Ban all flavored tobacco products

We are in the midst of a public health emergency, and the solution is clear: Restrict the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, and do it now.

E-cigarette makers are spending millions of dollars on predatory marketing tactics to entice young people to try flavors such as fruit, candy and mint among others.

The result?

A skyrocketing rise in the number of middle and high school students who use e-cigarettes.

Eighty percent of young tobacco users start with some type of flavored product, which can lead to a lifetime of nicotine addiction, not to mention chronic health problems or even death.

Youth users of e-cigarettes and flavored tobacco are becoming addicted and in some cases getting sicker by the minute.

There is only one solution to this problem: We call on the state of Illinois to be the first to impose a comprehensive ban on all flavored tobacco products.

We don’t have any more time to waste.

Bradley S. Marino

President, American Heart Association Board of Directors, Chicago

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Decriminalize, but don’t promote and encourage the use of marijuana

I would urge those who rushed to legalize marijuana to pause and think about the consequences of their actions and ponder this question.

How do you decriminalize marijuana and not encourage the use of it?

Making marijuana available will put one more mind-altering drug on the market alongside cigarettes, alcohol, vaping and opioids.

I need not go into the enormous cost of the harm caused by the consumption of alcohol and cigarettes and the abuse of opioids. The health ramifications are well documented.

As a former cigarette smoker who managed to quit many years ago after many tries, I would have preferred to see more thought given to the matter before legalization because it has been shown that drugs such as marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes can be addictive and abused.

Long-lasting health problems and an enormous burden on our health care system is the result.

As a society, we have waged a long and continuous battle against the use of cigarettes and have seen a decrease in their use. Why do we want to go down that road with marijuana and the new kids on the block, e-cigarettes and vaping?

Decriminalize, but don’t promote and encourage the use.

Can we do both?

Ned L. McCray, Tinley Park