Is Industry to Blame for Teen Substance Use?

 

I’m a member of a tobacco policy discussion group that has focused many times on the so-called epidemic of teen vaping.  One recent exchange centered on how e-cigarette and vape manufacturers and retailers might demonstrate to government regulators and policymakers that they are serious about not marketing their products to children.  Frankly, I take issue with the underlying assumption that the industry is actually responsible for teen behaviors.

First, let’s define the so-called epidemic.  The first chart at left represents “current” – that is, past-30-day – nicotine vaping prevalence rates among U.S. high school seniors, according to the federal Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey.  In 2017, the first year the MTF collected this information, 11% of seniors vaped.  Over the next five years, the percentage spiked to over 25%, then settled at around 20%.  A similar pattern is seen in National Youth Tobacco Surveys covering 2013 to 2022 (here). 

Now, ask yourself: Do vape companies play any role in this teen vaping “epidemic”? 

If you answer NO, I agree with you, but if you answered YES, please examine the next chart.

 

Here we see the same vaping numbers, but with the addition of current alcohol use rates for the past 32 years.  Although the trend is going in a welcome direction, 28% of high school seniors in 2022 were current drinkers, putting them at far greater risk than the smaller percentage who were vaping.  Note that all of these teens were under the legal age to purchase alcohol or vape products.

Does the alcohol industry play a role in teen drinking?

Oddly, in contrast to the obsession with vaping, little is said about teen drinking, despite widespread alcohol advertisements and the more immediate and greater dangers posed to underage drinkers.  Parents Against Vaping E-cigarettes (PAVE) and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) portray nicotine vaping as the ruination of an entire generation.  Where are the pressure groups for teen drinking and binge drinking?

If you still blame corporate America for teen alcohol use, consider the next chart. It includes marijuana use, the rate of which has remained above 20% for high school seniors since 1995.

 

 

What industry is responsible for teen marijuana use?  

Until recent years, marijuana, which is still federally illegal, was prohibited in all 50 states, so there were no corporations producing or marketing it.  Industry would appear to be blameless for any underage consumption.

Conclusion

The explanation for teen substance use is that adolescents are strongly attracted to adult behaviors and adult products.  Blaming the vape industry while giving the alcohol industry a pass is illogical.  Teen marijuana use underscores the fact that young people will adopt adult behaviors regardless of industry marketing.

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Sustains Teen Vaping “Epidemic” By Ignoring 2021 Data

 

The teen vaping “epidemic” was never real; it was a passing fad, blown out of proportion by anti-tobacco zealots (here, here and here).  There is no question that past-30-day (i.e., current) high school vaping increased from 12% in 2017 to 27% in 2019.  However, by 2021, the high school vaping rate had plummeted to 11%, and smoking rates sank from 8% to 2% during those four years (here). 

The “epidemic” may have been fake, but the concocted crisis led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ban the sale of millions of lifesaving e-cigarettes and vaping products, the latest being JUUL. 

The “epidemic” lives on at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, as evidenced by a May 24 presentation by CTFK president Matt Myers at the Clear the Vapor Conference, sponsored by Parents Against Vaping E-Cigarettes.  I will not link to his YouTube video, as I don’t want to inadvertently increase the 43 views he has earned. 

Here is an image from his presentation on high school smoking, using information from the National Youth Tobacco Survey:

  

Myers frequently cites the NYTS because it produces the highest teen vaping numbers.  But this time he plays fast and loose with the survey, seen in this slide from his presentation:

 

After 2019, high school vaping plummeted for two years.  How did Myers deal with that challenge to CTFK’s “epidemic” narrative?  He simply ended his chart at 2020, omitting available 2021 data.

Here is the corrected chart: 

 

 

As I have noted in a prior blog entry, anti-tobacco crusaders are doing a great job of promoting e-cigarettes and vape products to America’s youth, using cartoons, hip images, photos of kids vaping, and attractive vape flavor illustrations.  The CTFK even offers a powerful, though misguided, teen-oriented vaping promotion featuring 42 vaping scenes in under five minutes (here). 

Tobacco prohibitionists will use any trick to ensure that the teen vaping “epidemic” never ends.