OUR PROGRESS IS ACCELERATING
Communities up and down the state have moved quickly over the last few years to protect their kids from flavored tobacco products. But there’s still work to be done.
2010-2017
2018
2019
2020
17 policies
The tobacco industry has a kids menu.
The tobacco industry uses fun flavors and tech devices to hook kids on nicotine. Why kids? A developing brain is easier to addict.
In the last 2 years, vaping has increased by 218% among middle schoolers and 135% among high schoolers
97% of kids who vape use flavors
Teens are nearly 7x more likely to vape nicotine than adults
Marijuana vaping among youth has increased by 58% in a single year
An FDA Policy With a Dangerous Loophole
The youth vaping epidemic has finally prompted FDA action. Victory? Not by a long shot. Pressure from the tobacco industry created a dangerous loophole that lets kids continue to get vapes in thousands of flavors.
And kids may be able to buy pre-filled flavored products, like Juul pods, in the future. That’s because manufacturers still can apply for FDA approval to sell their products.
FDA policy does not allow:
- Any pre-filled flavored vape pods that snap into vapes like Juul pods, except menthol or tobacco flavors.
FDA policy allows:
- All refillable flavored vapes, like Suorin and Smok.
- All single-use disposable flavored vapes, like Puff Bar.
- Pre-filled menthol and tobacco-flavored pods.
KIDS CAN STILL GET THESE VAPES
Despite the FDA flavors policy, vapes are still available to kids in these three forms.
Pre-Filled Pod Vapes
-
JUUL
-
PHIX
Refillable Vapes
-
SUORIN DROP
-
VAPE PEN
Single-Use Disposable Vapes
-
PUFF BAR
-
POSH VAPE
The Breakdown
How can the industry still sell flavored disposable vapes?
The FDA restricts pre-filled flavored pods. Single-use disposable vapes don’t have pods. So Puff Bar, Posh, and other disposables sail right through the loophole onto shelves. The tobacco industry is free to market high-potency nicotine in kid-friendly flavors for as little as ten bucks a pop. No surprise they’re now trending in schools.
How did Juul get off easy?
They phased out the flavors that eventually became restricted. Did Juul benefit from being partly owned and operated by Big Tobacco giant, Altria, giving them access to seasoned lobbyists? It’s possible. What’s certain is that the vape widely seen as the culprit of the epidemic is largely unaffected by the FDA’s flavors policy.
The FDA policy loophole lets thousands of flavored, kid-friendly vapes stay on the market
The tobacco industry got the flavors loophole they lobbied for, so our kids still have plenty of flavored vapes to choose from. It’s time to take action.
US Food and Drug Administration
@US_FDA
@US_FDA Your new flavored vaping policy has a giant loophole that exposes kids to brain poison and puts them at risk for addiction. It’s time you prioritize kids’ lives over tobacco industry profits.
#flavorshookkids www.flavorshookkids.org
NICOTINE = BRAIN POISON
The tobacco industry profits by hooking kids on flavored nicotine. When the product seems harmless, teen use rises. And nicotine’s changes to the brain could be permanent.
Flavors
The tobacco industry uses flavors to spark curiosity and mask the harshness of tobacco. Sadly, it works. 97% of kids who vape use flavors. What’s on the menu? Blue Razz, Pegasus Milk, and other tempting tastes, all made with flavor chemicals that may damage the lungs.
Nicotine
Many tobacco companies use nicotine salts in vapes rather than regular nicotine. Salts allow higher concentrations to be inhaled more easily and absorbed more quickly. Nicotine addiction can happen fast and can lead to substance abuse of all kinds.
Poison
Nicotine is poison for the adolescent brain. It changes the way connections form in the brain, which can interfere with kids’ attention and learning. It can increase anxiety, mood swings, and irritability at a developmental time when life is hard enough.
Know The Signs
- Are there sweet, fruity, or menthol smells coming from behind closed doors?
- Are there school supplies or tech products you don’t recognize in your kids’ backpacks or rooms? How about small vials or eye dropper bottles?
- Have you come across unfamiliar chargers, coils, or batteries?
- Is your teen spending more money than usual or making unexplained purchases?
- Have there been changes in your kids’ behavior such as increased mood swings, irritability, anxiety, or impulsivity?
