What About Youth Vaping?

It is against the law to sell nicotine products to anyone under 18 years old, and in some states and municipalities, it is illegal to sell to anyone under 19 and/or 21.  Bottom line:  Minors should not vape. In fact, nobody who doesn’t already smoke should use vapor products. They are designed specifically as healthier alternatives for adult smokers. Vaping provides an effective pathway away from addiction. It does not lead to smoking.

As vapor products have gained wider acceptance, use among minors has unfortunately increased as well. While no level of youth vaping is acceptable, there is no widespread “epidemic” and absolutely no evidence to suggest vaping encourages cigarette smoking. In fact, smoking rates among all demographics have declined dramatically. Teen smoking rates, which had been as high as 36.4% in 1997, have dropped to just 8.1% in 2018. ¹