In November, the Food and Drug Administration and the attorney general of Massachusetts launched an investigation into Juul Labs, the creators of the widely used e-cigarette device, the Juul, to determine whether they intentionally marketed their products to teenagers.
In 2018, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that teen vaping had reached unprecedented levels. According to the annual Monitoring the Future Survey, there was a significant increase in vaping among American teens within just one year, with 37.3% of 12th graders reporting “any vaping” in the past 12 months, compared to 27.8% in 2017.
Nicotine vaping among high school seniors in the past 30 days nearly doubled, rising from 11% in 2017 to 20.9% in 2018. Additionally, over 1 in 10 8th graders reported vaping nicotine in the past year, with usage rates increasing considerably across 8th, 10th, and 12th grades.
The year-over-year rise in nicotine vaping from 2017 to 2018 equates to nearly 1.3 million more adolescents vaping this year than last. This increase aligns with the findings of the CDC/FDA National Youth Tobacco Survey, which estimates that around 3.6 million middle and high school students are regularly vaping.
Nicotine vaping rates are the highest among 12th graders, with 29.7% reporting vaping in the past year. Annual prevalence rates for 8th and 10th graders were 10.9% and 24.7%, respectively. It’s important to note that some students may unknowingly consume nicotine through vaping, making these estimates conservative. Here are the comparisons to last year’s figures:
What is Vaping?
Vaping refers to the inhalation of vapors using electronic devices, a term originally coined by the electronic smoking device industry. This includes e-cigarettes, vapes, vape pens, vaporizers, and e-hookahs. The term may cause some to believe these devices emit harmless water vapor, but in reality, they produce potentially harmful aerosols that can harm both the environment and the lungs. Vaping devices are also sometimes used to inhale cannabis.
Why Is It Important to Know About?
Despite an overall decline in traditional tobacco use among teens, e-cigarette and vaping use among middle and high school students continues to increase rapidly. This growing trend is concerning for health professionals, educators, and parents, partly due to the misconception that inhaling vapors is less harmful than smoking, and because the long-term health effects remain unknown. It’s crucial to recognize the risks and potential side effects of using these devices.
Adolescent Vaping
The prefrontal cortex of the brain, responsible for judgment, decision-making, and impulse control, continues to develop during adolescence.
Some doctors are now offering a combination of talk therapy and nicotine patches to manage withdrawal symptoms. Dr. Sharon Levy, an adolescent addiction specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital, employs motivational interviewing to help teenagers understand the reasons and methods for quitting on their own. In some cases, doctors have even turned to prescribing antidepressants.
Following vaping and alcohol, marijuana is the third most commonly used substance among teens. Approximately 1 in 4 students report having tried marijuana at least once in the past year, and 1 in 17 high school seniors admit to using it at least once a day. While marijuana use remains prevalent, it has not changed significantly over recent years. On a positive note, the use of alcohol, cigarettes, cocaine, LSD, ecstasy, heroin, and opioid pills among adolescents is on the decline.
On Tuesday, December 18th, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued an advisory calling for increased local restrictions on e-cigarettes and vaping products, including taxes and bans on indoor vaping. Unfortunately, many young users are introduced to vaping through friends. With products like Juul, users may not become addicted immediately but are often continuously exposed to it. High school and college students, without parental oversight, frequently share Juul devices.
There is a notable distinction between vapers and cigarette smokers. Although e-cigarettes and vaping products are marketed as having fewer negative side effects than cigarettes, they can still lead to significant nicotine dependency. The long-term effects on lung health remain uncertain, raising concerns among scientists and researchers.
Marketing
In November 2018, Juul Labs deleted its social media accounts and ceased all promotional posts on Twitter after the FDA declared youth vaping an epidemic. In a statement to USA Today, Juul explained that their ads were targeted at adult smokers aged 25 to 34, featuring models between the ages of 24 and 37.
How to Help Teenagers Quit Vaping
The NY Times recently published guidance on assisting teenagers in quitting vaping, recommending a strategy that includes understanding, support, and evidence-based methods. Parents discovering their child is vaping should avoid panic.
Dr. Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, a Yale professor of psychiatry, advises against using a harsh approach. “The key is not to use scare tactics, as they are ineffective at this stage. Instead, explaining how these products create addiction is more productive.” Engage your teen in an open and constructive discussion about their behavior and whether they feel in control of their substance use.
There is currently no definitive method for curing nicotine addiction, and while addiction medicine experts suggest various approaches, evidence of their effectiveness is still limited. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one method that helps teens manage cravings by redirecting their thoughts. Talk therapy can address underlying issues such as anxiety and depression that may contribute to the teen’s vaping.
