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The Washington Post: E-cigarette use among American teenagers remains a public health crisis

The Washington Post: E-cigarette use among American teenagers remains a public health crisis

2022-10-17

Blue Hole New Consumer Report, Oct. 17 -- E-cigarette use among teens remains a public health crisis, according to The Washington Post. For evidence, look no further than new data released by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on youth e-cigarette use.


The study, from the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, found that a surprising number of teens regularly use these harmful and addictive products. The FDA will need to respond forcefully.


According to the article, 9.4 percent of middle and high school students (more than 2.5 million young adults) reported using e-cigarettes in the month prior to the survey. That includes about 14 percent of high school students. That finding may be lower than the up to 28 percent of high school students reported in 2019, but it's still too many. E-cigarettes can contain high levels of nicotine, which can harm a teenager's cognitive development and increase the risk of addiction.


The researchers cautioned that assessing trends over time is worrisome because the pandemic has affected data collection.


However, the findings raise worrying questions for regulators. Of the young people who reported using e-cigarettes, nearly 30 percent said they consumed these products every day, and about 85 percent consumed flavored e-cigarettes, which have a sweet taste and are designed to appeal to young people.


In 2020, the FDA banned the use of flavorings in refillable boxes, but allowed single-use devices to continue to be sold in flavors like banana ice and cool mint. Teen preferences seem to have changed as a result: disposable devices are now the most popular among teens, especially fruit and candy flavors.


For years, policymakers have struggled to find the right balance when it comes to e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes offer a less toxic alternative to regular cigarettes for older smokers seeking to kick the habit. At the same time, these products are rapidly attracting young people because of their convenience, range of flavors and nicotine content.


Recognizing these dangers, the FDA has tried to crack down, with some responses more successful than others. Central to the agency's strategy is a long-awaited partial ban on flavored products in 2020. But the final rule includes many exceptions -- not just for disposable devices, but also for other forms of e-liquids.


The new survey data should prompt regulators to close as many of these loopholes as possible. They should also vigorously enforce existing rules, including financial penalties for bad actors. The agency got some help from Congress this year, when lawmakers gave the FDA new powers to regulate products that use synthetic nicotine.


In a statement this month, the FDA announced that it had sent a warning letter to Puff Bar, the most popular e-cigarette brand among teens today that uses synthetic nicotine, and had rejected a marketing order for 32 e-cigarettes from Hyde, another company. This is a start, but the agency should quickly complete its review of pending e-cigarette applications and redouble its efforts to get illegal products off the shelves and off the streets.


Until most flavored products are removed from the market, teenagers will continue to consume them. Don't be fooled by colorful packaging and innocuous names. Now is the time to protect children from the lifelong health and behavioral risks associated with youth vaping.


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