Advocacy groups could declare victory over teen smoking. Instead, they’re going after vaping.
This month, the government made public the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS). The results should be cause for celebration.
They have not been. They have been underplayed.
That does not reflect well on the CDC, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the Truth Initiative, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Parents Against Vaping E-Cigarettes, and the cancer, lung and heart disease associations that make up the anti-tobacco industrial complex.
The good news: Teen smoking continues to decline. Only 1.5 percent of middle school and high school students had smoked a cigarette in the past 30 days. Teen smoking has dropped by a stunning 90 percent in the last decade. Teen use of e-cigarettes is falling sharply, too. Adult cigarette smoking has also declined, to its lowest levels since the 1960s. This should continue, since most smokers take up the habit when they are young.
Marc Gunther – Medium.com – 2022-03-24.