We understand that you are airing a story this evening regarding youth use of e-cigarettes. While we appreciate that information recently released by the Centers for Disease Control has been widely publicized as suggesting there is some sort of crisis involving youth use of e-cigarettes, the truth is that the data collected by the CDC suggests no such thing.
For example, the CDC’s report on the National Youth Tobacco Survey does not include any of the following pertinent facts:
• What proportion of the 6.8 percent of youth who reported ever-use of e-cigarettes used one that contained nicotine?
• Of the 1.6 percent of youth who report current use (i.e. past 30-day use) of both e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes, what proportion were conventional smokers before trying an e-cigarette?
• What proportion of the 2.1 percent of youth who reported past 30-day use of e-cigarettes began with a fruit or candy flavor?
• What were the past 30-day smoking rates in 2012? (In 2009, 5.2 percent of middle school students and 17.2 percent of high school students reported past 30-day smoking of cigarettes No data was reported for 2010. In 2011, the numbers were 4.3 percent of middle school students and 15.8 percent of high school students.)
Are you aware of the SAMHSA report? The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has published, "Results from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Finding." The report states that past 30-day smoking by youth ages 12-17 steadily declined during the years since e-cigarettes became available, reaching an all time low in 2012 of 6.8 percent for males and 6.3 percent for females (See Figure 4.4) And if increasing e-cigarette use causes smoking increases, how do you explain the fact that smoking initiation rates dropped to record lows of 4.7 percent for males and 4.8 percent for females in 2012? {See Figure 5.8).
Results from the 2012 NSDUH: Summary of National Findings, SAMHSA, CBHSQ
Please feel free to contact me if you need any further information on this subject.
