CDC in its recent study states that the sales of e-cigarettes spiked between 2020 and 2022

According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), e-cigarette sales in the United States saw a significant increase between 2020 and 2022. The study, published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, revealed that e-cigarette sales rose by nearly 47 percent from the end of January 2020 to December 2022.

In January 2020, 15.5 million e-cigarettes were sold, and by December 2022, sales had increased to 22.7 million, as reported by AFP. This surge in e-cigarette sales comes at a time when traditional cigarette smoking among adults reached an all-time low of around 11 percent in 2022, according to CDC data released in April.

Vapes, introduced in the early 2000s as a less harmful alternative to cigarettes, are now becoming addictive for young people. The CDC study emphasized that the increase in e-cigarette sales was particularly driven by sweet flavors, which are favored by youngsters and young adults. In 2022, over 14 percent of high school students reported vaping, compared to only 4.5 percent of adults the previous year.

The study noted that sales of mint and other flavored prefilled cartridges ceased after January 2020, while disposable e-cigarettes in fruit, sweet, and other flavors saw an increase. These disposable e-cigarettes in youth-appealing flavors have become more commonly sold than prefilled units.

In response to the study, Robin Koval, the chief of the anti-smoking non-profit Truth Initiative, stated that the tobacco industry is aware of the appeal of flavors to children and young people, and urgent action should be taken to protect the youth from all flavored e-cigarettes, including disposables.

Although e-cigarette sales increased over the two-year period, the study highlighted that states like Massachusetts, which have implemented comprehensive flavor restrictions, experienced a significant and sustained decline in overall e-cigarette sales. Furthermore, the use of tobacco products among young people also decreased following the restriction of flavored tobacco products.

While the US Food and Drug Administration announced in 2020 that it would prioritize enforcing regulations against unauthorized flavored vaping products due to their appeal to teenagers and children, the study revealed that sales declined by 12 percent between May and December 2022.