Whereas tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., kills more than 480,000 Americans each year and is a major cause of lung cancer, heart disease and other major diseases;
Flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, appeal to and are a major cause of youth and young adult tobacco use. Eight out of ten youth who have ever used a tobacco product started with a flavored product;
Nearly 90% of youth e-cigarette users use flavored products; while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the sale of only 23 tobacco-flavored e-cigarette products, illegal, unauthorized e-cigarettes remain for sale in a wide variety of kid-friendly flavors like cotton candy, gummy bear, mint, menthol and pink lemonade;
Half of youth who have ever tried smoking started with menthol cigarettes. The FDA has concluded that menthol cigarettes lead to increased smoking initiation among youth and young adults, greater addiction and decreased success in quitting smoking.
Flavored cigars, which are sold in hundreds of kid-friendly flavors, also attract kids and are especially popular among Black youth.
Now, therefore, as mayors of America's leading cities, we join as members of Mayors for Healthy Kids to reduce tobacco's toll on the residents of our cities and especially our youth.
By using our collective voice, we will advocate for policies to reduce tobacco's toll on our cities, including eliminating all flavored tobacco products.
