I was
stunned to read a news report by Rebecca Anzel this week which noted over half
of the high school students in Illinois used an e-cigarette last year. The data
came from a study by the U.S. Center for Disease Control. The Illinois stats
are similar to national trends.
If the state
legislature wanted to do something constructive, they’d do something about this
scourge on our children.
In Illinois,
e-cigarettes are not included in a
statewide ban of smoking at virtually all public places. Taxes on them are not
where they need to be when judged against traditional tobacco products like
combustible cigarettes, cigars and snuff. Nothing came out of the legislature
this session addressing flavored electronic products that take a direct aim at
youngsters.
These stats
are an alarm. They reverse the progress which has been made attacking smoking as a social stigma over
the last few decades. I guess this means it’s cool again.
These
products are dirt cheap and deliver, in some instances, a devastating amount of
addictive nicotine.
Here’s the
final reason why this trend must be addressed. A recent Stanford study suggests
those who sometimes use e-cigarettes are five times more likely to be diagnosed with
COVID.
Need I say
more?
Discourage
the use of these products….and encourage our lawmakers to take direct aim on
them.
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