Testimony today on HB 137, an effort to cancel ALL Montana communities' local ordinances on tobacco & vaping products. Setting the stage for our trend in youth vaping to continue. 30% of MT high schoolers currently vape.
https://twitter.com/hollykmichels/status/1349504579248017408
I'm concerned about this. It seems to me like we should value our kids' health (and the long term health effects of tobacco use) over the health of this industry, and we're really not doing so in Montana.
A few facts on vaping. <5% of MT adults vape (versus 30% of kids). Many teens, per surveys, regard it as safe (it's not). Most cite the sweet flavors as a major factor in starting, and teens who vape are four times more likely to go on to smoke cigarettes too.
It's frustrating to know that these things are not safe, that they have long-term health effects, and that we're going to be seeing this bill come due in the form of long-term health problems later.
I'm hopeful for FDA action, but in the meantime, the least we can ask is for the legislature not to take away our ability to discuss & address this problem at the local level -- with our local elected officials, using fair and transparent discussion.
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