The teen vaping “epidemic” was never real; it was a passing fad, blown out of proportion by anti-tobacco zealots (here, here and here).
There is no question that past-30-day (i.e., current) high school vaping increased from 12% in 2017 to 27% in 2019.
However, by 2021, the high school vaping rate had plummeted to 11%, and smoking rates sank from 8% to 2% during those four years (here).
The “epidemic” may have been fake, but the concocted crisis led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ban the sale of millions of lifesaving e-cigarettes and vaping products, the latest being JUUL.
The “epidemic” lives on at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, as evidenced by a May 24 presentation by CTFK president Matt Myers at the Clear the Vapor Conference, sponsored by Parents Against Vaping E-Cigarettes. I will not link to his YouTube video, as I don’t want to inadvertently increase the 43 views he has earned.
Here is an image from his presentation on high school smoking, using information from the National Youth Tobacco Survey:
Brad Rodu – Tobacco Truth – 2022-06-22.