The ADA News (3/2, Garvin) reports that on Friday, Feb. 28, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 2339, the Protecting American Lungs and Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2020. Designed to combat the youth tobacco epidemic, the bill “bans the majority of flavored tobacco and vaping products, including mint and menthol, and imposes a tax on the nicotine in e-cigarettes,” and “it also calls for the Food and Drug Administration to regulate vaping devices and liquids in the same manner the agency regulates cigarettes and other tobacco products.” The Association sent a letter ahead of the vote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to reiterate its support for the legislation. “The ADA supports regulating deemed tobacco products, including vaping devices and liquids, in the same way that FDA regulates cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and other tobacco products,” wrote ADA President Chad P. Gehani and Executive Director Kathleen T. O’Loughlin. “HR 2339 provides an avenue for doing that.”
The Wall Street Journal (2/28, Wise, Maloney, Subscription Publication) reported that the new legislation goes beyond the restrictions implemented by the FDA in February, which did not cover disposable e-cigarettes or tank systems, and the Washington Post (2/28, DeBonis) referred to the legislation as “a far-reaching step” to address the “youth vaping epidemic.”
Still, the AP (2/28, Daly) reported that Senate “approval is considered unlikely.”
The Journal of the American Dental Association’s March 2020 commentary provides more information on the impact of vaping on oral health. For additional information on the ADA’s advocacy efforts on tobacco use and vaping, visit ADA.org/vaping.
The ADA has resources to assist dentists in talking with their patients about tobacco cessation, including an online continuing education course, Tobacco Policy, Pharmacotherapy, and Dentistry; an ADA Science & Research Institute-developed Oral Health Topics webpage on tobacco use and cessation; and the brochures “Tobacco and Oral Health” and “
Get the Facts About Mouth and Throat Cancer.