The American Lung Association in Colorado has expressed strong disapproval of recent decisions by Governor Jared Polis, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, and others to allocate Colorado taxpayer dollars to Philip Morris International. The funds are intended for a facility that will manufacture products currently not legally marketable or sellable in the United States.
“Any expansion of manufacture and marketing of products that are proven to cause addiction in adults and teens is not a reason to celebrate, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing in Colorado,” said Nick Torres, Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association in Colorado. “The warning signs are all here. In the ‘nicotine pouch’ market, we’re seeing many of the same emerging trends that preceded JUUL driving the e-cigarette epidemic: a concentrated, highly flavored product, an expanding use of social media to market to young users, a dramatic uptick in sales, and data showing increased use among young people.”
According to the US Surgeon General, youth use of nicotine-containing products is unsafe. These products remain on the market despite federal law violations. Earlier this year, the Lung Association joined several prominent public health organizations urging the FDA to end its enforcement discretion policy and remove unauthorized products from the market.
“Just last week, Colorado announced the distribution of more than $17 million of settlement funds resulting from the state’s lawsuit against JUUL, which hooked countless young Coloradans to their products,” added Torres. “It is deeply concerning that the state, touted as one of the country’s healthiest, is now rolling out the red carpet for an industry with such a long history of addiction and death. Zyn is just the latest dangerous product from Philip Morris, the company that brought us the Marlboro Man and JUUL vape products.”
