美国FDA烟草产品中心主任：青少年吸烟率历史最低，电子烟使用降至十年新低

【两个至上2Firsts快讯】美国时间12月4日，美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）烟草产品中心（CTP）主任布莱恩·金博士宣布，根据《2024年全国青少年烟草调查报告》，青少年烟草产品的使用率降至25年来最低点。青少年吸烟率达历史新低，电子烟使用率则降至近十年来最低水平。这一成就是多方努力的结果，包括联邦和地方的政策实施、教育宣传以及严格执法。尽管取得了显著进展，但FDA表示将继续采取措施保护青少年免受烟草产品的危害。

以下为AI翻译中文内容，仅供参考，请以英文原文为准：

随着 FDA 行动的推进，青少年烟草制品使用量持续下降

作为美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）烟草产品中心（CTP）主任，我经常反思与公众的交流，特别是那些涉及烟草使用统计背后的人群的对话。这种反思可以追溯到我职业生涯的早期，那时我在烟草戒烟热线工作，每天接听渴望戒烟的人们的来电。他们戒烟的理由各不相同：希望活着见到孙子、牵着孩子走上婚礼的红毯，或与配偶一起实现梦寐以求的旅行。然而，无论理由如何，这些人都有一个令人心碎的共同点——他们深深渴望能陪伴家人，共享生命中宝贵的时刻。

我们知道，大多数使用烟草产品的成年人首次接触烟草是在青少年时期。因此，防止烟草产品落入青少年手中是我们的核心任务之一。近日发布的《2024年全国青少年烟草调查报告》显示了一项公共卫生领域的巨大胜利：青少年烟草产品使用率降至该调查开展25年以来的历史最低点。青少年吸烟率创下历史新低。此外，电子烟使用率的下降推动了这一进展，青少年对电子烟的使用已降至近十年来的最低水平。

这一成就是各级政府和组织协作的结果，包括国家、州、地方、地区及部落的努力。在国家层面，FDA采取了全面而有力的烟草监管措施——这并非巧合，自CTP于2009年成立以来，美国青少年烟草产品的使用人数从467万减少到了2024年的225万。

值得注意的是，FDA在这一领域的工作尚未结束。CTP的政策议程为我们的计划提供了指导和透明度，包括当前及长期优先事项。例如，FDA最近通过了一项最终规则，明确了烟草产品销售的年龄要求。大多数每日吸烟的成年人是在年轻时抽了第一支烟，因此执行21岁这一联邦最低销售年龄对于控制烟草使用至关重要。

另一个保护青少年的途径是对新烟草产品的申请进行审查。CTP的审查工作重点之一是考虑可能开始使用这些产品的青少年。截至目前，我们已对超过2600万份申请采取行动，包括拒绝那些具有吸引青少年设计和口味（如糖果和水果）的电子烟上市销售许可。

与此同时，我们也批准了34种电子烟产品的销售，包括具有烟草和薄荷醇口味的产品。这些获批的产品和设备经过了严格的科学审查，被FDA认定符合法律要求的公共健康标准——即在衡量产品的风险和整体人口的健康益处时，两者的平衡达到了法律规定的标准。对于调味电子烟，这包括证明其对吸烟成年人相比普通烟草口味电子烟具有更大的益处，例如完全转用或显著减少吸烟量，从而抵消其对青少年的潜在风险。

FDA还通过执法行动保护青少年免受烟草产品的危害。我们采用多种工具，包括警告信、民事罚款、禁令及查封，以确保供应链中的相关方遵守法律，从而防止青少年使用烟草产品。此外，我们还与其他联邦机构合作，例如通过一个新成立的跨机构工作组，强化电子烟的执法工作。

教育在预防青少年开始使用烟草产品方面发挥着关键作用。例如，我们的获奖宣传活动“真实代价”（The Real Cost）每年估计能阻止数十万青少年开始使用烟草产品。这些努力是公共健康领域的“最佳投资”——每花费1美元在此宣传活动上，社会通过避免与烟草相关的健康成本可节省约180美元。该活动继续覆盖并积极影响青少年群体。此外，我们还向家长和教师提供宣传资源，例如免费的“预防吸电子烟及教育资源中心”。

