Date:2021-10-12 9:26:59 Clicks:679 【Font Size:
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More than 2 million teenagers in the United States say they regularly use electronic cigarettes despite widespread warnings that they are unsafe, a survey has found, prompting calls by anti-tobacco organizations for federal help to ban or regulate the sale of the addictive products to young adults.
The figures from the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a poll carried out annually by the US Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that around 85 percent of middle school and high school students said they enjoyed smoking fruit-flavored e-cigarettes.
In the survey carried out between January and May this year, 43.6 percent of teenagers in high school said they used e-cigarettes frequently on 20 out of 30 days, and 27.6 percent vaped daily.
Most reported that studying remotely amid the coronavirus pandemic caused no problems in purchasing the products, according to CNN.
Lisa Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network said in a statement: "This study shows yet again the urgent need for federal action to address the nation's youth e-cigarette epidemic.
"Flavored tobacco products of all kinds, including those flavored with menthol, enable the tobacco industry to entice and hook another generation of users on their deadly products－no less, a generation who was on track to be the first tobacco-free generation. We have known for years about this danger and still the FDA continues to delay taking definitive action－despite a court ordered deadline－on some of the biggest brands and manufacturers of these products."
At least 11.3 percent (1.72 million) of high school students and an estimated 2.8 percent (320,000) of middle school students reported current e-cigarette use, the survey found.
'Real risk'
Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement: "As kids return to school, we face the real risk of a resurgence of the youth e-cigarette epidemic unless the FDA quickly eliminates all flavored e-cigarettes. With 85 percent of youth e-cigarette users using flavors, our kids will remain in jeopardy as long as any flavored products remain on the market."
The survey report found: "Approximately 2.06 million youths were estimated to be current e-cigarette users in 2021. Use of tobacco products by youths in any form, including e-cigarettes, is unsafe. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, and nicotine exposure during adolescence can harm the developing brain."
Robin Koval, CEO of the Truth Initiative, a national public health organization "dedicated to achieving a culture where all young people reject smoking, vaping and nicotine" also has called on the FDA to speed up regulations of the market.
The FDA has not yet made a decision on regulating vape products.
In July 2019, a federal court ordered that e-cigarette makers must apply to the FDA for approval to sell their products.
The makers of e-cigarettes were given a deadline of Sept 9, 2020, to submit their applications for the agency's authorization.
In the meantime, e-cigarettes have been widely sold with no official stamp of approval by the FDA.