Stevens Votes to Combat Youth Tobacco Epidemic

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11) voted to pass H.R. 2339, a bill to block the manufacture and sale of flavored tobacco products and prohibit companies from marketing e-cigarettes to underage youth.

The number of middle and high school students using e-cigarettes has doubled over the past two years to more than 5.3 million, 97% of whom use flavored e-cigarettes with flavors like cotton candy and gummy bear that are designed to appeal to children. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, youth use of nicotine in any form is unsafe and can seriously harm brain development and lead to other lifelong negative health outcomes like respiratory illness or cardiovascular disease. In 2019, Michigan became the first state to ban flavored vaping products.

“Millions of middle and high school students across the country are being hooked by highly addictive flavored tobacco products that are designed to appeal to children,” said Congresswoman Stevens. “Youth tobacco use is unsafe by any measure, and the dramatic spike in e-cigarette use over the past couple years is an emerging public health crisis. Today, I was proud to stand with concerned parents in Michigan and across the country, passing strong bipartisan legislation to block the manufacture and sale of flavored tobacco products and prohibiting tobacco companies from marketing to youth under age 21.”

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