Sep 9, 2020 - Health

Vaping drops dramatically among teenagers

Marisa Fernandez

Disposable vaping products. Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images — Disposable vaping products still have a large appeal to teens. Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images

E-cigarette use among middle and high schoolers dropped significantly since last year, with 1.8 million fewer teens vaping, a federal report released Wednesday shows.

Why it matters: The survey, conducted between mid-January and mid-March, highlights the effects of last year’s outbreak of vaping-related illnesses and deaths.

In 2019, reports were confirmed of more than 2,600 hospital cases and nearly 60 deaths most likely associated with illicit THC-infused vaping products.

Yes, but: There is still a significant appeal for teens to smoke flavored tobacco products, which are now illegal to purchase in cartridge form.

Small vaping devices like those from Juul Labs are also still popular.
26.5% of high schoolers used disposable e-cigarettes in 2020 (up from 2.4% in 2019) and 15.2% middle schoolers (up from 3% in 2019).

By the numbers: About 20% of high school students and 5% of middle school students said they recently used e-cigarettes and other vaping products, a large decrease from last year which revealed 28% of high school students and 11% of middle school students used those products.

The big picture: The Food and Drug Administration attempted to curb youth vaping this year by barring flavored tobacco products in small vaping devices that have a youth following.

Federal law has since increased the age to purchase tobacco products and e-cigarettes to 21 and older.

Add Axios on Google

Vaping drops dramatically among teenagers

What to read next