Study Says Banning Fruit and Menthol Vaping Flavors Could Reduce Youth Use by 70%

According to foreign reports today, a study indicates that banning fruit and menthol flavors could potentially curb the youth e-cigarette crisis at its roots.

70% of e-cigarette users aged 14 to 21 stated that they would quit if e-cigarettes tasted like regular cigarettes.

However, banning menthol is crucial.

When asked if they would completely quit e-cigarettes if only fruit flavors were banned, only 40% said yes. The U.S. and the U.K. are experiencing what some call a youth e-cigarette epidemic, with classrooms and playgrounds turning into clouds of smoke due to the increasing number of young people becoming addicted.

In the U.S., about one in five middle and high school students (2.55 million) admit to using these devices at least once a month.

Researchers from Ohio State University surveyed 1,400 e-cigarette users aged 14 to 21 from across the U.S. who had used e-cigarettes at least once in the past 30 days—defined as regular users.  

Participants reported that their favorite flavors were fruit (45%), including pineapple lemonade and blueberry ice (30.5%), or fruit and menthol flavors, such as juicy grape ice and banana ice.

In contrast, only one in ten reported that menthol was their favorite flavor, and three percent preferred tobacco.

They were all asked hypothetical questions: If your e-cigarette only had tobacco and menthol flavors, would you use it?

And: If your e-cigarette only had tobacco flavor, would you use it?

The results showed that 549 teenagers (38.8%) indicated they would quit based on the flavor ban on e-cigarettes.

However, if this also extended to menthol e-cigarettes, then 1,001 (70.8%) said they would stop using e-cigarettes.

The researchers noted that this was hypothetical and could not prove that young people would actually quit e-cigarettes if flavors were banned.

However, they added that flavors are clearly important to their interest in and continued use of e-cigarettes. Limitations of the study include that most participants were white and female, meaning the results cannot be generalized to the entire youth population.

Researchers also mentioned that children might misunderstand the question and think the ban only applies to specific e-cigarette devices they use—not all flavors. 

The study was published in the Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research. 

Four states in the U.S.—Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island—have already banned flavored e-cigarettes, while California has restricted their sale in stores.

However, studies show that when bans are implemented, they increase the risk of young people turning to smoking instead of vaping.

E-cigarettes were once touted as a healthy alternative to smoking and a great way to help people quit nicotine.

However, increasing evidence suggests that they pose health risks similar to smoking and may attract a new generation of nicotine users who would not typically smoke.