SAFE GC Coalition: Disturbing Survey Results on Teen Tobacco Use

According to results of the National Youth Tobacco Survey, published last week in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report; Tobacco vaping among high school students fell significantly between 2022 and 2023, new nationwide data shows. Ten percent of high school students used tobacco e-cigarettes within the previous 30 days, compared with 14.1% in 2022. However, experts expressed concern about increased tobacco use by students grades six to eight, and that nearly 30% of high school students using e-cigarettes said they were doing so daily.

The CDC maintains the percentage of middle school students vaping tobacco in the previous 30 days rose from 3.3% to 4.6%, a slight increase. Additionally, an increase was reported in middle school students’ 30-day use of any tobacco products, including traditional cigarettes, cigars and via hookahs, rising from 4.5% to 6.6%. The younger children are when they begin using nicotine, the more difficult it may be to quit. Nearly 15% of middle school students reported trying a tobacco product at least once, as did about 28% of high school students.

Washington, D.C.-based Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement that the decline in high school e-cigarette use is positive however the middle school increase underscores the urgent need to eliminate flavored e-cigarettes. Among high school and middle school students who reported using e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days, nearly 90% said they used flavored products.

New York banned flavored vaping products in 2020, but illegal flavored nicotine is widely sold nationwide. Youth report they buy flavored vaping tobacco at Long Island stores and online. The most popular brands include a variety of both disposable and cartridge-based products. Among students who used e-cigarettes, the most reported brands were Elf Bar, Esco Bars, Vuse, JUUL and Mr. Fog. It’s important to note the most used tobacco products among youth surveyed, e-cigarettes, cigarettes and cigars, are all sold in flavors.

The amount of nicotine in the most popular brands of e-cigarettes is much higher than several years ago and much higher than in combustible cigarettes. Nicotine harms young people’s brains, which continue developing until age 25, and has been associated with worsened anxiety, depression and other behavioral problems. Youth e-cigarette use soared between 2017 and 2019, from 11.7% of high school students reporting 30-day use in 2017 to 27.5% in 2019. The number dropped to 19.6% in 2020, in a survey taken before pandemic school closures, and to 11.3% in 2021. Numbers from 2021-2023 were not directly comparable with earlier data, because of a change in how data was collected.

The drop in tobacco consumption, as well as other drug and alcohol use, between 2020 and 2021 was in part because of remote learning when you’re no longer exposed to risk factors that might make you more likely to use substances. The 2023 high school rates are roughly half the 2020 ones, which indicates that most students who avoided nicotine during the pandemic never started once in-person instruction resumed. The drop in vaping just before the pandemic was likely because of crackdowns on flavored tobacco, national media campaigns on vaping and the 68 deaths and 2,800 hospitalizations in 2019 and early 2020 tied primarily to vaping THC.

The new CDC survey data was collected online March through June from what researchers said was a nationally representative sample of more than 22,000 students from 179 schools. The study was of tobacco e-cigarette use and did not measure vaping cannabis.

Experts have called upon federal authorities to more strongly crack down on illegal sales. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says they have taken multiple significant actions against those making, distributing, importing, or selling illegal e-cigarette products, especially those that appeal to youth.

For Quit help the NYS Smoker’ provides free and confidential services that include information, tools, quit coaching, and support in both English and Spanish. Services are available by calling 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487), texting (716) 309-4688, or visiting www.nysmokefree.com, for information, to chat online with a Quit Coach, or to sign up for Learn2QuitNY, a six-week, step-by-step text messaging program to build the skills you need to quit any tobacco product. Individuals aged 13 to 24 can text "DropTheVape" to 88709 to receive age-appropriate quit assistance.

Please visit the American Lung Association on their Website at: www.american lung.org. For help Quitting smoking/vaping or to help a loved one beat a Nicotine Addition the American Lung Association is committed to helping educate, intervene, and prevent the use of tobacco and nicotine by the next generation. The Lung HelpLine, is available via phone or online and is ready to assist teens between the ages of 13 -17 in quitting tobacco, including vaping. Call 800-LUNGUSA or chat online through their website at Lung.org.

SAFE, Inc. is the only alcohol and substance abuse prevention, intervention, and education agency in the City of Glen Cove. The Coalition is concerned about all combustible and electronic products with marijuana and tobacco. The Agency is employing environmental strategies to educate and update the community regarding the negative consequences in collaboration with Carol Meschkow, Manager- Tobacco Action Coalition of Long Island. To learn more about the SAFE Glen Cove Coalition please follow www.facebook.com/safeglencove or to learn more about electronic products visit the Vaping Facts and Myths Page of SAFE’s website to learn more about how vaping is detrimental to your health www.safeglencove.org.