Tobacco remains the number one cause of preventable death and disease with over 28,000 New Yorkers continuing to die every year, according to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. Fact Sheet: The Toll of Tobacco in New York. May 18, 2021. Although the rates of youth smoking cigarettes are declining, the rate of e-cigarette use by high school youth continues to rise, according to a 2019 survey on New York City Youth Risk Behavior conducted by NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene.

 

The same survey found that 37,000 New York City high school students use e-cigarettes and are starting to do so as early as 13. The notion by youth that e-cigarettes are less harmful and safer than the traditional cigarette is far from the truth.

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), e-cigarettes contain the same amount of nicotine as 20 cigarettes, and e-cigarettes are highly addictive and can be harmful for adolescent brain development. Meanwhile, the New York State Tobacco Control Program found that the earlier youth start smoking, the more addicted they become, and the harder it is to quit.

 

Work still needs to be done. Educating our youth on the tobacco industry’s deceptive tactics and the harmful effects of smoking cigarettes is necessary to reduce the rates of first-time smokers. Reality Check, a program run by NYC Smoke-Free at Public Health Solutions, educates the youth on the negative effects of tobacco use, through advocacy efforts.

 

NYC Smoke-Free works to protect the health of New Yorkers through tobacco control policy, advocacy and education.

 

Youth who follow this program are given the tools to advocate for themselves and for their communities to fight back against the tobacco industry. Community-based and local education efforts are essential to raise awareness among our youth of the dangers of all tobacco products, and Big Tobacco’s influence in our communities.

 

For more information on NYC Smoke-Free, or to lend support in ending NYC’s devastating tobacco epidemic please visit www.NYCSmokeFree.org.

 

Saraswathi Cuffey is the youth engagement manager for Bronx Reality Check, a health program run by NYC Smoke-Free at Public Health Solutions.

 

Editor’s Note: The author’s original headline for the submitted op-ed was “Op-Ed: The Work Never Stops.” This was amended by the editor to “Op-Ed: The Work Never Stops & E-Cigarettes are Not Helping,” to provide greater context to readers on the general thrust of the op-ed. The headline has since been updated to reflect the fact that the op-ed is generally about the effects of smoking on young people. 

 

Visit the CDC’s CDC’s website for more information on e-cigarettes and young people.

 

The article was also inadvertently published with an unrelated feature photo (showing a photo of a man). Due to technical constraints, even though the feature photo linked to the story was later updated, the original incorrect photo of the man kept displaying when the story was posted on Twitter and therefore, we deleted the tweet containing the incorrect feature photo and published a replacement story with the correct photo.