California Youth Smoking Rates Reach Record Low

According to data from the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS), only 1% of 7th and 9th grade students and 2% of 11th grade students reported currently smoking in 2021. Additionally, since 2015, there has been a 50% decrease in combustible cigarette use among 7th grade students, a 75% decrease among 9th grade students, and a 71.4% decrease among 11th grade students. In fact, the combustible cigarette usage in 2021 is at its lowest level on record.

The current usage of vapor products has significantly decreased. According to CHKS, 2015 was the peak year for California teenagers using e-cigarettes, with 7% of 7th graders, 13% of 9th graders, and 14% of 11th graders reporting use of e-cigarette products in the previous 30 days.

In 2021, only 2% of 7th-grade students, 6% of 9th-grade students, and 10% of 11th-grade students reported current use of electronic cigarettes. Since 2015, there has been a 71% decrease in e-cigarette use among 7th-grade students, a 53.8% decrease among 9th-grade students, and a 28.6% decrease among 11th-grade students.

This result is cause for celebration, as voters will decide in November whether to ban the retail sale of flavored tobacco and vapor products, including menthol cigarettes, in California.

Policy makers should remain vigilant in response to such bans, as California's local flavor ban has limited impact on the use of electronic cigarettes, but it is worrisome that this is also related to an increase in combustible cigarette use among young people.

For instance, in July 2018, San Francisco implemented a ban on flavored tobacco and vaping products. According to data from CHKS, in surveys conducted among ninth and eleventh graders from 2015-2017 and 2017-2019, there was a reduction of 19.4% in usage of e-cigarettes, while the use of combustible products only decreased by 8.3%. Additionally, current cigarette smoking increased by 20%, while current e-cigarette smoking increased by 133.3%. Interestingly, in surveys conducted from 2017-2019 and 2019-2021, there was a 52% increase in the number of individuals who reported using vaping products, while current smoking decreased by 66.7%.

This discovery is similar to the data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States. The survey found that among all high school students in San Francisco between 2017 and 2019, the number of those who had ever used cigarettes increased by 11.4%, and current cigarette usage also increased to 38.9%.

California voters should be wary of flavor bans, as indicated by the California Youth Advocacy Survey. Prohibiting flavored tobacco and vapor products is unlikely to reduce youth use of e-cigarettes and a statewide ban could lead to more young people using even more harmful combustible cigarettes.

This is part of a state analysis blog series on recent surveys regarding tobacco and vaping among young people.

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