Washington, D.C. – A survey released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products show fewer middle and high school students are using tobacco products. Overall use, according to the survey, dropped from 4.5 million middle and high school tobacco users in 2011 to 3.6 million users in 2017.
While the decline in overall tobacco use is notable, the number of youth tobacco users remains far too high and certain usage trends included in the survey results are cause for concern. The survey results show that among high school users, the most popular tobacco products are e-cigarettes and cigars Both e-cigarettes and some cigars are currently exempt from pre-market regulatory review due to a 2017 decision by the FDA. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is party to a pending lawsuit regarding FDA’s decision that allows e-cigarettes and cigars – including candy-flavored products that appeal to kids – to stay on the market for years without being reviewed by the agency. FDA has also once again delayed rule-making efforts aimed at bolstering the regulatory framework around flavored tobacco products, particularly menthol in cigarettes, as well as rulemaking on premium cigars, and nicotine levels in cigarettes.
Additionally, other reports have shown that youth use of Juul, a popular e-cigarette that resembles a USB flash drive, exploded in the latter half of 2017 and some youth do not consider Juul to be an e-cigarette. These are important considerations as youth use of these products is tracked over time.
A statement from Chris Hansen, president of ACS CAN follows:
“ACS CAN welcomes the news that overall tobacco usage among youth is declining. However, taking a closer look at the data clearly show that more needs to be done to ensure we are keeping tobacco products out of the hands of kids. The explosion in popularity of e-cigarettes amongst youth and FDA’s failure to require pre-market review of these electronic smoking devices must be addressed. Additionally, the survey clearly shows that cigars are a top product choice for high school students and, like e-cigarettes, are largely unregulated by FDA.
“With tobacco being the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, we must collectively work to make sure we are doing everything we can to keep youth from initiating tobacco use. While today’s survey results show overall use is declining, it’s clear there is more work to be done. ACS CAN is calling on FDA, public health partners and other key stakeholders to work more aggressively in the fight against Big Tobacco’s efforts to hook a new generation of users to their deadly products. We will also continue to push Congress to support FDA’s regulatory authority over tobacco products and reject any last-minute proposal that would undermine that authority.”