Jackson Tobacco Reduction Coalition 1715 Lansing Avenue, Jackson, MI Phone (517) FAX (517)

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1 Jackson Tobacco Reduction Coalition 1715 Lansing Avenue, Jackson, MI Phone (517) FAX (517) Date: August 16, 2018 Contact: Rhonda Rudolph, Coordinator, Jackson Tobacco Reduction Coalition (517) For Immediate Release Back to School Tobacco-Free (Jackson, MI) 10.5% of Michigan high school students currently smoke cigarettes and 14.8% use e-cigarettes. Both rates are higher than the national average. According to the Michigan Profile for Healthy Youth survey data, in Jackson County, the percent of high school students who currently smoke cigarettes is 5.4% but when looking at the number who use e-cigarettes, the percent more than four times the rate at 23.8%. Each year 5,200 Michigan kids under age 18 become new, daily smokers. 213,000 kids under 18 and alive in Michigan today ultimately die prematurely from smoking. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, the use of products containing nicotine in any form, including e-cigarettes, is unsafe for youth. The brain is not fully developed until the early to mid-20s. Exposure to nicotine during periods of significant brain development, including adolescence, can disrupt the growth of brain circuits that control attention, learning, and susceptibility to addiction. Effects can be long-lasting and can include lower impulse control and mood disorders. Although we have made significant progress in protecting our youth from tobacco-related health harms, we still have a long way to go, stated Emma Sigman, Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist for Drug Free Jackson. Far too many of our youth are still using tobacco and are being exposed to the health harms caused by secondhand smoke. It is essential that we address e-cigarette use among young people, and do everything we can to prevent youth tobacco use, which can lead to a lifetime of addiction. Many students involved in Most Teens Don t throughout Jackson County do their part each year to prevent youth tobacco use by educating and engaging their peers in various events such as Kick Butts Day, and the Great American Smokeout.. Michigan spends $4.59 billion annually on health care costs directly caused by smoking, including $1.36 billion in state Medicaid costs. The tobacco industry spends an estimated $320 million to market their products in Michigan each year. In contrast, Michigan spends only $1.63 million on tobacco prevention and control programming. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, the more young people are exposed to cigarette advertising and promotional activities, the more likely they are to smoke, and 80% of underage smokers choose brands from among the top three most heavily advertised. As students head back to school, Rhonda Rudolph, Coordinator, Jackson Tobacco Reduction Coalition, encourages parents and health care providers to talk to kids about tobacco use and to remind kids that spit tobacco and e- cigarettes are not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes. Providing a tobacco-free example and home environment can also help to protect kids from tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure. For young people who have already begun to use tobacco and want to quit, the Michigan Tobacco Quitline provides services for Michigan youth of any age. Young people can call the Quitline at or QUIT-NOW and receive free telephone counseling to help them quit tobacco. In addition, the Quitline offers a free text messaging program and a self-guided online program to help youth quit tobacco. The Smokefree Teen website available at provides tools to help young people quit. Henry Ford Allegiance Health ((517) and Lifeways (517) both have programs to assist people in quitting. For more information contact:jackson Tobacco Reduction Coalition: Rhonda Rudolph, (517) , rrudolph@co.jackson.mi.ur or Most Teens Don t: Emma Sigman, (517) , esigman1@hfhs.org. ### Working Towards A Tobacco Free Jackson County

2 E-CIGARETTES SHAPED LIKE USB FLASH DRIVES: INFORMATION FOR PARENTS, EDUCATORS, AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are battery-powered devices that can deliver nicotine and flavorings to the user in the form of an aerosol. E-cigarettes come in many shapes and sizes. WHAT S THE BOTTOM LINE? A new e-cigarette shaped like a USB flash drive is being used by students in schools. Nicotine is highly addictive and can harm brain development, which continues until about age 25. CS A The use of any tobacco product including e-cigarettes is unsafe for young people. Parents, educators, & health care providers can help prevent and reduce the use of all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, by young people. >> Learn HOW in this fact sheet.

3 AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR E-CIGARETTE DEVICE, CALLED JUUL, IS SHAPED LIKE A USB FLASH DRIVE. Use of JUUL is sometimes called JUULing. JUUL s nicotine liquid refills are called pods. JUUL is available in several flavors such as Cool Cucumber, Fruit Medley, Mango, and Mint. All JUUL e-cigarettes have a high level of nicotine. According to the manufacturer, a single JUUL pod contains as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes. JUUL became available for sale in the United States in As of December 2017, JUUL is the top-selling e-cigarette brand in the United States. News outlets and social media sites report widespread use of JUUL by students in schools, including in classrooms and bathrooms. Other devices are becoming available that look like USB flash drives. Examples include the MarkTen Elite, a nicotine delivery device, and the PAX Era, a marijuana delivery device that looks like JUUL. JUUL MarkTen Elite PAX Era

4 E-CIGARETTE USE IS NOT SAFE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. E-cigarette aerosol is not harmless. It can contain harmful ingredients. However, e-cigarette aerosol generally contains fewer harmful chemicals than smoke from burned tobacco products, like regular cigarettes. VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS NICOTINE ULTRAFINE PARTICLES CHEMICALS HEAVY METALS SUCH AS NICKEL, TIN, AND LEAD FLAVORING SUCH AS DIACETYL, A CHEMICAL LINKED TO A SERIOUS LUNG DISEASE Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm brain development, which continues until about age 25. YOUNG PEOPLE WHO USE E-CIGARETTES MAY BE MORE LIKELY TO GO ON TO USE REGULAR CIGARETTES.

5 PARENTS, EDUCATORS, AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS CAN HELP PREVENT AND REDUCE THE USE OF E-CIGARETTES BY YOUNG PEOPLE. PARENTS CAN: Learn about the different shapes and types of e-cigarettes and the risks of all forms of e-cigarette use for young people. Talk to their children about the risks of e-cigarette use among young people. Express firm expectations that their children remain tobacco-free. Set a positive example by being tobacco-free. EDUCATORS CAN: Learn about the different shapes and types of e-cigarettes and the risks of all forms of e-cigarette use for young people. Develop, implement, and enforce tobacco-free school policies. Reject youth tobacco prevention programs sponsored by the tobacco industry. These programs have been found to be ineffective for preventing youth tobacco use. PEDIATRIC HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS CAN: Ask about e-cigarettes, including devices shaped like USB flash drives, when screening patients for the use of any tobacco products. PARENTS, EDUCATORS, AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS CAN HELP Warn patients about the risks of all forms of tobacco product use, including e-cigarettes, for young people.