e-cigarette use and removes menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars from the marketplace."

If you need help quitting smoking in Colorado, check out the following websites and resources:

• Colorado QuitLine: A free quitting service available to Colorado residents age 15 and older.
• CO Quit Mobile: A powerful, free, text-message-based program for people striving to quit tobacco.
• TobaccoFreeCO: Provides quitting resources, information on the problem of tobacco in Colorado, and ways to get involved in the fight against tobacco.

You can read the full report from the American Lung Association here.

By Feroze Dhanoa Patch National Staff

Image via Shutterstock

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