Pediatric pulmonologist L. E. Faricy, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics

(JANUARY 11, 2024) L. E. Faricy, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics, was quoted in a Bennington Banner article about a letter to the Vermont House Health and Human Services Committee urging Vermont lawmakers to end the sale of flavored tobacco that was signed by 50 Vermont organizations, according to the Flavors Hook Kids Vermont Campaign and the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Vermont.

Faricy, a pediatric pulmonologist, said: “Pediatricians, parents, and schools continue to struggle to support a large number of youths with nicotine dependence. Young people tell us they start using electronic cigarettes in part because the flavors are appealing and make the product seem benign. Flavors in tobacco products help introduce kids to nicotine at a critical developmental stage and can be very damaging to brain development. Young people in the state of Vermont deserve to have a good chance of reaching adulthood without being targeted for addiction to substances by corporations. The bill before you is what prevention looks like—reduce the appeal of and demand for harmful products by eliminating flavors as a hook.”

The Flavors Hook Kids Vermont campaign includes the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Vermont and dozens of local, state, and national organizations dedicated to protecting kids from all tobacco products and addiction. More details can be found at flavorshookkidsvt.org.