Meeting Public Comments

Doug Chew [Volunteer, Survivor American Heart Association]

As a board member and volunteer for the American Heart Association, I am urging you to vote "Yes" on HF98 HF98 will tax and define ecigarettes as tobacco products. Ecigarettes produce an aerosol that has toxic chemicals, linked to heart disease, respiratory diseases and cancer. Ecigarettes are not taxed in Iowa and defining them as tobacco products would create revenue to provide cessation. Taxing these e cigarettes as the tobacco products they are, will help discourage their use. For years the tobacco industry has been targeting communities with the flavors provided through ecigarettes making them more appealing for teenagers and first time users. They know if they do this they can addict an entire new generation. Please support HF98!

Jennifer Groos [Pediatrician]

As a parent and pediatrician, I am urging you to vote "Yes" on HF98 I personally have taken care of numerous teenage patients struggling with vaping addiction. These products are being directly marketed to youth in our state with no regard for the devastating effects on their health. HF98 will tax and define ecigarettes as tobacco products. Ecigarettes produce an aerosol that has toxic chemicals, linked to heart disease, respiratory diseases and cancer. Ecigarettes are not taxed in Iowa and defining them as tobacco products would create revenue to provide cessation. Taxing these e cigarettes as the tobacco products they are, will help discourage their use. For years the tobacco industry has been targeting communities with the flavors provided through ecigarettes making them more appealing for teenagers and first time users. They know if they do this they can addict an entire new generation. Please support HF98!

Amy Kimball

I am writing as a parent, pediatrician, and the Iowa Chapter of the AAP Ecigarette Chapter Champion, in strong support of HF98 and ask that ecigarettes be defined as they should be, as tobacco products. Tobacco products are any product continuing, made of, or derived from tobacco or nicotine that is intended for human consumption or is likely to be consumed, whether inhaled, absorbed, or ingested by any other means. This includes ecigarettes and vaping products. Community tobacco use is the foremost preventable cause of premature death in the United States, responsible for 500 million deaths and $300 billion in health care costs. Ecigarettes and vaping products are the most used tobacco product among Iowa youth and their use is an epidemic among youth in the US. Approximately 1 in 4 (22.4%) of Iowa 11th graders currently use ecigarettes. This is an increase from 9.1% in 2016. Ecigarette and any tobacco use rates among Iowa 11th graders surpassed both alcohol and other drug use rates. Ecigarette use in Iowa adults in the same time did not change significantly, with rates of 5.2% and more recently 4.0% in adults. Ecigarettes are not the tobacco product of choice for most adults, but they are for youth and teens. Nicotine, the main psychoactive ingredient in ecigarettes, is highly addictive and toxic. The newest generation of podbased ecigarettes uses saltbased nicotine which allows teens to inhale high levels of nicotine with less throatirritation. This creates a cycle of faster addiction. Ecigarettes have immediate and longterm health risks. Youth are at risk of nicotine poisoning and burns from faulty devices and batteries. The long term effects of the toxic substances in ecigarettes and pods impact heart, lung and oral health. The byproducts of ecigarettes is NOT a harmless water vapor. It contains toxins, respiratory irritants and carcinogens. It also contains significant amounts of nicotine and poses risks from secondhand vapor. Adolescent brains are still developing. This makes them uniquely and especially vulnerable to nicotine addiction, including the nicotine in ecigarettes and vapes. Young people who use ecigarettes are more likely to progress to using traditional cigarettes. The new generation of highnicotine, podbased ecigarettes like JUUL are incredibly addictive and have more than double the concentration of nicotine found in other ecigarettes. Ecigarettes and vaping devices should be incorporated into all tobaccofree laws and ordinances in public spaces and places where children and adolescents live, learn, and play. These products should also be taxed at parity to other tobacco products. Tobacco product taxation provides revenue for cessation support. Taxation of ecigarettes and vaping products at parity will help discourage their use by the youth that are primarily targeted by their advertising and are the primary consumers of these products.We know that ecigarettes and vaping products are dangerous and highly addictive for children and teens. There is no safe level of nicotine exposure for teens. We have an opportunity to protect this generation, but it will take definitive action now. Please support HF98Amy N. Kimball, DO FAAPEcigarette Chapter Champion, Iowa Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics

Jodi Schweiger

As a board member and volunteer for the American Heart Association as well a parent of a teenager. I am urging you to vote "Yes" on HF98Vaping products and ecigarettes are being directly marketed to our youth. Children and adults have become addicted no different than other tobacco products. HF98 will tax and define ecigarettes as tobacco products. Ecigarettes produce an aerosol that has toxic chemicals, linked to heart disease, respiratory diseases and cancer. Ecigarettes are not taxed in Iowa and defining them as tobacco products would create revenue to provide cessation. Taxing these e cigarettes as the tobacco products they are, will help discourage their use. For years the tobacco industry has been targeting communities with the flavors provided through ecigarettes making them more appealing for teenagers and first time users. They know if they do this they can addict an entire new generation. Please support HF98!