- Are your kids suffering from more frequent headaches or nausea?
- School. Kids are buying and selling vapes in schools, especially disposable products like Puff Bar which can be bought in bulk for a big discount.
- Stores. Alarmingly, nearly one in three kids who buy their own vapes buy them in stores. Clerks at smokeshops and convenience stores don’t always enforce the federal Tobacco 21 law, which prohibits the sale of tobacco products to anyone under 21 years of age.
- Social media. Vape products are all over social media, and many companies promote the sale of their products right from their accounts.
- Websites and online orders. Age verifications are easily bypassed. In fact, kids successfully buy e-cigs online 94% of the time. Orders can also be shipped to the homes if the mail arrives when parent(s) are not home. Many vape companies have names like Posh and Stig that wouldn’t raise a red flag on parents’ credit card statements.
GET HELP
4 ways to get ahead of addiction
- Talk to your kid. Share what you both know (and think you know) about vaping. Remember, a conversation always beats a lecture.
- Ask your pediatrician to address vaping with your teen. Doctors often explain things in a way kids will listen.
- Find out if your school is addressing vaping and ask school leaders to host educational sessions or activities about vaping for students and parents.
- Ask your Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) to address the teen vaping epidemic with the broader school community.
What if my kid is already addicted?
Toolkits for parents
Do Something
Emails matter. Send yours in 3 clicks.
The tobacco industry targets kids with flavors. Reaching out to your mayor can make a difference. Enter your name, choose your city, and we’ll direct your email to your city’s mayor.
START THE CONVERSATION
Here's what Californians are saying about the vaping epidemic.
THE GUIDE
Print this guide to share with others
- Telltale signs of vaping
- Get help if your teen is addicted
- A visual guide to vape products
- What schools are doing about the problem
- Help teens uncover the facts
Thanks!
In The News
SF Chronicle
Juul bought ads on Cartoon Network, other youth sites, suit says
Juul bought ads on Cartoon Network, other youth sites, suit says
View Article
Reuters
Juul disregarded early evidence it was hooking teens
Juul disregarded early evidence it was hooking teens
View Article
NY Times
Teens Find a Big Loophole in the New Flavored Vaping Ban
Teens Find a Big Loophole in the New Flavored Vaping Ban
View Article
NPR
Parents: Teens Are Still Vaping, Despite Flavor Ban. Here’s What They’re Using
Parents: Teens Are Still Vaping, Despite Flavor Ban. Here’s What They’re Using
View Article
Good Morning America
Loophole in vaping ban has teens turning to disposable e-cigarettes
Loophole in vaping ban has teens turning to disposable e-cigarettes
View Article
LA Times
Reports linking Juul e-cigarettes to seizures started FDA investigation
Reports linking Juul e-cigarettes to seizures started FDA investigation
View Article
NY Times
There Are Anti-Vaping P.S.A.’s on YouTube. There’s A Lot More Vaping.
There Are Anti-Vaping P.S.A.’s on YouTube. There’s A Lot More Vaping.
View Article
Inverse
Puff, Puff, Pass: A New Vape With Hazy Origins Takes Juul’s Place
Puff, Puff, Pass: A New Vape With Hazy Origins Takes Juul’s Place
View Article
Today
Why social distancing provides a ‘golden opportunity’ for teens to quit vaping
Why social distancing provides a ‘golden opportunity’ for teens to quit vaping
View Article
NY Times
Smokers and Vapers May Be at Greater Risk for Covid-19
Smokers and Vapers May Be at Greater Risk for Covid-19
View Article
Good Morning America
Coronavirus creates challenges for those who want to quit vaping
Coronavirus creates challenges for those who want to quit vaping
View Article
Learn More
Get more information and resources on TobaccoFreeCA.com.
Identify which products teens are vaping
Watch Video
Protect yourself from COVID-19: Stop smoking and vaping now
View Article
Truth Initiative: Quitting Resources
Visit Site
Find anti-vaping programs near you
Enter your zip code to find local organizations working to protect kids from toxic, addictive tobacco products.
Join your local coalition
Get involved in your community’s efforts to combat youth vaping, protect kids’ health, and help those who are hooked.
Except as required by law, we will not share your email. View Privacy Policy here.
Thank you for your interest
Your local Tobacco Control Coalition will contact you shortly via email.