The American Lung Association gives a federal agency and individual state governments poor marks in a new report card evaluating tobacco prevention programs.
The federal government is failing to act to protect kids from e-cigarettes, which can lead to a potential addiction, according to the association’s 17th annual State of Tobacco Control report. Tobacco, the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the nation, kills 480,000 people in the United States each year, while an additional 16 million are living with a tobacco-related disease.
Some of the harshest criticism is reserved for the US Food and Drug Administration, which received a grade of “F” from the lung association, primarily due to a “lack of action,” said Thomas Carr, an author of the new report and national director of policy at the American Lung Association.
The inaction, in particular the FDA’s passivity regarding vaping, is “putting the lives and health of Americans at risk,” said Carr, who noted the “staggering 78% increase among high school students and e-cigarette use in 2017-18.”
Read the rest at eCig Lung Damage
