The somebody on oversight and investigations hearing will now come to order. Today the committee is holding a hearing entitled sounding the alarm, the Public Health threats of ecigarettes. The purpose is to examine the Public Health impacts related to ecigarette manufacturing, sales and use. The chair recognizes herself for purposes of an opening statement. Our country is facing a serious Public Health epidemic, one that is causing severe harm. This hearing will examine the cause of that epidemic, the uncontrolled and rising use of ecigarettes. As lifethreatening illnesses sweep the country and the use of products by yunoung people soar we must protect the American People from these products. First the data is now clear, over the past several years, weve seen an unacceptably high proportion of young people facing nicotine addiction. This year alone, more than 27 of High Schoolers report theyre using ecigarettes or vaping as its also known. From 2011 to 2015, there was a 900 increase, a
I yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. Senator dick durbin talks about the fdas role in removing certain ecigarette from the market. September 9, 2021, over a year ago, was supposed to be a historic day and american efforts to stop the purveyors of candy and fruit flavored you cigarettes from praying on americas kids but september 9, 2021, was the deadline and it was set by a federal judge for the us food and Drug Administration to finally finally clear its enormous backlog of applications for ecigarette Companies Seeking to sell the product in america, companies that can improve their products were appropriate for protection of public health, they can sell their products legally but ecigarette products cant meet that standard, cant demonstrate a benefit to public health, vape vaping is dangerous and addictive, these companies are praying on our children. Fda had a legal mandate to ban these from us markets on september 9, 2021, but the food and Drug Administration failed