American Association for Cancer Research to Host Congressional Briefing on E-Cigarettes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Scientists from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), along with an expert from the federal government, an official from a local school district, and a writer from The New Yorker, will address congressional staffers and the public on Wednesday, July 18, at noon in Room 385 of the Russell Senate Office Building.

Panelists at the briefing, “E-cigarettes: Striking a Balance Between Preventing Youth Nicotine Addiction and Helping Current Smokers Quit Combustible Cigarettes,” will present the latest available science pertaining to the effects and content of e-cigarettes and will suggest approaches to halting the concerning rise in youth vaping and nicotine addiction. 

“The AACR is strongly in favor of strengthening regulation to keep e-cigarettes out of kids’ hands,” said AACR Chief Executive Officer Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc). “Preventing youth addiction to nicotine is paramount, and we encourage policymakers in Congress and at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to act quickly to halt the availability of kid-friendly flavors and marketing to youth.”

Moderating the briefing is Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, chief of medical oncology at the Yale Cancer Center and chair of the AACR Tobacco and Cancer Subcommittee. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) and Rep. Jackie Speier (D-California) are honorary congressional co-chairs. 

“I’d like to thank the American Association for Cancer Research for inviting me to speak at this conference and for its work on nicotine addiction prevention,” said Durbin. “E-cigarettes present a clear and present danger to our youth today. Big Tobacco is reaching into its old marketing playbook to hook a new generation of Americans on nicotine, and sadly, it’s working. Teen use of e-cigarettes has skyrocketed, and Congress has to be aggressive in ensuring our kids aren’t falling into the traps that can lead to a lifetime of addiction and disease. It starts by holding e-cigarette companies accountable when they advertise kid-friendly flavors, and educating our children early on about the dangers of using these vaping products.”

In addition to Durbin and Herbst, speakers at the briefing will include:

• Rachel Grana Mayne, PhD, MPH, a program director in the Tobacco Control and Research Branch at the National Cancer Institute and an expert on e-cigarette research;
  
• Brian Maslowski, an alcohol, tobacco, and other drug instructor from the Fairfax County Public Schools’ Office of Student Safety and Wellness with a wealth of direct experience on the context in which high school and middle school students are using e-cigarettes;
  
• Jia Tolentino, a staff writer at The New Yorker, whose recent in-depth article, “The Promise of Vaping and the Rise of Juul,” chronicled the recent rise of “juuling” among high school and college students; and
  
• Benjamin Toll, PhD, chief of Tobacco Cessation and Health Behaviors at the Hollings Cancer Center and member of the AACR’s Tobacco and Cancer Subcommittee, an expert on novel smoking cessation treatments.