RFK Jr.'s MAHA report on children's health leaves something out: nicotine

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Frances Daniels, a Baltimore mother of three, publication nan Trump administration's 20-page report called "Make Our Children Healthy Again," and noticed immoderate notable words were missing from it: "Smoking" and "nicotine."

The connection "tobacco" is mentioned erstwhile successful nan document, successful a reference to nan Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

"I was horrified," Daniels says. "It ne'er erstwhile mentioned constituent usage. Specifically: nicotine."

That was of sedate interest to Daniels, because nicotine and nan chemicals vaped pinch it, hooked and astir killed 1 of her children 3 years ago. Her kid spent six sadistic weeks successful nan infirmary pinch EVALI, a lung wounded caused by e-cigarette use. "They had astir six tubes successful their lungs astatine 1 point, draining fluid retired — 3 connected each broadside pinch machines connected either broadside of nan bed."

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says nan strategy is "mobilizing each portion of authorities to face nan puerility chronic illness epidemic." The administration's database of recommendations successful its study calls for public-service campaigns astir nan risks of alcohol, controlled substances, and vaping. It besides recommends continued ace downs connected illegally imported vapes, and it announced a $86 cardinal seizure of e-cigarettes past week.

NPR has reached retired to nan Department of Health and Human Services for comment.

A privilege successful Trump 1.0

The report's prescriptions sound excessively anemic to Meredith Berkman, co-founder of Parents Against Vaping E-cigarettes. She says it contrasts pinch President Trump's stance successful 2019, erstwhile she met pinch him.

"He was successful nan Rose Garden and successful nan Oval Office, talking astir younker vaping," she says of his accent connected prevention, during his first term. "The truth location is not a greater accent put connected baccy and nicotine, which is harming younker — it's very, very surprising."

Tobacco usage remains nan top origin of preventable death successful nan US.

That's why Brian King — an epidemiologist and erstwhile caput of nan Food and Drug Administration's Center for Tobacco Products — says omissions of smoking, baccy and different nicotine products make nary sense. "Something to combat chronic illness without baccy power is for illustration attempting a triathlon without a bicycle — you are destined for nonaccomplishment earlier leaving nan starting line," King says.

Cuts to successful baccy power efforts

King, now executive vice president astatine nan Center for Tobacco-Free Kids, says nan administration's stated support for nationalist consciousness and greater enforcement tally antagonistic to its caller actions. "In nan aforesaid breath, nan management has eliminated nan very portion that conducts that activity astatine FDA," he says. He besides notes nan Trump management eliminated nan Office of Smoking and Health astatine nan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which funded authorities baccy power programs — immoderate of which King says are successful nan process of shutting down.

Such programs are credited pinch melodramatic reductions successful smoking — and much precocious vaping — among teens.

Earlier this year, nan Trump management besides withdrew plans to prohibition menthol-flavored cigarettes, contempt nan truth that flavored baccy and nicotine are known to beryllium a awesome tie for young people, says Priya Fielding-Singh, head of argumentation astatine the Global Food Institute astatine George Washington University. "An acquisition run isn't a compelling substitute for enacting baccy regularisation to support these products retired of nan hands of kids and teens," Fielding-Singh said successful a statement.

Nevertheless, smoking and vaping are falling retired of favour pinch adolescents, and Penn State nationalist wellness professor Jonathan Foulds says truthful young group coming are astatine acold little consequence — particularly compared to nan galore different public-health threats they face. "Nicotine itself is not very precocious connected nan database of nationalist wellness priorities for kids," Foulds says.

Nicotine is, of course, addictive and affects heart health. But Foulds says not each forms of nicotine are nan same. Oral nicotine pouches for illustration Zyn, for example, and moreover vaping, whitethorn beryllium preferable to cigaret use, he says. "It's overmuch little harmful than smoking," moreover if it's not harmless, he says. "We shouldn't exaggerate nan consequence of it; we should beryllium gladsome that they're not smoking."

Foulds says truthful acold there's scant grounds that galore group who commencement vaping successful adolescence return up smoking later successful life.

But successful Frances Daniels' experience, it each goes manus successful hand. "Nicotine is harmful, arsenic good arsenic nan process of vaping — they're some harmful," she says.

Her kid recovered and discontinue nicotine, she says. But she continues informing others astir nan risks.