Press Room

Public Health Leaders Applaud U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on
E-cigarette Use

ARLINGTON, VA (Dec. 18, 2018)—State and territorial health leaders applaud the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General for issuing today’s advisory and setting strong recommendations to curb the sharp increase in youth e-cigarette use.

“Today, the Surgeon General took bold action by issuing an advisory on the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use. We stand with the Surgeon General and support these recommendations calling for public spaces to be free from e-cigarette vapor and implementing strategies to make it more difficult for youth to purchase e-cigarette products,” says Michael Fraser, CEO of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). “We applaud the administration’s aggressive steps to stop a generation of children from becoming addicted to nicotine. These recommendations echo ASTHO’s position on comprehensive tobacco control policies and are endorsed by our nation’s state and territorial public health leaders. We look forward to working with states and communities throughout the country to implement these measures.”

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ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. territories and freely associated states, and the District of Columbia, as well as the more than 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to ensuring excellence in public health practice.