Sales of e-cigarettes fell last year after a large increase
The news
E-cigarette sales are up nearly 47 percent from January 2020, just before the pandemic hit the United States, to December 2022, according to a analysis released on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The increase over that period occurred as teens and young adults reported in surveys that they had recently tried e-cigarettes much more often than older adults.
According to the CDC, about 4.5 percent of all adults said they used e-cigarettes. But rates went up as age dropped. About 14 percent of high school students and 11 percent of young adults reported using the devices in the past 30 days of the survey, the CDC data showed.
Turnover grew up to and including May last year, but then fell by 12 percent up to and including December. Researchers attributed the decline to several possible factors, including state or local bans on flavored products; government enforcement; and the introduction of devices that offered thousands of “puffs” in one device.
Overall, e-cigarette sales rose in four weeks to 25.9 million units at the end of last year, from 15.5 million units in early 2020.
Why it matters: The effects of vaping are still unknown
The Food and Drug Administration has embraced the use of e-cigarettes and regulated their sale in the marketplace as an aid for adult smokers to make the transition to a less harmful product.
But tobacco detractors and public health experts warn that the popular devices have lured teens and young people — who are unlikely to smoke traditional cigarettes — into an addictive habit amid growing concerns about vaping nicotine.
The CDC’s analysis bolsters data indicating that fruit and candy flavors have exploded in popularity. The vapes are often high in nicotine and are sold in attractive colors and flavors, such as strawberry ice cream and mango ice cream.
The American Heart Association has called for more action to reduce youth vaping and has released a scientific explanation last year said e-cigarettes appeared to lead to an increased risk of heart and lung disease. The American Lung Association also has expressed concernssaying it was “deeply concerned by the evolving evidence about the impact of e-cigarettes on the lungs” and citing the known and unknown toxic effects of chemicals used in vaping.
Background: Youth vaping was on the rise
The CDC study does not include sales from vape and tobacco stores or Internet sales, so the findings are limited.
Yet trends have shifted in recent years. E-cigarette vaping among minors has declined from a record high in 2019, when nearly 28 percent of high school students reported vaping in the past 30 days. At the time, products streamlined and produced by Juul Labs were the most popular, and the company was largely blamed for the rising rate of teen vaping. Juul has since resolved numerous lawsuits filed by many states and individuals, resulting in settlements amounting to nearly $3 billion.
The FDA has rejected applications for millions of products to hit the market, only approving about two dozen tobacco-flavored vaping devices. Still, the agency has difficulty with enforcement; flavored vapes have flooded gas stations, convenience stores and vape shops across the country.
The agency won in court in recent weeks against the makers of Hyde vapes, which were favored by high school students in a recent youth tobacco survey. The latest report from the CDC shows that Elf Bar Vapes are growing in popularity. The FDA has issued an import warning to seize them at the border and on Thursday announced enforcement against nearly 200 retailers selling those vapes and Esco Bar products.
What’s Next: Regulation and Enforcement
The FDA has said it will make final decisions on remaining applications for sales of vaping products by the end of this year to address top sellers from Vuse, Juul and others.
Tobacco control advocates are pressuring the FDA to step up enforcement of unauthorized e-cigarettes and also to go ahead with a proposed ban on menthol cigarettes.
Many interested parties are also looking at the effects of a statewide taste ban unfolding in California — one similar to those in six other states and more than 300 jurisdictions. Since Dec. 21, when the ban went into effect, sales of vape products fell 35 percent through the end of March, according to dates from CDC Foundation.