My hope is to gain consensus support throughout the state of Wisconsin and ban all sales of flavored electronic cigarettes within the border of our state. Flavored electronic cigarettes primary market audience is youth and adolescent children that are unaware of health implications this product poses to their future development into adulthood. Through numerous studies and research, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) concluded that an ever-growing number of Youths in the United States have tried or are regular users of electronic cigarettes (E-Cigarette) products. Flavored e-cigarettes, in particular, have become extremely popular among youth and young adults because of their broad market appeal and overall product taste. In 2018, more than 6 of 10 high school students who use e-cigarettes said they use flavored e-cigarettes.

E-cigarettes have become the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. middle school and high school students beginning in 2016. Between 2011 and 2018, past-30-day e-cigarette use grew dramatically among middle school (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12) students. E-cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco product by youth in the United States since 2014. The Surgeon General concluded that e-cigarettes can contain harmful and potentially harmful constituents, including nicotine. Nicotine exposure during adolescence can cause addiction and can harm the developing adolescent brain.

The data and Healthcare Professional Field support this cause, so now is the time to take a stand and gain community support within our state of Wisconsin to pass a law that bans the sale of flavored electronic cigarettes. Thank you for reading my petition and please view the published sources listed below that describe young adult usage of e-cigarettes products across the United States. 

Sincerely,

Edward Dobernig

TedMED: "What you should know about vaping and e-cigarettes"
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1rF2oFnfYI

Sources: 

• MMWR, Notes from the Field: Use of Electronic Cigarettes and Any Tobacco Product Among Middle and High School Students – United States, 2011-2018.
• MMWR, Reasons for Electronic Cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students
• MMWR, Notes from the Field: Use of Electronic Cigarettes and Any Tobacco Product Among Middle and High School Students – United States, 2011-2018.
• https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/getthefacts.html