POP HEALTH ASSIGNMENT 2
Legislation Comparison Grid Template
Use this document to complete Part 1 of the Module 2 Assessment Legislation Comparison Grid and Testimony/Advocacy Statement
Health-related Bill Name
Preventing Opportunities for Teen E-Cigarette and Tobacco Addiction (www.congress.gov, 2019).
Bill Number S.1048 (www.congress.gov, 2019). Description
A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a Reducing Youth Use of E-Cigarettes Initiative (www.congress.gov, 2019).
Federal or State? Federal (www.congress.gov, 2019).
Legislative Intent The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall carry out an initiative, to be known as the Reducing Youth Use of E-Cigarettes Initiative (www.congress.gov, 2019).
Proponents/ Opponents
Proponents: Senator Richard Blumenthal; Co-sponsors; Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, Jack Reed, Richard Durbin, Sherrod Brown, and Edward Markey (www.congress.gov, 2019).
Opponents: None currently.
Target Population
Teens
Status of the bill (Is it in hearings or committees? Is it receiving press coverage?)
This bill is in the first stage of the legislative process. It was introduced into Congress on April 4, 2019. It will typically be considered by committee next before it is possibly sent on to the House or Senate as a whole (www.congress.gov, 2019).
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Legislation Comparison Grid Template
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Advocate a position for the bill you selected and write testimony in support of your position
E-Cigarette use among youth and teens around the ages of 11-15
has become a huge epidemic in the U.S. The initial idea for the development and
use of E-cigarettes were that it would assist tobacco/cigarette smokers to quit
smoking. However, it has had quite the opposite effect. “More than 3.6 million
youth report using e-cigarettes, including 1 in 5 high school students, and 1 in 20
middle school students according to the National Youth Tobacco Survey
(blumenthal.senate.gov, 2019). There is substantial evidence to prove that E-
cigarette use is very harmful to the body. Most E-cigarettes contain nicotine.
“Nicotine is highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development, which
continues into the early to mid-20s” (cdc.gov, 2019). E-cigarettes can also
contain many other harmful substances. Many teens that use E-cigs are not truly
aware of how harmful they really are. Companies that make and sell E-cigarettes
lead consumers to believe that they are less harmful than regular cigarettes and
non-addictive. U.S. Senator Debbie Wasserman Schultz stated in the bill that,
““E-cigarette companies are explicitly targeting young people through their
marketing and product design, but what they’re really selling is a nicotine
addiction and other risks associated with vaping.” As the mother of three
teenagers, I know that we cannot wait to address this epidemic. While the FDA
has moved to combat the sale of e-cigarettes to youth, more work needs to be
done to protect young people from the predatory practices of the tobacco
industry” (blumenthal.senate.gov, 2019). It is my testimony that more awareness
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should be made to the public about what products are in the juices that are put
into the E-cigarette devices and that E-cigarette devices and other similar
devices should be less accessible to teenagers.
Describe how you would address the opponent to your position. Be specific and provide examples.
Currently, there are not yet proponents to this bill. However, if and when
there are, I would address them with the facts and the studies that prove how
harmful E-cigarettes are for teens. I would also present facts about the
staggering number of middle and high schoolers that have used and are currently
frequent users of these devices. For example, more than 3.6 million middle and
high school students were e-cigarette users in 2018 – an increase of 1.5 million
in just one year. A growing number of studies show that young people who use e-
cigarettes are more likely to become smokers, and many are low-risk youth who
would not have otherwise smoked cigarettes” (Myers, M., 2019). I would provide
the opponents with the facts that state, “Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, the
addictive drug in regular cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products. Using
nicotine in adolescence can harm the parts of the brain that control attention,
learning, mood, and impulse control and that each time a new memory is created
or a new skill is learned, stronger connections, or synapses are built between
brain cells. Young people’s brains build synapses faster than adult brains.
Nicotine changes the way these synapses are formed” (cdc.gov, 2019).
Recommend at least one amendment to the bill in support of your position.
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One amendment that should be added to this bill is the age of purchasing
tobacco products such as Electronic cigarettes be raised to age 21. Currently, the
purchase of E-cigarettes is the same as regular cigarettes, 18. This age can be a
factor in the epidemic of teenage use because 18 year olds are considered
adults, however, many 18 year olds have friends that are between the ages of
15-17, giving them more opportunities to obtain the E-cigarettes by way of their
“of age” friend to purchase them and give them to the underage teen.
References
Blumenthal & Wasserman Schultz Introduce Preventing Opportunities For Teen
E-Cigarette and Tobacco Addiction (PROTECT) Act. (2019, April 05). Retrieved
June 22, 2019, from https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov.
Myers, M. (2019, April 05). Tobacco-Free Kids Supports Legislation to Bolster
CDC Efforts to Address Youth E-Cigarette Epidemic. Retrieved June 23, 2019,
from https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/press-releases/2019_04_05_cdc
Quick Facts on the Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults.
(2019, March 11). Retrieved June 24, 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/.
United States House of Representatives. (n.d.). Retrieved June 22, 2019 from
https://www.congress.gov/
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© 2018 Laureate Education Inc. 5
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