Tag: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

New Leadership at Tobacco-Free Kids

Yolonda C. Richardson | Photo: CTFK
Matthew L. Myers is stepping down as the president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) effective July 1. The board of directors has appointed Yolonda C. Richardson, currently the organization’s executive vice president for global programs, as the new president and CEO.
“I want to thank Matt for the extraordinary leadership he has provided to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and throughout his long career fighting the tobacco industry,” said Bill Novelli, chair of Tobacco-Free Kids’ board of directors and president of the organization from 1996 to 1999, in a statement. “Matt and his team at Tobacco-Free Kids have contributed enormously to driving down smoking rates to record lows among both youth and adults in the U.S. and to reversing the tide of the global tobacco epidemic.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve as president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and I am incredibly proud of what our team and our many partners have accomplished,” said Myers. “Through smart, tenacious advocacy and a commitment to health and social justice, we have helped bring about transformative change in the U.S. and around the world. No one is more qualified than Yolonda Richardson to take this organization to new heights and achieve even greater progress in saving lives not only from tobacco, but also from other critical public health issues.”

No one is more qualified than Yolonda Richardson to take this organization to new heights and achieve even greater progress in saving lives.”
Matthew L. Myers, president, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
“I am deeply honored to be named president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and to continue the work started by Matt Myers and Bill Novelli 27 years ago. There is much to do, but there is also immense opportunity to make large-scale impact,” Richardson said.
The CTFK was created in 1996 with primary funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Since 2006, it has been a partner in the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use.
May 16, 2023
Report: Flavored Vapes Remain Widely Available

Photo: kurgu128
Three months after a court-ordered deadline for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to decide what e-cigarette products can stay on the market, FDA delays have left e-cigarettes in kid-friendly flavors widely available across the country, according to a new report released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK).
Under a federal court order, e-cigarette manufacturers were required to submit marketing applications to the FDA by Sept. 9, 2020, and products that were the subject of timely applications were allowed to stay on the market for up to one year while the FDA reviewed the applications, a period that expired Sept. 9, 2021. The CTFK and other public health groups have urged the FDA to deny marketing applications for all flavored e-cigarettes because of “the clear evidence that flavored products have fueled an epidemic of youth e-cigarette use and nicotine addiction.”
The FDA has denied marketing applications for more than 1 million flavored e-cigarette products. However, the FDA has yet to issue decisions about the e-cigarette brands that have the largest market share or are most popular with kids, such as Juul, most Vuse products, NJOY, Blu, Smok and Suorin.
The FDA is also considering whether to authorize any menthol-flavored e-cigarettes despite the popularity of menthol products with kids, according to the CTFK.
In addition, more than 40 e-cigarette companies have filed lawsuits challenging the FDA’s marketing denial orders, and other companies—including Puff Bar, the flavored disposable e-cigarette that is now the most popular brand among kids—have started using synthetic nicotine because that substance is currently not regulated by the agency.
To assess the impact of the FDA’s actions to date on the availability of flavored e-cigarettes, the CTFK scanned five top online e-cigarette retailers and 43 brick-and-mortar stores in eight cities across the U.S. The group notes that the scan provides a snapshot of the current e-cigarette market and is not intended to be a representative sample of stores nationwide or online.
Key findings include that kid-friendly flavored e-cigarettes and nicotine e-liquids are still widely available; that the bestselling e-cigarette brands remain available for purchase; and that the most popular e-cigarette brands among youth are still available in flavors that appeal to youth, according to the CTFK.
The group has called on the FDA to act quickly on all remaining e-cigarette applications and deny authorization to all flavored e-cigarettes, including menthol-flavored products.
December 20, 2021
FDA Urged to Deny All Flavored E-Cigarettes

Photo: Boki
Seven leading public health, medical and parent organizations are urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expedite decisions on remaining marketing applications for e-cigarettes and promptly deny applications for all flavored e-cigarettes, including menthol-flavored products.
The organizations say they are concerned about these products’ appeal to youth and the adverse impact on public health.
In a letter to acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, the groups also urged the FDA to prioritize enforcement against unauthorized flavored e-cigarettes with the largest market shares and products with the highest prevalence of youth use.
The groups sending the letter are the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Parents Against Vaping E-Cigarettes and Truth Initiative.
Since Sept. 9, the FDA has denied marketing applications for more than 1,167,000 products, but it has yet to issue decisions on e-cigarette brands with the highest market shares, such as Juul, Vuse, NJOY and blu, which make up over 78 percent of the market, according to Nielsen data.
The health groups expressed particular concern that the FDA is still considering whether to authorize any menthol-flavored e-cigarettes and urged the FDA not to do so given the clear evidence that menthol is a flavor that appeals to and is widely used by kids.
“Contrary to the FDA’s Aug. 26 statement that menthol e-cigarette products raise ‘unique considerations’ for purposes of FDA review, we do not believe there is anything ‘unique’ about menthol flavoring that would justify issuance of a marketing order,” the groups wrote in their letter. “Indeed, there is no question that when FDA decided to prioritize enforcement against cartridge-based e-cigarettes in flavors other than menthol and tobacco, youth shifted to using menthol-flavored products.”
September 29, 2021
FDA Urged to Deny All Flavored Vapes

