Read on for some of the most common myths and learn the FACTS about current trends in youth tobacco use.

MYTH: Young people don’t use tobacco products.

FACT: Nearly 9 out of 10 adults who smoke cigarettes daily first try smoking by the age of 18. The 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey results indicated that in Virginia, nearly 22.5% of middle and high school youth reported current tobacco use.

MYTH: Cigarette use by young people has gone down so tobacco use has also decreased.

FACT: Overall tobacco use in young people has increased. The National Youth Tobacco Survey shows that, while cigarette use in school-age youth has decreased from 2011 to 2019, there has been a significant INCREASE in the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems. While less than 5% of high school students reported cigarette use, nearly 20% reported using electronic cigarettes.

MYTH: It is easy to tell if someone is using an electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS).

FACT: ENDS can be very difficult to identify as technology has advanced. JUULs can look like USB ports or thumb drives. There are vape pens that can be used for writing and vaping. There is also a “vaporizer hoodie” that has a secret opening in the drawstring. These are just some of the ways ENDS can be concealed or disguised to look like other products. Additionally, many ENDS can be used in a way that does not produce the smoke that usually is exhaled with traditional tobacco products.

MYTH: Vaping is harmless since you are just inhaling water vapors/flavored e-juice.

FACT: E-liquids (the often flavored liquid used in ENDS) almost always contain nicotine as well as many other harmful chemicals. E-cigarettes produce an aerosol (NOT water vapor) that contains cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals (such as nickel, tin, and lead), and flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease.

MYTH: You can’t get addicted to e-cigarettes.

FACT: There is often MORE nicotine in e-liquids and nicotine salts than in traditional cigarettes. Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances (after heroin and cocaine), and some pods contain as much nicotine in one pod as in two packs of cigarettes. Tobacco companies have also added other chemicals to increase the speed at which nicotine reaches the brain and ingredients like sugar to make tobacco smoke easier to inhale. These additions make nicotine products more user friendly and more addictive.

Talk with the young people in your life about tobacco and share these facts so they can make an informed choice about whether to start using. If a youth has already started using and is interested in quitting there are resources to help them including Quit Now Virginia, This is Quitting, and smokefreeteen.