Additional activities like yoga, meditation, and sports can help reduce stress. Engaging in a new hobby can also provide a healthier alternative to nicotine addiction.
Vaping in Oklahoma
At Broken Arrow High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, an unprecedented vaping epidemic is unfolding. Students are vaping in class, restrooms, and between periods, disrupting the school environment and potentially harming their mental and physical health.
In 2018, the rate of high school students using nicotine-infused e-cigarettes in Oklahoma was approximately double that of 2017, marking an unprecedented surge. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, this represents the largest single-year increase in the survey’s 44-year history, surpassing the mid-1970s spike in marijuana use.
Dr. Susan Studebaker, an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa, expresses concern over the survey’s findings, highlighting the heightened vulnerability of the adolescent brain to addiction, particularly with a highly addictive stimulant like nicotine.
“Any amount of nicotine, especially for young individuals, is dangerous,” says Dr. Studebaker. “They are at high risk of addiction. Some believe that e-cigarettes are safer or less addictive than traditional cigarettes.”
Although e-cigarettes may lack some of the harmful chemicals found in cigarettes, they still contain nicotine, posing significant risks to the developing brain. Juul, a major e-cigarette manufacturer in the U.S., faced criticism from the FDA for not adequately addressing the high rate of teen use of their products. In response, the company has implemented several changes to its marketing and distribution strategies.
“We ceased the distribution of certain flavored JUULpods to retail stores as of November 17, 2018, enhanced age verification on our leading site, removed our Facebook and Instagram accounts, and are developing new technology to further restrict youth access and usage,” the company stated.
Vaping Legislation Across the Nation
Several states are working to implement stricter regulations on the sale and marketing of vaping products. For instance, in Washington, there has been a renewed effort to raise the legal age for purchasing tobacco and vape products from 18 to 21. Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has tried to pass this bill four times since 2015. Along with six other states, including California and Oregon, and over 360 municipalities nationwide, which have already increased the tobacco sale age to 21, Ferguson believes there is growing support for the measure.
In Carlsbad, California, a recent survey of high school students revealed a 44% increase in e-cigarette usage over the past year. The survey found that more than half of the boys and nearly 45% of the girls had used e-cigarettes in the last 30 days. Local legislators are now working on measures to make it more challenging for teenagers to access vaping products.
In Baltimore, three bills introduced towards the end of 2018 aim to address both smoking and vaping. These bills, developed in collaboration with the Baltimore City Health Department, propose banning flavored e-cigarette liquids and expanding the definition of electronic smoking devices to include any device that contains or delivers nicotine. These legislative efforts align with the Food and Drug Administration’s initiatives to limit the sale of sweet e-cigarette flavors and ensure sanitary manufacturing conditions.
The American Vaping Association, a nonprofit advocating for what it deems “sensible” vaping policies, opposes measures like those proposed in Washington and Maryland. Greg Conley, the association’s president, criticized these initiatives, stating, “The passage of these ordinances will benefit Big Tobacco by allowing them to continue selling harmful menthol cigarettes while reducing competition from smoke-free products, which international experts estimate to be at least 95 percent less hazardous than smoking. According to the CDC, vaping products are the most popular smoking cessation tools in the U.S. Shutting down small businesses that help smokers transition will likely lead to increased smoking rates and more deaths.”
The Smoke-Free Schools Act
Introduced on December 4, 2018, the Smoke-Free Schools Act of 2018 was co-sponsored by Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico and Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah. This legislation aims to prohibit the use of e-cigarettes and similar devices in educational and childcare settings. It also seeks to enhance coordination between the FDA and CDC to establish best practices for tackling the vaping epidemic.
The Smoke-Free Schools Act of 2018 includes the following provisions:
○ Instructs the FDA to collaborate with the CDC and the Department of Education to research best practices for discouraging e-cigarette use in schools and to investigate gaps in understanding the harms of e-cigarettes among adolescents, including injuries and poisoning.
○ Seeks additional information on the dose-response relationship between e-cigarettes and combustible tobacco and current school efforts to use federal funding to combat e-cigarette use.
○ Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to consider including e-cigarettes in studies related to the marketing effects of traditional tobacco products.
In Conclusion
Our mission in Sunrise Recovery in Jeffersonville Indiana, is to contribute to the solution for reducing vaping addiction among teens. We provide a path to sobriety through personalized care for individuals seeking to overcome addiction. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please contact our admissions team for more information on how we can assist with drug and alcohol treatment.
