Federal News & Issues

Nov 19, 2019

There is no time to waste in confronting this worsening epidemic of youth nicotine addiction. More than 5 million children now use e-cigarettes, including over 1 in 4 high school students. The evidence is clear that flavors play a critical role in youth use of e-cigarettes. Research has found that nearly all (97%) current youth e-cigarette users use flavored e-cigarettes and 70% cite flavors as a key reason for their use. The 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that 57.3% of high school e-cigarette users use mint- or menthol-flavored products, an increase from 38.1% in 2018 and 21.0% in 2017.

Youth e-cigarette use and nicotine addiction leads to increased risk of cigarette use. Tobacco remains accessible to minors, and more needs to be done to prevent young people from using these addictive products. We must do everything we...

Oct 25, 2019

Washington, DC – The Partnership to Amend 42 CFR Part 2 (Partnership), a coalition of nearly 50 health care organizations committed to aligning 42 CFR Part 2 (Part 2) with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations (TPO), today submitted comments in response to the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), “Coordinating Care and Information Sharing in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders,” released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The proposed rule would modify Part 2, the federal regulations that govern confidentiality of drug and alcohol treatment and...