E-Cigarettes Are Putting 1 In Every 5 High Schoolers At Risk, And Still Not Taxed Like Tobacco
Though tobacco use has waned over the years, e-cigarette use has become more common among teens and young adults.
The CDC reports that in 2014, nearly 2.4 million middle and high school students were regular e-cigarette users, and the number has since risen to more than 5 million.
The percentage of high schoolers who use e-cigarettes or tobacco has risen drastically in recent years.
Studies show that much of this shift is blamed on deceptive marketing practices that portray e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to tobacco.
Money spent on e-cigarette advertising has been rapidly increasing since 2011, and according to the CDC, at least 69% of middle and high school students are exposed to these advertisements in places like retail stores, newspapers and magazines, TV shows or movies, and on the internet. Between 2011 and 2014, e-cigarette companies increased spending from $6.4 million to $115 million. During the same time period, e-cigarette use increased among high school students from 2% to 13%.
Money spent on e-cigarette advertising has been rapidly increasing, as has demand for the addictive products.
Since then, e-cigarette usage has increased further among middle school and high school students, with one study showing more than 20% of high schoolers used e-cigarettes in 2020.
Just like tobacco companies before them, e-cigarette companies target their marketing on a young adult audience, while spending even more money on political influence to create exemptions for e-cigarettes — ensuring that they’re not treated the same way as other tobacco products when it comes to taxation and smoke-free laws, reports the Center for Public Integrity.
The vast majority of e-cigarettes contain nicotine, and vaping can be highly addictive.
According to Truth Initiative, increasing tobacco taxes has been shown to stop kids from smoking before they ever start. Similar policies also help adults quit smoking.
As of March 14, 2021, the average state cigarette tax is $1.91 per pack. Some localities have an additional excise tax on top of the state tax. The federal tax has remained at $1.01 per pack since 2009, and there is yet pressure to reduce taxes on e-cigarettes.
Every state and the federal government can achieve significant health and revenue gains by including e-cigarettes in the tobacco category and further increasing tobacco taxes.
Since the vast majority of these products contain nicotine, e-cigarette use and vaping can be highly addictive, especially to young brains, reports the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Still, tobacco companies know that if they can hook a customer on their products when they are young, they are closer to earning a life-long customer.
As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports, every state and the federal government can achieve significant health and revenue gains by including e-cigarettes in the tobacco category and further increasing tobacco taxes. Governments can raise even more revenue — and reduce all tobacco use — by increasing taxes on e-cigarettes.
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