According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1600 young people in this country will try their first cigarette every day.
According to the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, "3.7% of middle or high school students - a total of approximately 1 million people - have smoked 'combustible tobacco' products such as cigars or cigarettes," reported Ken Alltucker of USA Today. This is not even their most popular choice. Survey data shows that e-cigarettes are definitely the most popular choice for school-age children. During the study period from January 18th to May 31st, nearly 3.1 million middle and high school students smoked e-cigarettes or used other tobacco products. Among adolescent e-cigarette users, "85% of them reported using flavored e-cigarettes, and over half used disposable e-cigarettes."
"It's not a coincidence that many more people use very special tobacco products," said Matthew L. Miles, chairman of the non-profit organization "Smokeless Children's Movement. "This is directly related to the advertising positioning of the tobacco industry."
"It is indeed concerning that 3 million children are using these products," added Erika Sward, Assistant Vice President of National Promotion for the American Lung Association.
"Seasoning products have been driving this epidemic from the beginning," Dennis Hernigan, Vice President of Legal and Regulatory Affairs for the Smokeless Children's Movement, told USA Today.
"Seasoned e-cigarettes have made the new generation of Americans addicted to nicotine," said Margaret Fotty, CEO of the American Cancer Research Association, in a recent STAT news review article.
"In the past decade, the number of teenagers and young people, as well as others who have not used tobacco products before, using flavored e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems has significantly increased, reaching its peak among high school students in 2019," said Forti. "Although the use of these products decreased during the Covid-19 pandemic, their popularity once again began to rise."
According to USA Today, although the US Food and Drug Administration issued a ban in 2020 on the use of flavoring boxes in e-cigarette devices that deliver nicotine, the industry seems to have bypassed this regulation and turned to selling laboratory made nicotine instead of tobacco made nicotine. Earlier this year, The FDA warns synthetic nicotine manufacturers and retailers to be aware of the illegal sale and marketing of these products.
Swald warned, "We will continue this cycle until we address the root cause - wholesalers, manufacturers, and distributors - young people smoking e-cigarettes.".
Foti wrote, "Prohibiting flavoring (electronic nicotine delivery systems) products will be a powerful strategy to reduce their attractiveness to teenagers and young people, and reducing the attractiveness of these products must become an urgent public health priority.".
"In late October, our organization, the American Society for Cancer Research and the American Society of Clinical Oncology, issued an updated joint policy statement... calling for urgent action to prevent further nicotine addiction.". It includes banning all flavoring electronic nicotine delivery system products and strengthening regulatory enforcement. The research cited by Foti indicates that young people are approximately three times more likely to start smoking traditional cigarettes compared to their peers who do not use these products.
"As cancer experts, we are deeply concerned about the increasing use of these electronic nicotine delivery systems, as teenagers and young people who may not have used traditional tobacco products are now using these devices, risking addiction to nicotine, which may in turn lead to long-term use of combustible tobacco," she added.
"For people who have never smoked, the problems caused by e-cigarettes can last for a lifetime," said an article on NewsForKids. net, a platform created by teachers aimed at keeping children informed about the news. "In the United States, cigarettes and e-cigarettes can only be sold to adults. However, many companies are working hard to encourage young people to try e-cigarettes. They use special flavors, such as gummies or marshmallows, to make the e-cigarette liquid look like children's juice or candy. Therefore, many young people start smoking e-cigarettes, thinking they are safe."
Exposure to nicotine is dangerous for the brain development of young people. The Mayo Clinic says that for some people, using any amount of tobacco can quickly lead to nicotine dependence. This is the reality we face for our children.