July 29th, 2024 by WCBC Radio

Nearly 60,000 students in over 300 schools took part in the Maryland Youth Tobacco Survey. It was the first time that menthol tobacco was specifically questioned. The survey results show that the use of cigarettes, tobacco, e-cigarettes, and alcohol among high schoolers remained pretty much the same as 2021, with a slight increase in cigar smoking. Dr. Debra Houry, Chief Medical Officer for the Centers For Disease Control, says she has a concern with the marketing of flavored tobacco and vapes toward younger adults…

"When you look at what's being marketed to kids, it's things like you know flavors that are really marketed towards kids like cotton candy or bubble gum and that's really concerning as a parent or doctor and public health professional. This is being marketed towards our kids and that's why we're seeing that there's more interest in kids in things like e-cigarettes."