Resolution Protecting Youth From Flavored Tobacco Products

Adopted at the 91st Annual Meeting in 2023

  • WHEREAS, Flavored tobacco products 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 initiated with a flavored product;

    WHEREAS, tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., killing more than 480,000 Americans each year and is a major cause of lung cancer, heart disease and other major diseases;

    WHEREAS, Youth e-cigarette use is a public health crisis. In 2022, over 2.5 million youth were current e-cigarette users and 46% of high school e-cigarette users report frequent use (on at least 20 days a month) and 30.1% report daily use;

    WHEREAS, 85% of youth e-cigarette users report using flavored products; e-cigarettes are available in a wide variety of kid-friendly flavors like cotton candy, gummy bear, mint, menthol and pink lemonade;

    WHEREAS, cigars come in hundreds of kid-friendly flavors, like Banana Smash, Chocolate Brownie and Cherry Dynamite, and as a result are the second most popular tobacco product among youth and are especially popular among Black youth;

    WHEREAS, menthol, in particular, cools and numbs the throat and reduces irritation, making menthol cigarettes an appealing option for youth who are initiating tobacco use;

    WHEREAS, Half of youth who have ever tried smoking started with menthol cigarettes;

    WHEREAS, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has concluded that menthol cigarettes lead to increased smoking initiation among youth and young adults, greater addiction, and decreased success in quitting smoking;

    WHEREAS, the tobacco industry has targeted the Black community for decades with marketing for flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes through sponsorship of community and music events, targeted magazine advertising, and retail promotions, and as a result, 85% of all Black smokers smoke menthol cigarettes;

    WHEREAS, each year, approximately 45,000 Black Americans die from a smoking-caused illness;

    WHEREAS, research estimates that prohibiting the sale of menthol cigarettes would prevent as many as 654,000 smoking-caused deaths, including over 255,000 deaths among Black Americans over time and would eliminate the disparity in lung cancer deaths between Black Americans and other racial groups;

    WHEREAS, parents, schools, students and public health organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association, American Heart Association, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids support prohibiting the sale of all flavored tobacco products;

    WHEREAS, The Food & Drug Administration has issued proposed rules to eliminate the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, but will not make it illegal for individuals to possess or use these products;

    WHEREAS, Over 360 localities across the country restrict the sale of flavored tobacco products.

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors supports prohibiting all flavored tobacco products.
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