TSFA Applauds Drop in Vapor Use by Teens

The Tennessee Smoke Free Association (TSFA), a trade organization with a focus on tobacco harm reduction (THR) through the use of personal vaporizers, today applauded the news of dropping e-cigarette use among teens in the U.S.

“There has been a significant effort on the part of the Tennessee Smoke Free Association, and other organizations like ours around the world, to discourage those under 21 years of age from using e-cigarette and vapor products,” said Dimitris Agrafiotis, executive director of the TSFA. “As with the previous studies, we have also been very encouraged by the confirmation that using vapor products does not typically lead to smoking traditional tobacco products. Many of our association members–myself included–are former cigarette smokers who have kicked the habit completely by responsibly using vapor products.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) that showed a decline of almost 2 million in teens who reported vaping in 2020. The report comes on the heels of other studies that confirmed teen smoking overall has shown a dramatic decline in recent years.

The CDC’s study comes as health organizations have raised the alarm about teen vaping, leading to regulations in some states that have nearly put those who sell vapor products out of business. Many of the retailers in Tennessee that sell the products are small business owners, who have been struggling during the pandemic and have had to deal with different lockdown orders across the state by adapting quickly–for example, offering curbside services, according to Agrafiotis .

“The Tennessee Smoke Free Association continues to support regulations that prohibit teens from smoking or vaping. We do not market to teens or initiate vape use to non-smokers. We fully support strong regulations like limiting tobacco sales to those 21 and up, and harsher punishments for anyone caught selling nicotine-containing or illegal vape products to minors,” said Agrafiotis. “But we will continue to fight for responsible adults who use vaping as a way to kick the harmful and deadly habit of smoking.”