HHS Report Recognizes Youth E-Cigarette Use Remains Serious Public Health Problem – Effective Enforcement and Public Education Needed to Address It

WASHINGTON, D.C. – We welcome recent statements by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , including the FDA and the Office of the Surgeon General, recognizing that youth e-cigarette use remains a serious public health problem that must be a national priority. The Make America Healthy Again Commission report released last week called for both public education efforts and enhanced enforcement against illegal products. In addition, a Youth Vaping Resource Guide issued this week by the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General underscores that e-cigarettes remain the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. youth, with over 1.6 million youth reporting current use in 2024. The guide recognizes the key role of flavors in attracting youth, as nearly 9 in 10 current youth e-cigarette users use flavored products.

To continue driving down youth e-cigarette use, we urge the Administration to implement a comprehensive and sustained approach, including rigorous enforcement and evidence-based public education campaigns:

• The FDA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of Justice, and other relevant federal agencies should continue and enhance their coordinated enforcement efforts against illegal, unauthorized e-cigarette products. The latest seizure of 4.7 million units of unauthorized e-cigarettes, with an estimated retail value of $86.5 million, was an important action.
• FDA should continue its successful “The Real Cost” public education campaign, which prevented an estimated 444,252 American youth from starting to use e-cigarettes between 2023 and 2024. 

We also urge the Administration to recognize that efforts to reduce youth e-cigarette use – and overall tobacco use in the U.S. – have been greatly undermined by recent actions that have decimated essential public health infrastructure and programs, including the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. The CDC provides critical support for state and local efforts that are complementary to and distinct from federal efforts to prevent youth tobacco use. Therefore, the Administration should spend all funds that Congress has appropriated for reducing tobacco use, and Congress should continue to fund the Office on Smoking and Health and its lifesaving programs.

To achieve the Administration’s goals of improving children’s health and preventing chronic disease, we should be doing everything we can to prevent youth use of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products.