Five Years After Tobacco 21, McConnell Highlights Progress Against Youth Nicotine Addiction
‘If we’ve learned anything in the fight against addiction, it’s that families are right to be worried. At this critical stage of development, nicotine products can be the first step in a life maligned by serious health problems. So while more work remains, I’m proud that the Senate stepped up to address this public health crisis. And I’m grateful to see this legislation actually making a difference.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the Tobacco-Free Youth Act:
“I’d like to end on something the walls of this chamber don’t hear enough of: some good news.
“According to an annual survey conducted by the CDC and the FDA, the number of young people in America smoking e-cigarettes dropped to its lowest level in the last decade.
“Let me say that again: e-cigarette use among America’s youth is now roughly one-third of the all-time high it hit just five years ago.
“Now there are a lot of factors at play in this downward trend. But one powerful tailwind originated right here in the Senate.
“In 2019, youth e-cigarette use was at its peak. That’s the year that I wrote and introduced the Tobacco-Free Youth Act with my friend Senator Kaine. Our bipartisan bill raised the minimum age to purchase tobacco products – including e-cigarettes devices – from 18 to 21.
“We didn’t try to reinvent the wheel. We knew that nearly all smokers – roughly 95 percent – started by the age of 21. By raising the age limit, less tobacco winds up in high schools, which means less opportunity for children to get their hands on addictive vaping devices.
“This issue hits close to home. Kentucky has the highest cancer rate in the country. In years past, we’ve even topped the list for highest proportion of cigarette-related cancer deaths.
“Now as the senior Senator of Kentucky, my decision to spearhead this legislation surprised some people. My home state has a close connection to tobacco. But as I’ve pointed out in the past, Kentucky farmers don’t want their children forming nicotine addictions any more than the next parent.
“If we’ve learned anything in the fight against addiction, it’s that families are right to be worried. At this critical stage of development, nicotine products can be the first step in a life maligned by serious health problems.
“So while more work remains, I’m proud that the Senate stepped up to address this public health crisis. And I’m grateful to see this legislation actually making a difference.”
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Related Issues: Tobacco 21
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