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What is City Hall doing to protect kids from tobacco products?

A teen who decided to try e-cigarette smoking developed respiratory failure. She was diagnosed with hypersensitivity pneumonitis, or "wet lung," and was treated. The scientists say chemicals in the vapor may have caused an immune reaction.
A teen who decided to try e-cigarette smoking developed respiratory failure. She was diagnosed with hypersensitivity pneumonitis, or "wet lung," and was treated. The scientists say chemicals in the vapor may have caused an immune reaction. Nam Y. Huh AP

A recent article in The Fresno Bee noted that e-cigarette use is on the decline among teens for the first time. That’s great news for public health, but we can’t let our guard down because the tobacco industry will keep coming after our children.

Big Tobacco uses deceptive marketing tactics, flavored products and candy-themed nicotine juice for e-cigarettes to lure teens toward a deadly habit. Each year in California, 34,000 youth start smoking and tobacco is the No. 1 cause of death and disease.

Some communities are protecting youth by implementing tobacco retail licensing ordinances to ensure stores don’t sell products to minors. What is Fresno doing to protect our youth?

I encourage the city and other communities to adopt tobacco retail licensing policies to keep tobacco out of the hands of kids. We must do as much as we can to protect our youth from a lifetime addiction.

Lucie Ekezyan, Fresno

This story was originally published June 21, 2017 at 1:29 PM with the headline "What is City Hall doing to protect kids from tobacco products?."

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