JUUL vape products made headlines in 2019 as sales of sweet and fruity flavors were cancelled in the U.S., but the 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey reports that Puff Bar has overtaken the e-cigarette giant. Puff Bars and competitors like FLUM demonstrate the tobacco industry’s aggressive efforts to skirt regulations that dethroned JUUL. Their goal is to get more people addicted to nicotine.
The 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey reports 80 percent of Montana high school students that vape use fruity, sweet, or even alcohol flavored nicotine products. Across the U.S., over two million teens vape and 25 percent of them use daily. This is predicted to increase as kids return to in-person classes. This rate is made even more concerning as vaping has been shown to significantly increase likelihood of smoking traditional tobacco.
The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids estimates that 19,000 Montana kids currently under 18 will die prematurely due to smoking. That number is preventable through talking to the youth in your life about the very real dangers of vaping or any form of tobacco. Remind them of the near immediate effects like loosened skin, scratchy voice, irritability, and yellowing teeth that get harder to repair or reverse as vaping/smoking persists.
Learn more about damage to Montana kids caused by flavored vapes like Puff and Flum at tobaccofree.mt.gov and find free confidential help for anyone under 18 trying to quit any kind of tobacco at MyLifeMyQuit.com.
If you have any questions, call Tobacco Prevention Specialist Teri Meche at theValley County Health Department, 406-228-6261.
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