The use of electronic cigarettes and tobacco among teenagers in Florida continues to decline. According to data from the Florida Youth Tobacco Survey, only 12.6% of Florida high school students reported ever using combustible cigarettes in 2021, with only 32.2% ever trying electronic cigarettes. Among middle school students, only 7.2% reported trying combustible cigarettes and 16.2% tried electronic cigarettes.
The current usage rate (defined as having used tobacco and/or e-cigarettes at least once in the 30 days prior to the survey) has also decreased. Only 1.7% of high school students reported currently using cigarettes, while only 18.3% reported currently using e-cigarettes. Among middle school students, only 1% reported currently using cigarettes, and 8% reported currently using e-cigarettes.
Significant Decrease in Smoking Usage: The decline in smoking usage is noteworthy. Since 2015, high school students' usage has decreased by 45% from 22.9% in 2015, and current usage has decreased by 75.4% from 6.9%. Since 2017, there has been a 30% decrease in current smoking usage among middle school students. The results are not only encouraging, but also prove that the use of vaping products among adolescents has not led to an increase in smoking usage.
Furthermore, the number of teenagers using electronic cigarettes has significantly decreased. In 2019, 38.7% of high school students in Florida reported having used electronic cigarettes, while 28.5% reported currently using them, which was the highest recorded level up to that point. From 2019 to 2021, the proportion of Florida high school students who have ever used electronic cigarettes decreased by 16.8%, while the proportion currently using them has decreased by 28.5%.
Similarly, the electronic cigarette usage rate among high school students was the highest in 2019, and these rates continue to decline. From 2019 to 2021, past use dropped by 14.1%, and current electronic cigarette usage has decreased by 12.1%.
The decline in Florida is remarkable and further proves that prohibition policies, excessive regulation, and taxation are not necessary to prevent teenage use of electronic cigarettes.
During the 2020 legislative session, Senate Bill 810 was introduced that would prohibit the sale, delivery, trade, provision, or offer of flavored liquid nicotine products to anyone. Fortunately for adults who use flavored e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool, Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed the legislation citing that flavored e-cigarettes are a "reduced harm alternative to traditional cigarettes" and that "the legislation would almost assuredly lead more people back to smoking, potentially pushing others towards the dangerous black market.
As policymakers enter legislative sessions, they must stay informed on the latest data regarding youth use of tobacco and electronic cigarettes in their states. They should also be cautious of top-down prohibition policies that do not take into account the growing evidence that youth e-cigarette use appears to have peaked in 2019 and the usage rates of traditional combustible cigarettes among minors are at their lowest levels on record.
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