Rep. Pollet's bill on e-cigarettes to be heard in committee on Monday

A fifth of high school seniors
in King Countynow smoke or
vape e-cigarettes regularly

The nation’s first bill proposing a comprehensive youth prevention and public health protection program responding to rapid growth of e-cigarette use and youth addiction will be heard in the Washington State House Commerce and Gaming Committee on Monday, March 16, 2015 at 1:30pm in House Hearing Room C.

HB 1645, requested by Governor Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson, was developed over the past year by Prime Sponsor Representative Gerry Pollet (D-46, Seattle) working with experts from the University of Washington School of Public Health, pediatricians and other medical doctors, Washington’s Secretary of Health and Department of Health.

“Addiction to e-cigarettes is an epidemic amongst our teenagers,” said Representative Pollet, prime sponsor of HB 1645, who is a parent of a teenager and instructor at the University of Washington’s School of Public Health. 

“You deserve to know what toxic and carcinogenic chemicals are in e-cigarettes which many consumers, particularly teenagers and young adults, are being misled into mistakenly believing are safe because they are marketed to youth.”

One reason for the targeting of teenagers and young adults with flavors such as bubble gum and razzleberry and marketing that looks like big tobacco’s ad campaigns before regulation to stop ads, is because brains stop forming the nicotine receptors which increase addiction in the early 20s. 

Despite a King County Public Health rule barring sales of e-cigarettes to minors, over a fifth of high school seniors in King County now smoke or vape e-cigarettes regularly according to the “Healthy Youth Survey” released this past Thursday, March 12, 2015 by Public Health – Seattle King County. 

“To prevent youth addiction, the new survey data shows we must stop advertising aimed at youth, properly put on warning and content labels, and increase the cost of e-cigarettes, as we did with cigarettes,” said Pollet.

A University of Washington School of Public Health comprehensive review of public health research on e-cigarette health impacts, toxic ingredients, youth addiction, marketing to youth and lack of efficacy as a smoking cessation tool is available and will be distributed at the hearing.