An ordinance passed on May 17 by the City Council banning the sale of flavored tobacco including menthol was the right call, say two UC San Diego scientists, whose ongoing research indicates daily e-cigarette use has negative long-term impacts on the lungs and other organs.

The flavored tobacco ordinance, known as the Stop Adolescent Addiction From E-Cigarettes (SAAFE) Act. was spearheaded by Council members Marni von Wilpert of District 5 and Dr. Jennifer Campbell of District 2. Californians will vote on a possible statewide ban on flavored tobacco products this November.

Statistics show more than 30 million Americans smoke cigarettes, with approximately 1,600 youths trying their first cigarette daily. An additional 12 million adults in the country now use e-cigarettes, with the highest rates of use among those aged 18 to 24.

“Flavored tobacco products are intentionally marketed to kids, and I am proud that our city is taking action to prevent the sale of these products and protect our youth,” said von Wilpert.

“We must stop Big Tobacco from aggressively targeting our children and vulnerable communities,” said Campbell. “The Stop Adolescent Addiction From E-Cigarettes will help protect our communities from the tobacco industry making life-long customers addicted to nicotine.”

John P. Pierce, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor at Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, and Laura Crotty Alexander, MD, associate professor of medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine and section chief of Pulmonary Critical Care at Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, both study the effects of e-cigarette use on biology and health. They both spoke out about the significance of the City’s new ordinance banning flavored tobacco.

“The problem is e-cigarettes have been changing dramatically as we go along,” said Pierce adding, “The surgeon general has declared an epidemic with young kids showing a dramatic increase in the use of these e-cigarettes. And these (tobacco) flavorings have a lot to do with that.”

Though long-term conclusions about e-cigarette versus cigarette use have yet to be drawn, Crotty Alexander believes, at present, that e-cigarette use is “the lesser of the two evils.” But she pointed out, “It’s trading one nicotine product for another.”

Crotty Alexander pointed out that tobacco and e-cigarette smoke are “very different inhalants. “There are hundreds of flavors with different chemicals being mixed to create the tobacco-flavoring liquid,” she noted. “And well over 80% of e-cigarettes are now being produced by the big tobacco companies.”

Some people switch to e-cigarettes from tobacco thinking it will help wean them from smoking all together. But, thus far, Pierce said his research “hasn’t been able to find any benefit of e-cigarettes for quitting smoking. Of those who switched to e-cigarettes, within two years, about the same number have gone back to smoking cigarettes as those using other tobacco alternatives. There’s no evidence that you can switch to them (e-cigarettes) and stay on them for a long time.”

On a more positive note, Crotty Alexander feels flavored tobaccos used in e-cigarettes “are a help in people initiating attempts of all kinds to break their nicotine addictions.” Nonetheless, she pointed out that the lungs were not meant for vaping but to absorb oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. “We’ve seen a multitude of changes in the lungs with vaping, so we know that’s (negatively) impacting the lung’s structure and function,” she concluded.

Asked if there was a message she wanted to get out about the use of flavored tobacco and vaping, Crotty Alexander replied: “They should not view it as safe or healthy. It’s an addictive substance, and it will have health effects. We don’t know what the impacts will ultimately be. We’ve seen increases in different kinds of cancer. We’ve seen changes consistent with heart disease, and even changes in mood and behavior.”

In testimony before the City Council, numerous small-business owners complained they would be unduly harmed by banning flavored tobacco, claiming the product made up from a quarter to nearly half of their sales. Some of them also contended that children’s parents, not the government, should be responsible for how their children are raised and what choices they make in terms of their personal habits and health.