以上所有行动都是FDA持续努力的一部分，旨在让烟草相关疾病和死亡成为我们国家的历史，确保为青少年创造一个更健康的未来。尽管目前的进展令人鼓舞，但仍有大量工作需要完成。我们将继续致力于保护青少年免受烟草产品的危害。

原文如下：

Youth Tobacco Product Use Continues to Decline as FDA Actions Build Momentum

As Director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), I often reflect on conversations with the public, including the people behind tobacco product use statistics. This type of reflection started in the early days of my career when I answered calls for a tobacco quit line. On a daily basis, I spoke with people who had a desire to quit smoking. Each had a different reason for wanting to quit: living to meet their grandchildren, walking their child down the wedding aisle, or taking a dream vacation with their spouse. While their reasons varied, they had heartbreaking similarities – a deep desire to be there for their families and to celebrate life’s precious moments with the ones they love.

We know most adults who use tobacco products first started during adolescence. That’s why keeping tobacco products out of the hands of youth is central to our mission. That said, the recently released 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey findings are a monumental win for public health: youth tobacco product use has dropped to its lowest level ever reported since the survey began a quarter century ago. Cigarette smoking among youth has reached a historic low. Moreover, reductions in e-cigarette use have fueled recent progress, with use of these products among youth dropping to the lowest level in a decade.

This success is the result of actions taken at the national, state, local, territorial and tribal levels. National actions include those by the FDA, which is taking a robust, comprehensive approach to tobacco regulation – and it’s no coincidence that current youth tobacco product use in the U.S. decreased from 4.67 million in 2009, when CTP was established, to 2.25 million in 2024.

Importantly, the FDA’s work in this area is not over. CTP’s policy agenda guides and provides transparency on our plans, including current and long-term priorities. For example, the FDA recently advanced one of its priorities through a final rule outlining increased age requirements for tobacco product sales. Most adults who smoke daily smoked their first cigarette by young adulthood, so enforcing the federal minimum age-of-sale of 21 for tobacco products is critical.

Another way the agency continues to protect youth is through our review of applications for new tobacco products. A major component of CTP’s review includes considering the youth who might start using the product. In fact, we’ve taken action on more than 26 million applications, including denying the marketing of e-cigarettes in youth-appealing designs and flavors, including candy and fruit. 

At the same time, we have also authorized thirty-four e-cigarette products for sale, including those with tobacco and menthol flavors. These authorized products and devices have undergone rigorous scientific review and have been found by the FDA to meet the public health standard required by law – which weighs the risks of the products against the benefits to the population as a whole. In the case of flavored e-cigarettes, this includes demonstrating they have a benefit for adults who smoke cigarettes relative to that of tobacco flavored e-cigarettes – in terms of complete switching or significant reduction – that is sufficient to outweigh the risks of the product, including to youth.

We also protect youth from the risks of tobacco products through enforcement actions. The FDA uses multiple tools, including warning letters, civil money penalties, injunctions, and seizures to ensure those across the supply chain obey laws that prevent youth tobacco product use. We also work with other federal agencies on e-cigarette enforcement, including through a newly formed interagency task force.

Education plays a crucial role in preventing youth tobacco initiation and use. For example, our awarding-winning campaign “The Real Cost” has been estimated to prevent hundreds of thousands of youth from starting to use tobacco products each year. These efforts are a public health “best buy” – for every $1 we spend on the campaign, an estimated $180 in savings occurs for society through averted tobacco-related health costs. The campaign continues to reach – and positively impact – teens. We also provide outreach to parents and teachers, offering free resources such as our Vaping Prevention and Education Resource Center.
 
All the above activities are part of the FDA’s ongoing efforts to make tobacco-related disease and death part of our nation’s past, ensuring a healthier future for our youth. While this progress is promising, there’s more work to do and we remain committed to protecting our nation’s youth from the harms of tobacco products.