TA: Mysterious Vaping Illness “EVALI” and Political Readiness for Tobacco Control Policy

The vaping-related condition that has sickened thousands of people and killed 38 Americans (the youngest of which was 13 years old) was given a new name by the CDC: EVALI, or “E-cigarette or Vaping Product use Associated Lung Injury”. Amid the sickness and tragic deaths surrounding the mysterious new vaping illness, political readiness is high—local City Councilors and State Representatives are looking to find out more about these new tobacco products, high youth e-cigarette use, and what they can do about it. With headlines in the news about the youth vaping epidemic, tobacco product flavor bans, raising the minimum legal sale age to 21, and a call for higher taxes and prices, you as a grantee have likely already heard from your local policymakers looking for more information on how to address the vaping issue. Though not every grantee is funded to do local policy work in Goals 1 and 2 – cities and counties are deciding to work toward policy on their own to address the youth vaping epidemic and emerging EVALI cases. Grantees should be poised to address emerging policy questions.

Below are a few tips on what to do when you think City Councilors/City Staff are interested in or already acting on local tobacco control policy:

• Check local City Council agendas biweekly for tobacco control policy/youth vaping topics that may pop up. They are often posted 1-2 weeks ahead of time on council webpages.
• If you hear local policymakers say: “we should do something about this,” they are moving into the policy readiness category. They will need education around evidence-based, effective policy interventions.
• If you are invited to present at City Council for educational purposes around vaping and tobacco use, be sure to integrate slides on tobacco control policy options. Stress that local policymakers have an important role to play in fighting the youth vaping epidemic.
• Contact your STEPP Point of Contact and TA contact ASAP and to let them know if any of the above points emerge in your community.