Looks like the "teen vaping epidemic" of 2018-2019 was really just a brief fad all along. Since then, per the National Youth Tobacco survey, teen vaping has plummeted by 50%, returning to its 2015 baseline by 2021, and teen smoking continues its long-term decline. Two Tweets with infographics say it all:
And JUUL? The brand that notoriously drove the "epidemic"? That's not cool anymore either, apparently, as use of that particular brand was approaching nil by 2022. And the survey results pan out, as one can even see with their own eyes a marked reduction in vape pod litter (especially JUUL pods) on streets, sidewalks, and parking lots these days compared to 2018-2019 and early 2020.
And lest anyone spuriously credit the raising of the age limit to 21 with these positive trends, keep in mind that the "epidemic" self-evidently occurred just as much in states like California and New Jersey that raised their own tobacco and vaping age limits to 21 prior to 2018 than in those states who did so later or not at all, and it had already peaked nationwide before the federal age limit of 21 was enforced. And the secular decline in teen smoking began well before any state or major city raised their age limits to 21.
But don't expect the MSM to tell you that.
Increasing the smoking age from 18 to 21 is not responsible for reducing smoking or vaping amoung young people. I think a big reason why vaping became popular with young people was because of online advertising by Juul. Girls and boys who were 17 or under watched the videos and images which encouraged them to obtain vaping devices. Recently, there was a class action settlement against Juul for the company creating advertisement that was receptive to those who were 17 and under. The MSM won't say that Juul was a fad because they simply want to make young people and young adults look irresponsible. The same goes for pushing alarmism when it comes to this topic.
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