Video Available: AACR Hosts Congressional Briefing on the Alarming Rise of E-cigarette Use in Youth

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Scientists from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), along with an expert from the federal government, an official from a local school district, and a writer from The New Yorker, addressed congressional staffers and the public on Wednesday, July 18 at a briefing titled “E-cigarettes: Striking a Balance Between Preventing Youth Nicotine Addiction and Helping Current Smokers Quit Combustible Cigarettes.”

The panelists presented the latest available science on the effects and content of e-cigarettes and suggested approaches to halting the concerning rise in youth vaping and nicotine addiction.

A video of the full briefing is available here: https://youtu.be/l0TxoLOQq4c

You can read a summary of the briefing on the AACR’s blog: https://blog.aacr.org/aacr-holds-congressional-briefing-on-strengthening-prevention-of-e-cigarette-use-in-youth/

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) and Rep. Jackie Speier (D-California) were the honorary congressional co-chairs. In inspiring opening remarks, Durbin discussed how the loss of his father to lung cancer sparked his passion for ending the scourge of tobacco.

Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, chair of the AACR’s Tobacco and Cancer Subcommittee and chief of medical oncology at the Yale Cancer Center, moderated the briefing. Other speakers included:

• Rachel Grana Mayne, PhD, MPH, a program director in the Tobacco Control and Research Branch at the National Cancer Institute and an expert on e-cigarette research;
• Brian Maslowski, an alcohol, tobacco, and other drug instructor from the Fairfax County Public Schools’ Office of Student Safety and Wellness with a wealth of direct experience on the context in which high school and middle school students are using e-cigarettes;
• Jia Tolentino, a staff writer at The New Yorker, whose recent in-depth article, “The Promise of Vaping and the Rise of Juul,” chronicled the recent rise of “juuling” among high school and college students; and
• Benjamin Toll, PhD, member of the AACR’s Tobacco and Cancer Subcommittee and chief of Tobacco Cessation and Health Behaviors at the Hollings Cancer Center, an expert on novel smoking cessation treatments.

To schedule interviews with the panelists, contact Julia Gunther at [email protected] or 215-446-6896.