The CEO of the American Heart Association recently expressed concern over e-cigarette ads' impact on youth.
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Kathy Adams | Jan 24, 2016

American Heart Association CEO concerned about e-cigarette ads' impact on youth

American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown expresses serious concern over the impact of e-cigarette advertising on youth after reviewing a report that shows that seven of 10 teenagers have seen ads for e-cigarettes.

The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) culled its data from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) and published the results earlier this month in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

"The growing drumbeat of concern about the impact of e-cigarette advertising on young Americans just got louder," Brown said. "This latest CDC report carries the same message the American Heart Association has been stressing for years: more must be done if we are to prevent and reduce youth tobacco use in this country."

For Brown, such efforts must include stricter regulation of e-cigarettes.

"It is unacceptable that e-cigarette advertising remains unrestricted," Brown said. "More and more money is being poured into targeting kids at every turn. As the report shows, kids are encountering these ads virtually everywhere -- in stores, online, in newspapers and magazines and on television and in movies. And the sad truth is, it's working. The 2014 NYTS survey revealed e-cigarette use has tripled among U.S. teens."

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