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The young people who spoke were inspiring, well informed, and motivated to act. Attorney General Tong, who also presented, was clear on his willingness to continue to be a leader in underage nicotine prevention. I hope you will take a moment to listen to a short clip of one of the student leaders. You can watch the full program here. Some of the policies students, advocates, and legislators are pushing for are:
- Addressing retail density by reducing the oversaturation of tobacco/nicotine dealers
- Modernizing Advertising Restrictions to eliminate exterior tobacco/vape advertising
- Aligning the e-cigarette tax with cigarette tax
- Closing the synthetic nicotine loophole and taxing these products appropriately
- Creating a state credentialing program to assure that retailers are only selling FDA approved products
- Banning flavored vapes
Connecticut’s Underage Nicotine Prevention Program coordinator shared that as of May 2025, only 39 of the 7,066 nicotine / e-cigarette products on the market are FDA approved. 93% of these products are disposable, creating environmental issues, and many are now smart devices, with electronic and interactive features. Nicotine pouches, the most popular of which is Zyn, are now the second most popular tobacco product among young people after e-cigarettes. There are now 1,787 ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems) dealers in Connecticut.
At this week’s Fairfield CARES meeting, we discussed the presentation and the fact that through The Hub, our Regional Behavioral Health Action Organization, there will be mini-grants awarded to 5 communities or organizations within each region. We discussed partnerships with neighboring communities so that we can work collaboratively to make sure our young people are not accessing harmful nicotine products. I look forward to working alongside town leadership and our regional partner, The Hub, to compete for these grant dollars.
Adults interested in quitting can call the CT Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or visit www.CommitToQuitCT.com for more information on free, available resources for CT residents. For teens and young adults, text VapeFreeCT to 88709. Visit VapeFreeCT.org for more information on quitting.
As the Co-Chair of the legislature’s Public Health Committee, I will continue to update you on public health issues. Besides nicotine prevention, this past week, I have met with dozens of stakeholders regarding their legislative requests. Here is a sampling of those topics:
- Overdose prevention centers
- Gene sequencing for newborns
- Vaccination access
- Food and Energy security funding
- Nursing workforce issues
- Diaper and Menstrual Product access
- Neuropsychological Evaluations
- Health system licensure requirements
- X-ray access in urgent care centers
- Nursing Home change of ownership requirements
It is an honor to serve in this role leading the conversations about public health policy in our state, as well as to be able to address the myriad issues you face every day.
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