MIchael Cherup

This should not be a left versus right issue. Harm reduction should never be political. Smoking cigarettes remain the deadliest legal consumer product ever sold and continue to kill more than 480,000 Americans every single year. Tobacco use has killed an estimated 100 million people globally over the last century, more than both World Wars combined. 🚬💀🪦 This issue is much bigger than politics. Nobody wants kids using nicotine products. The goal should always be better public health overall. ✅️ Marijuana is legal in your own state, where adults are trusted to purchase regulated products under an age-restricted system. According to Vermont’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 22% of high school students reported marijuana use in the past 30 days, while 16% reported e-cigarette use in the past 30 days. ➡️ Where is the outrage that more high school students are using marijuana than nicotine vaping, while youth vaping rates continue to decline nationally? 📉 Meanwhile, youth vaping has plummeted nationally, with daily youth vaping now around 1.4%. Adults who smoke matter too. Their lives matter. Their families matter. Public health policy should focus on strict age enforcement and responsible regulation, not eliminating reduced-risk alternatives for adults trying to move away from cigarettes.