Ohio AG Campaign Targeting Illegal E-Cigarettes Marks Important Step to Protect Young People

Statement of Kathy Crosby, Truth Initiative CEO and President

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 10, 2024) – The newly announced campaign by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to combat the flood of illegal e-cigarettes streaming into the state represents an important step to protect youth and young adults from the dangers of nicotine addiction and should serve as an example for other attorneys general across the nation. Attorney General Yost’s press release made it clear that unless an e-cigarette was one of the 27 products authorized by the FDA, the device is illegal in Ohio. To date, the FDA has authorized only 27 e-cigarette products, all tobacco or menthol flavored. Yet thousands of illegal e-cigarettes, many in youth-appealing flavors like cotton candy or gummy bear, remain on store shelves across the country. Retailers bear a pivotal responsibility in curbing youth e-cigarette use in their communities and must swiftly remove these products to ensure a safer future for our young people.

As AG Yost points out, this is a consumer protection issue, and the thousands of unregulated, unauthorized vapes on the market pose a significant health threat. Truth Initiative research shows that between 2017 and 2022, disposable e-cigarettes nearly tripled in nicotine strength, quintupled in e-liquid capacity, and dropped in price by nearly 70% — all at the expense of young people’s physical and mental health. The result is that youth e-cigarette use remains a serious public health threat, with the latest National Youth Tobacco Survey showing more than 2 million high school and middle school students use e-cigarettes, with one in four vaping daily. Not only is nicotine harmful to developing brains, but the high rates of daily use are also suggestive of a nicotine addiction. 

“I am so proud of the courage and dedication that AG Yost has shown in protecting Ohio's children by taking on the illegal vaping industry. His actions will save many young lives from a lifetime of nicotine addiction to a very dangerous product,” said Truth Initiative Board Chair and former Attorney General of Mississippi, Mike Moore. “Hopefully, other Attorneys General will follow his courageous lead in this important effort.”

Truth Initiative applauds the Ohio AG for taking this important step and stands ready to assist other attorneys general across the country who want to protect youth and young adults from the serious, lifelong health consequences of nicotine addiction.

Kathy Crosby is in Columbus, Ohio, and available to speak to press.

About Truth Initiative®

Truth Initiative is a national nonprofit public health organization committed to a future free from lifelong addiction, fostering healthier lives and a more resilient nation. Our mission is to prevent youth and young adult nicotine addiction and empower quitting for all. Through our evidence-based, market-leading cessation EX Program and the nationally recognized truth® public education campaign, we are leading the fight against youth and young adult tobacco use, which threatens to put a new generation at risk of nicotine addiction. Our first-of-its-kind text message quit vaping program, This Is Quitting, has enrolled over 750,000 young people across the country, and our youth e-cigarette prevention curriculum, Vaping: Know the truth®, is currently implemented in over 9,000 schools nationwide, reaching a total of over one million students thus far. Our rigorous scientific research and policy studies, community and youth engagement programs supporting populations at high risk of using tobacco, and innovation in tobacco dependence treatment continue to contribute to ending one of the most critical public health battles of our time. Based in Washington, D.C., our organization was established and funded through the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories, and the tobacco industry. To learn more, visit truthinitiative.org.