AHA Launches Major Tobacco Initiative: Tells Big Tobacco to #QuitLying

This November, the American Heart Association’s CEO Nancy Brown announced a major campaign to combat the youth tobacco epidemic. This three-pronged approach will involve a record level of research funding, policy advocacy and youth activation intended to urgently address the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use.

The initiative, launched as 1 in 4 high school students nationwide report using e-cigarettes, has three central components:

• A new $20 million research investment, called the End the Lies Youth Vaping and Nicotine Research Initiative, which will focus urgently on the impact of vaping and nicotine use on youth, funding two or three scientists who will work intensely over the next two years to address the fact that there is no knowledge about the long-term health effects in youth;
• An aggressive, nationwide youth, school and community engagement and awareness campaign, dubbed #QuitLying, (QuitLying.org) designed to hold e-cigarette companies publicly accountable for their lies; and
• An impactful, multi-year fund dedicated to public policy change at all levels of government to prevent youth vaping and nicotine addiction, with foundational support from Kaiser Permanente.

You’re the Cure advocates have been fighting against Big Tobacco and their attempts to hook another generation on their dangerous products for years. We’ve called them on the lies they feed to the public and have made a tremendous amount of progress towards reducing tobacco use. In fact, traditional cigarette use by U.S. teens is at an all-time low. Unfortunately, new, highly appealing products like flavored electronic cigarettes have flooded the marketplace, putting our children at risk and helping jump start a youth tobacco epidemic, because Big Tobacco is at it again…telling lies to increase profits.

With more than 5 million U.S. middle and high school students using electronic cigarettes, and the overwhelming majority using appealing flavors like fruit, mint, and menthol, it is long past time to take action. E-cigarette companies lie to kids when they falsely claim that e-cigarettes are safe, and parents have been deceived by devices that look like USB drives, pens, and eyeliner.  Big Tobacco must #QuitLying to the American public. One way to force their hand is to demand that Congress pass laws that prevent the sale of flavored tobacco products, which are proven to be both highly appealing and addictive to youth users. Please help us tell Big Tobacco to #QuitLying by clicking this link to encourage Congress to take immediate action to prevent the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. It only takes a few minutes to help protect kids from the dangers of tobacco use so please take action today.