In the past two decades the smoking rate amongst the American youth has dropped from 35% to 11%. This is a significant drop for US adults between the ages of 18-29, showing the largest fall amongst any other age group since the start of the millennium.

According to this recent Gallup annual Consumption Habits survey, conducted annually since 2001, we are seeing that the percentage of young adults who smoke has drastically continued to recede and we have e-cigarettes to thank for this.

Since 2019 Gallup has measured Americans’ use of electronic cigarettes separately from its measure of smoking.

This data shows that 19% of 18-29 year olds are now vaping. 

Even though vaping is far more common among 18- to 29-year-olds, at 19%, than among older age groups, including 7% of 30- to 49-year-olds, 3% of 50- to 64-year-olds, and less than 1% of those 65 and older. Showing that the older demographic, unfortunately, are still favoring combustible cigarettes.

On the flip side, Gallup’s data on marijuana use has increased for the same age group. Between 2019 and 2022, an average of 26% of young adults indicated they smoked marijuana, up from 17% between 2013 and 2015. More than twice as many young adults now say they smoke marijuana as they do cigarettes. Marijuana smoking is also more common among young adults than vaping.

These results debunk the “gateway” argument and actually may in-fact prove just the opposite. Public health authorities should now know the claim that vaping is a gateway to smoking is invalid. Instead, it is a path AWAY from harmful smoking and should be celebrated and endorsed as such.

One would think that public health officials would be encouraged by the steep decline in combustible cigarette use and change their outlook and messaging on safer nicotine products to not only correct public misconceptions about nicotine, but also to promote this as a way to help the older groups to make the switch as well.

The FDA claims that its messaging is meant to limit the youth usage but this tactic is clearly backfiring as the young adults seem to do their own research and are choosing to vape as a healthier alternative while these messages “meant for youth” may just be scaring the older demographics to stay smoking deadly cigarettes!