To the Editor of The Turlock Journal:

Flavored tobacco products are targeted at teenagers and children to get them addicted to products at a young age. How would parents feel if they saw their child intrigued by a flavored tobacco commercial they saw on television? Proposition 31 needs to be upheld in order for flavored tobacco to stay prohibited.

Tobacco products are already a large issue among teenagers and children, lifting the ban of these products in California would only add to this increasing issue. Research done by UC Davis states that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that electronic cigarette use among high schoolers jumped by 80% in one year, likely due to the flashdrive product Juul. The effects of tobacco products on teenagers is apparent in public and even at school. Many disruptions already occur in the school day by fire drills caused by students vaping in the bathroom. If children and teenagers are given access to highly addictive flavored tobacco products, more disruptions may occur and disrupt valued class time.

Not only is tobacco addictive, it also causes long-lasting health problems. It has been proven that these products can cause at least 14 different types of cancer. Aside from that, tobacco products can also cause serious damage to the heart, lungs, and immune system. So even after knowing the effects of these products, why should we lift the ban on flavored tobacco products, and allow our future generations to become addicted to these products?

— Evelyn Perry