First State youth highlight harmful effects of smoking

For Kick Butts Day in March, youth and health advocates called for strong action to reverse the youth e-cigarette epidemic. In particular, they called on the Food and Drug Administration, states and cities to ban all flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes in kid-tempting flavors like cotton candy, gummy bear and mango.

The U.S. Surgeon General has found that youth use of nicotine in any form – including e-cigarettes – is unsafe, causes addiction and can harm the developing adolescent brain, affecting learning, memory and attention. Studies also show that young people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to become cigarette smokers.

In Georgetown, youth from First State Community Action Agency hosted informational sessions, games, experiments and activity stations to highlight the harmful effects of smoking.

For more information, go to www.tobaccofreekids.org.