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Publication Date

3-22-2024

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Presentation: 4:33

Poster attached as supplemental file below

Abstract

Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) pose significant public health concerns, particularly among adolescents and young adults. This study aims to analyze the impact of state-level policies on ENDS use in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, with a focus on adolescents and young adults. The study employs a policy analysis approach to examine existing regulations governing ENDS use in both states. The process plan involves defining the research question, identifying relevant policies, and conducting legal research using state legislative websites and secondary sources. Data collection methods include searching PubMed, National Institutes of Health (NIH), and state legislative websites for relevant articles, studies, and statutes. Preliminary findings reveal notable variations in ENDS policies between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. While both states define e-cigarettes and impose taxes on them, New Jersey has stricter regulations, including a ban on flavored e-cigarettes and restrictions on tobacco-related advertising. Pennsylvania focuses more on preventing packaging modifications and requires a license for all tobacco product sales. These findings can have significant implications for public health policy and practice. The stricter regulations in New Jersey may help deter youth initiation and reduce tobacco influence, while Pennsylvania's focus on packaging integrity and licensing requirements ensures tighter control over tobacco products. By understanding the impact of state-level policies on ENDS use, policymakers can develop more effective strategies to address the growing prevalence of ENDS among adolescents and young adults, ultimately promoting the health and well-being of these populations.

Lay Summary

Many people are familiar with the rise of vaping and electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) use, especially among teenagers and young adults. ENDS are devices that vaporize a liquid containing nicotine for the purpose of inhalation. The overall concern is that ENDS are not as harmless as they seem, especially for youth users that are still growing and developing both physically and mentally. The goal of this research is to learn which laws, specifically in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are in place to stop vaping among teenagers and young adults. New Jersey and Pennsylvania have different laws and regulations when it comes to ENDS and it is important to see how those laws are the same and different. Laws within this topic matter and are important because laws can shape how ENDS products are sold, advertised, and used. We created questions asking specific characteristics to find the laws. We searched for laws for New Jersey and Pennsylvania on two different databases using key terms like “youth,” “nicotine,” and “tobacco”. Then we organized the laws into a chart based on if the state has a law for that specific trait using “yes” or “no”. The research from this paper shows that both New Jersey and Pennsylvania have laws defining what an e-cigarette is, a law that applies taxes towards ENDS, making them more expensive with purchase, laws on how ENDS should be packaged, an age requirement to purchase and use, areas where vaping and using ENDS are not allowed, and requiring a special license to sell ENDS in the state. The major difference is New Jersey has a law banning the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, as well as a law banning advertisements of these products. Understanding how laws impact vaping can help us protect the health of young people. With future and further research, finding which laws and rules are effective, can help motivate other states to adapt the same laws. If there are problems within the rules, policy makers and government officials can work on fixing them to keep adolescents and young adults safe. With this research we hope to aid in creating a safer environment for teenagers and young adults, where they can make decisions about their health.

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James_Oreoluwa_poster.pptx (338 kB)

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English

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