FDA Launches ‘Real Cost’ Campaign to Curb Teen Use of E-Cigarettes

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb issued a scathing letter Tuesday regarding the “epidemic” of e-cigarette use among teens, announcing the launch of his “The Real Cost” campaign. “We’re in possession of data that shows a disturbingly sharp rise in the number of teens using e-cigarettes in just the last year,” Gottlieb wrote. “And none of the other metrics that we track when it comes to kids and tobacco are moving in a favorable direction.” Gottlieb reported that the full data would be released soon—but that the situation was so dire that he could not postpone concrete action. And while he noted that using e-cigarettes is far healthier than burning tobacco, “[using e-cigarettes] causes its own health effects. And nicotine use by kids is dangerous. It causes direct effects on their health and their brains.” The FDA’s new campaign aims to reduce e-cigarette use by educating children and their families about the true cost of e-cigarette usage, and will work in tandem with other prevention efforts, including last week’s threat to ban Juul and other flavored e-cigarettes if companies fail to submit plans to curb youth use in the next 60 days. “I won’t be deterred or obstructed. And I’m committed to seeing these actions to their conclusion,” Gottlieb added. “I won’t stop until this problem is solved.”