Wyoming Ranks First in Teen E-cigarette Use: US Study

Wyoming ranks first in teen e-cigarette use: US study

Relevant researchers in the United States conducted an in-depth analysis of state data provided by the "Tobacco-Free Kids Campaign". According to the survey, although Wyoming prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes to people under the age of 21, the state has the highest rate of e-cigarette use among teenagers, and nearly one-third of teenagers have used e-cigarettes in the past year. California has the lowest e-cigarette use rate at 6%.

 

According to the Daily Mail on August 4, relevant researchers in the United States conducted an in-depth analysis of state data provided by the "Tobacco-Free Kids Campaign". According to a survey in 2023, Wyoming has the highest rate of e-cigarette use among teenagers in the United States, and nearly one-third of teenagers have used e-cigarettes in the past year, despite the state's ban on the sale of e-cigarettes to people under the age of 21. West Virginia and Alaska are next.

The report pointed out that California has the lowest e-cigarette use rate at 6%. This is mainly due to strict regulations introduced by Governor Gavin Newsom, who recently banned the sale of flavored e-cigarettes to people of any age. Under California law, the legal age to purchase e-cigarettes is 21.

The latest data from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that among those who regularly use e-cigarettes, there are more than 2 million youth smokers under the age of 18 and 17 million adult smokers.

 

Researchers said:

 

"Wyoming has the highest youth e-cigarette use rate, reaching 30%. The state has implemented a number of laws to reduce e-cigarette use, including prohibiting the sale or distribution of e-cigarette products to people under the age of 21 and mandating that e-cigarettes have child-resistant packaging, but the smoking rate is still the highest in the country."

 

In addition to these laws, child care institutions in the state also prohibit the use of e-cigarettes, and people who purchase tobacco products are required to pay a 15% tax. However, the state is mostly rural and has a small population, which may be part of the reason for the high rate of youth e-cigarette use. About 80% of Wyoming residents live in rural areas, and much of the land is used for agriculture and national parks. This also makes it more difficult to enforce e-cigarette regulations, and rural areas often have difficulty accessing relevant resources about the harms of e-cigarettes.

 

West Virginia has the second highest youth e-cigarette use rate at 27.5%. In 2022, the state's adult smoking rate was the highest in the United States, at 25%. E-cigarettes are often promoted as healthier alternatives to smoking and used as a smoking cessation tool, which may have contributed to the state's high e-cigarette use rate.

 

Alaska ranks third in teen e-cigarette use at 26%. Last year, Alaska Senate President Gary Stevens introduced a bill to impose the state's first tax on e-cigarette products. In 2022, he also proposed raising the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products and e-cigarettes from 19 to 21, but was vetoed by Governor Mike Dunleavy. Similar to Wyoming, Alaska's vast rural areas also increase the difficulty of regulating youth e-cigarette use.

 

As for adult e-cigarette use, a recent JAMA study found that Oklahoma ranked first.

 

It is reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned the sale of unapproved flavored nicotine products, including requiring the withdrawal of all Juul-branded products in June this year. But in July, the FDA suspended the decision for further review. Other brands like Puff Bar have also received warnings about selling flavored e-cigarette devices.