US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s newest research reveals E-cigarette usage has risen in the United States, especially among middle and high school students.
The latest survey reveals the changing trends in e-cigarette sales and the flavors that young people choose, sparking severe worries about the possible health dangers of these devices. The results demand that the burgeoning teenage vaping pandemic be addressed right now.
The survey says 2.5 million US middle and high schoolers use e-cigarettes. Teens use e-cigarettes at frightening rates, damaging their developing brains. E-cigarette unit sales increased 46.6% from 15.5 million in January 2020 to 22.7 million in December 2022, according to CNN.
During the study, sales of e-cigarettes with tobacco and mint tastes dropped, while those with fruit and candy flavors-popular with teens-soared. This change in taste preferences demonstrates the success of marketing initiatives to attract young customers. The results highlight the urgent need for legislative action to counter the attractiveness of flavored e-cigarettes among young people.
Deirdre The CDC's Office on Smoking and Health director, Lawrence Kittner, noted the quick shifts in e-cigarette sales and use trends among young people. She underlined the need to use current information from retail sales to comprehend and address juvenile tobacco usage.
The Dangers of E-Cigarettes
Experts have also voiced alarm that the nicotine content of e-cigarettes has significantly increased over the last five years, with levels in the US surpassing those permitted in Canada and Europe, NBC News reported. These high nicotine levels' long-term health effects are still primarily understood.
Despite not having, e-cigarettes may harm the heart, lungs, and brain regions that govern attention and learning and raise the risk of drug addiction, according to the US Surgeon General.
U.S. e-cigarette sales climbed during 2020-2022. Increases in number of brands, and sales of disposable devices and flavors popular among youth. Youth use of tobacco in any form, including e-cigarettes, is unsafe.
— CDC (@CDCgov) June 22, 2023
Read full press release: https://t.co/KmJsy88vjv pic.twitter.com/JOQE1TIwQA
The CDC, the CDC Foundation, and the Truth Initiative collaborated on the research to acquire information regarding e-cigarette patterns, including product kinds, flavors, and top-selling brands. Retail scanner data from 2020 to 2022 was examined. It is important to note that the statistics excluded vape shops and internet vendors and only included sales from brick-and-mortar businesses.
Elf Bar emerged as the top-selling throwaway brand in the US, underscoring the study's emphasis on the appeal of single-use e-cigarettes. Elf Bar's connection to a surge in calls to US poison control centers, especially those involving children under five, has sparked concerns.
Liquid nicotine use by accident may have serious health effects, such as convulsions, vomiting, seizures, and brain damage. The research highlights the urgent need for stricter laws and more knowledge of the risks presented by disposable electronic cigarettes.
Manufacturers Keep on Finding Ways
The FDA set limitations on flavors in refillable cartridge-based e-cigarettes like Juul in the early 2020s, restricting them to menthol and tobacco varieties, which are more popular with adults. However, as disposable e-cigarettes are thrown away after use, these flavor limits do not apply to them, according to NPR.
The agency attempted to take the popular Puff Bar brand off the market but it returned. It claimed that they were now utilizing nicotine created in labs, which was beyond the scope of the FDA's initial control over nicotine obtained from tobacco. Many makers of disposable electronic cigarettes used a similar approach.
To close this loophole, the US Congress passed legislation last year mandating businesses remove their vaping goods from the market and file applications with the FDA. Nevertheless, despite these laws, new e-cigarette items keep being released.
