For years, parents have been bombarded with the message that e-cigarettes are going to “hook the next generation on tobacco.”
As a parent, it’s nearly impossible to ignore this alarmism. Yet, parents should recognize this as exactly that—alarmism.
While the media and policymakers have continued to suggest youth vaping is an epidemic, what’s actually killing teenagers—in droves—is kids consuming fake pills containing fentanyl.
In case you missed it, youth vaping numbers are declining. According to data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, in 2021, only 11.6% of high school students and 2.8% of middle school students reported having used a vapor product on at least one occasion in the month prior to the survey. That’s not habitual use, that’s experimentation—a common behavior among young people. Unfortunate? Sure. But these are not statistics that should be described as hooking a generation on tobacco.
Lindsey Stroud – Independent Women’s Forum – 2022-08-08.
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