Photo: Brian Jackson
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) reiterated its call for banning all flavored vapor products following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s denial of marketing applications for about 55,000 flavored e-cigarette products.
While welcoming the FDA decision, the CTFK noted the denial involved only a small percentage of the flavor products under review by the FDA.
“The FDA’s action covers just a fraction of the more than 6.5 million tobacco products for which the FDA has received marketing applications, and it does not include any e-cigarette brands with a significant market share or that are most popular with kids, such as Juul, the number one youth brand,” CTFK President Matthew L. Myers wrote in a statement.
“Today’s action will be effective in reversing the youth e-cigarette epidemic only if FDA also denies the applications for all flavored e-cigarettes (those with flavors other than tobacco) as well as high-nicotine products like Juul that put kids at risk of addiction.”
According to the 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey, 3.6 million kids use e-cigarettes, including nearly one in five high school students. The CTFK blames flavored e-cigarettes for this situation. Eighty-three percent of youth e-cigarette users report using flavored products, and 70 percent of youth users say they use e-cigarettes because of the flavors, according to the organization.
“To protect our kids and end the youth e-cigarette epidemic, the FDA should not authorize the sale of any flavored or high-nicotine e-cigarettes,” wrote Myers.
The FDA must decide whether to grant marketing applications for e-cigarettes by Sept. 9.
August 27, 2021
Connecticut Scolded for Welcoming Philip Morris

Photo: Vankad
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) slammed Connecticut for welcoming Philip Morris International to the state.
On June 22, the tobacco giant announced it would relocate its corporate headquarters to Connecticut from New York, bringing approximately 200 jobs to the state. State leaders, who had helped facilitate the move, welcomed the decision.
“We are excited to welcome PMI to the state of Connecticut, showing once again that our state is a growing and thriving ecosystem for businesses,” said Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont after the announcement. “They recognize what we’ve been saying for years: Connecticut is a wonderful place to raise a family and a competitive place to conduct business. I am also impressed by their culture and desire to integrate closely into the communities in which they operate, and we look forward to seeing their active and charitable contributions to our state.”
“Philip Morris International’s move to Southwest Connecticut will bring approximately 200 good-paying jobs that will boost our economy and augment the tax base, which funds our schools, infrastructure and essential community services,” said State Representative Jim Himes. “As our area recovers from Covid-19, I’m pleased to see new economic investment in our community and thank Governor Lamont for his laser-like focus.”
CTFK President Matthew L. Myers, by contrast, was aghast.
“How in the world can any public official welcome a company whose main product kills when used as intended and contributes to over 8 million deaths worldwide each year?” he said in a statement.
“The 200 corporate jobs promised by Philip Morris International pale in comparison to the 4,900 Connecticut residents who die each year from smoking and the 56,000 Connecticut kids alive today who will ultimately die prematurely from smoking. That’s in addition to the millions sickened and killed worldwide by Philip Morris’ products each year. Far from helping to create a thriving business climate, Philip Morris International is in the business of selling products that addict, sicken and kill. They should not be welcomed anywhere.”
PMI’s new headquarters are expected to be operational by summer 2022.
June 23, 2021
Regulator Urged to Reject Flavors

Photo: Laboko – Dreamstime.com
As manufacturers of e-cigarettes and certain other tobacco products face a Sept. 9, 2020, deadline to apply to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to keep their products on the market, six leading public health and medical organizations are urging the FDA not to authorize the sale of any flavored products.

“The FDA should not authorize the sale of any flavored tobacco product, including e-cigarettes or e-liquids, because of the clear evidence that flavored products appeal to youth and have driven the current epidemic of e-cigarette use among youth and young adults and the lack of evidence that flavored products help smokers quit,” the groups wrote in a joint statement.

“Research shows that 97 percent of youth e-cigarette users report using a flavored product in the past month, and 70 percent say they use e-cigarettes ‘because they come in flavors I like.’ In contrast, there is no credible evidence that flavored e-cigarettes help adult smokers quit. In a report issued earlier this year, the U.S. Surgeon General concluded, ‘there is presently inadequate evidence to conclude that e-cigarettes, in general, increase smoking cessation,’” the organizations wrote.

The groups also called on the FDA to take prompt enforcement action to remove from the market products for which applications are required but are not submitted by the Sept. 9 deadline.

The organizations that issued the statement are the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the Truth Initiative.
August 11, 2020