One-Third of U.S. High School Students Used E-Cigarettes in 2019

E-cigarette use more than doubled among U.S. high school students from 2017 to 2019 (from 13.2% in 2017 to 32.7% in 2019), according to a report The use of tobacco products has decreased during this period.

Following the investigation Monitoring the Future 2019 and of 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a third national survey highlights the very sharp increase in the use of electronic cigarettes by young people aged 15 to 18 between 2017 and 2019[1] . According to the latter, a third of high school students are now consumers of electronic cigarettes and 10% report using them frequently (at least 20 days per month). Consumption of traditional cigarettes fell from 8.8% to 6% during this period, consumption of cigars from 8% to 5.7% and smokeless tobacco products from 5.5% to 3.8% among American youth aged 15 to 18.

U.S. health experts have criticized the vaping industry — and brands like JUUL in particular — for marketing products with high nicotine doses and appealing flavors like mango and mint to teens. With 5% nicotine refills (1.9% in the European Union), Juul and other e-cigarettes deliver more nicotine than a full pack of 20 traditional cigarettes, increasing the risk of addiction. Public health officials say the data should prompt the FDA to pull all flavored products from the market. They also warn that there is a legal loophole that allows disposable e-cigarettes[2] and cheap to easily find itself in the hands of young people.

To date, five states - Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and most recently California[3]- and a growing number of cities and counties have ended the sale of all flavored e-cigarettes. Massachusetts and some localities have ended the sale of all flavored tobacco products.

Keywords: Vaping, youth, United States

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