Sixteen percent of high school exclusive vapers in the 2017
National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), or 184,000 out of 1.15 million, were 18
years of age or older, meaning that they could buy tobacco products
legally.
Legal-age students also constituted one-quarter of high
school smokers and 23% of dual users, according to the NYTS and shown on the
chart at left.
Legal-age students are themselves the most common source for
e-cigarettes among underage students, as the following table shows. The majority of underage students (74%) obtained e-cigarettes
from family members, friends and others.
The next biggest source was vape shops (12%). The Internet, which was singled out by FDA
Commissioner Gottlieb in his recent announcement, was the source for fewer than
5% of underage vapers.
| E-Cigarettes Sources for Underage High School Users, 2017 | |
|---|---|
| Source | |
| Friend | 64.0% |
| Family member | 5.8% |
| Other person | 4.0% |
| Vape shop | 11.8% |
| Internet | 4.7% |
| Other retail | 3.6% |
| Gas station/convenience store | 3.4% |
| Mall kiosk | 1.4% |
| Drugstore | 1.2% |
| Grocery store | Under 1% |
Retailers must stop selling e-cigarettes to underage youths,
and the FDA is responsible for enforcing that rule. However, it is critical that regulators and
the public address the fact that friends and family are the biggest contributors
to underage use.
N.B. Thanks to Bill
Godshall for suggesting this assessment.
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