Spotlight News: Letter to the Editor – Ban Flavored Tobacco Products

Spotlight News recently published a letter to the editor from SPHP Chief Clinical Officer Steven Hanks, M.D. in support of Albany County Legislature’s Local Law E, which directly addresses flavors as a primary factor in the youth appeal of tobacco products.

From the letter:

As of 2018 in New York state, nearly one in every three high school students had used a tobacco product, a rate of youth tobacco product use not seen since the year 2000.

Flavors in tobacco products attract kids, make it easier for them to start by masking the irritants present in the inhaled smoke and aerosol, and make it harder for them to quit.

I applaud Albany County for their leadership in ending the sale of tobacco in pharmacies and raising the minimum age for the sale of tobacco products to 21. I urge the Legislature to strengthen local efforts to curb youth tobacco use by passing Local Law E.

Click here to read the full letter.