# The PROTECT Act: Understanding the New E-Cigarette and Youth Tobacco Initiative

The PROTECT Act creates a major federal program focused on understanding and reducing e-cigarette and vaping use among young people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will lead this initiative, which aims to tackle what many public health officials see as a growing problem: teenagers and young adults becoming addicted to nicotine through vaping products. The bill provides $100 million per year for five years (2024-2028) to fund this work, making it a significant investment in youth tobacco prevention.

Here's what the program will actually do. First, it will conduct extensive research to understand the vaping landscape—what products young people are using, how they're getting them, why they're attracted to them, and whether vaping leads them to try traditional cigarettes. Researchers will also study the products themselves, looking at nicotine levels and how these devices deliver nicotine to the body. Second, the program will work with doctors and schools to develop better ways to help young people quit vaping and to treat nicotine addiction. Third, it will fund state and local health departments to run prevention programs and help young people access quit-smoking resources like quitlines and cessation services covered by Medicaid and children's health insurance.

The bill also requires the federal government to launch a public awareness campaign about the dangers of e-cigarettes and emerging tobacco products, working with the Surgeon General to spread messages tailored to different communities. Additionally, the government will evaluate which prevention strategies actually work—whether in schools, communities, or at the state level—so that successful approaches can be expanded. Essentially, this bill treats youth vaping as a public health priority worthy of serious federal attention and funding, combining research, prevention, treatment, and public education into one coordinated effort.

PROTECT Act

Wasserman Schultz, Debbie

Preventing Opportunities for Teen E-Cigarette and Tobacco Addiction Act or the PROTECT Act This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a strategy and carry out a specific initiative to prevent and reduce the use of electronic cigarettes and emerging tobacco products among youth and young adults. As part of the initiative, the CDC must <ul> <li>conduct research and surveillance on types of products, patterns of use, health impacts, and other aspects of the use of such products by youth and young adults;</li> <li>evaluate prevention and intervention strategies and develop guidance for intervening and treating youth and young adults who use such products;</li> <li>identify effective messaging and communication efforts and implement a national public education campaign concerning the use of such products; and</li> <li>continue to fund grants for tobacco control programs in health departments, including efforts to prevent and reduce the use of such products by youth and young adults.</li> </ul>