Pallone Hosts Roundtable on Progress to Protect Young People from Dangerous Tobacco Products
New Brunswick, NJ – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) hosted a roundtable with health officials and local advocates on progress to protect young people from dangerous tobacco products. Pallone held the roundtable at the Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies at Rutgers University. The Institute’s Center of Excellence for Rapid Surveillance of Tobacco recently received funding from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) to help identity and document new trends in the use of tobacco products. It is one of five centers at the Institute dedicated to reducing and ultimately eliminating tobacco-related morbidity and mortality in New Jersey and around the country.
Pallone has been a key leader in the effort to protect young people from the dangers of tobacco products. FDA is expected to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars this year. As Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee last Congress, Pallone led efforts to include a provision in a federal spending bill that empowered the FDA to regulate synthetic nicotine products. Pallone then wrote to leading synthetic nicotine manufacturers questioning the marketing of their products to kids and teens. In 2020, Pallone's comprehensive bill to address the youth vaping epidemic and prohibit all flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, passed in the House of Representatives.
“I’m proud to be at Rutgers University’s Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies today. Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States. We’ve come a long way in stopping Big Tobacco from preying on young people with slick new products, but the rapidly evolving tobacco market means we must stay vigilant and be able to respond quickly to new public health threats. The Rutgers Institute’s Center of Excellence for Rapid Surveillance of Tobacco will deliver real-time data on tobacco and nicotine marketing and products that will help inform regulation and future policies,” Pallone said. “I’m grateful for everyone who joined us today and for their work to stop the youth tobacco epidemic.”
“The Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies is pleased to host Congressman Pallone for the tobacco roundtable. The Institute has been active in tobacco control – first in New Jersey and then nationally - for more than 20 years with nationally recognized leaders in tobacco regulatory science with a long history of innovative tobacco surveillance,” said Cristine Delnevo, PhD, Director of the Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies. “Our well recognized expertise in this space resulted in Rutgers receiving an award for the Institute’s Center of Excellence for Rapid Surveillance of Tobacco. No one has collected such comprehensive information, let alone organized and disseminated it rapidly. We look forward to discussing emerging issues in tobacco control, policy, and regulation with Congressman Pallone.”
“One of the best things we can do to protect the health of New Jersey’s youth is to keep them from starting to use tobacco products and then to help them quit if they unfortunately do become addicted. The Center of Excellence in Rapid Surveillance in Tobacco will help to make that vision a reality,” said Lisa Lacasse, President of American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network looks forward to working with Rutgers to lift up their research and shape policy to reflect evidence-based best practices, including funding for statewide tobacco prevention and cessation programs, increasing the tobacco tax and more. I applaud Rep. Pallone for supporting initiatives such as the Center of Excellence in Rapid Surveillance in Tobacco that will protect our children.”
“According to the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, youth vaping continues to be a serious public health concern with more than 2.5 million middle and high school students reporting that they have used e-cigarettes in the last 30 days. We are grateful for Congressman Pallone’s leadership and commitment to reducing tobacco use and vaping, especially among kids. We also congratulate Rutgers University for its award to establish a new Center of Excellence in Rapid Surveillance of Tobacco in collaboration with FDA and NIH. This innovative program will help the U.S. stay ahead of emerging trends and potential risks to help guide FDA regulation of the manufacture, distribution, and marketing of tobacco products to protect public health. This joint initiative exemplifies the remarkable impact achievable through collaboration as we forge ahead in our mission to protect the health of our youth,” said Harold Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association.
“The American Heart Association applauds the NIH and FDA for funding the Center of Excellence for Rapid Surveillance of Tobacco,” said Mark Schoeberl, Executive Vice President of Advocacy for the American Heart Association. “The tobacco landscape in New Jersey and throughout the country is constantly changing, and rapid surveillance and research are necessary to respond to the industry’s constant innovations that are intended to preserve its bottom line. The Center’s work to provide accurate information quickly will be an important tool in ending tobacco use, especially among youth. We thank Rep. Pallone for efforts to support this new research center and prevent tobacco use.”