As tobacco harm reduction (THR) products continue to displace traditional cigarettes, some groups have fixated on youth use as justification to tax or even ban these alternatives. Such measures are draconian, ignore reality, and risk harming millions of adults.
Recently, a federal task force has continued a nationwide crackdown on seizing millions of unauthorized vape products. Meanwhile, as the school year starts, efforts have mounted to address the supposed youth vaping epidemic. Such efforts, while laudable, threaten adult access to THR products, while ignoring the latest data showing youth vaping is at a 10-year low, and cigarette smoking among teens is nearly extinct. If policymakers truly want a healthier America, they should encourage adult access to cigarette alternatives—not push more than 20 million adult vapers back toward smoking.
Youth Vaping Trends
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, youth e-cigarette use has plummeted. In 2024, only 14% of middle and high school students reported ever trying an e-cigarette, and just 5.9% reported current use. At the 2019 peak, those numbers were 35% and 20%, respectively. In just five years, ever-use fell by 60% and current use by more than 70%.
Other national surveys, including the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future, confirm these declines. What looked like a youth “epidemic” in 2019 turned out to be a short-lived fad. Policies that restrict adult access to tobacco harm reduction products on the basis of outdated panic ignore this new reality.
Youth Smoking at Historic Lows
Contrary to claims that vaping would “re-normalize” smoking, cigarette use among youth is lower than ever. In 2024, just 5.8% of middle and high school students reported ever trying a cigarette, and only 2.1% were current smokers. That represents a 65% drop in ever use and a 51% decline in current smoking since 2019.
Looking back further, the progress is even more striking. In 2014, 22.3% of high school students smoked; by 2014, that number was 9.2%. In 2024, it was just 2.4%. Middle school smoking declined from 2.5% in 2014 to 1.1% in 2024. Over a decade, high school smoking fell nearly 74%, while middle school smoking dropped 56%.
There is no evidence that vaping has led to a new generation of smokers. If anything, the availability of e-cigarettes may be the very reason youth smoking has virtually disappeared.
Young Adult Smoking Declines
Among young adults (ages 18–24), smoking has also collapsed. In 2024, just 5.6% reported current cigarette use—a 53% decline from 2019, when youth vaping was at its peak and 11.8% of young adults smoked.
This progress cannot be attributed to federal tobacco control policies. The 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act increased cigarette taxes, created the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, and banned most cigarette flavors. Yet between 2009 and 2014, young adult smoking fell by only 19%. After the arrival of popular e-cigarette brands, smoking rates dropped dramatically: from 15.3% in 2016 to 7.4% in 2021—a 52% reduction in just five years. Rates continue to fall and are on track to meet the World Health Organization’s benchmark for a “smoke-free” society, where fewer than 5% of people smoke.
Conclusion
Youth vaping is at a decade low. Youth smoking is practically extinct. Young adult smoking is plummeting. These are public health victories—and they coincide with the rise of tobacco harm reduction. Policymakers should not jeopardize this progress with flavor bans, excessive taxes, or restrictive regulations. The evidence is clear: Safer alternatives are accelerating the decline of combustible cigarette use. To make America healthier, lawmakers should support—not suppress—harm reduction.
Lindsey Stroud is a Visiting Fellow and President and Founder of Tobacco Harm Reduction 101.