Published 2025-08-07
E-Cigarette Flavour Bans Increase Smoking in Young People
A new study suggests that while vape flavour bans in the US may help reduce vaping rates, they have led to unintentional increases in smoking among young people.
Key Takeaways
- U.S. researchers looked at the effects of flavour bans on vapes
- Flavour bans led to decreased youth vaping
- However, young cigarette smoking increased in ban states
- Young adults also saw an increase in smoking, while adult vaping decreased
- This complexity needs to be considered by lawmakers
What the Study Looked At
Researchers from several universities and health institutions, published in JAMA Network Open, studied how flavoured e-cigarette bans in seven U.S. states affected tobacco use.
They examined data from 2015 to 2023, comparing states with vape flavour bans (“policy states”) to those without bans (“control states”). The data included high school students (through the Youth Risk Behaviour Survey) and adults (via the Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System).
The researchers tracked the percentage of people in each age group who reported vaping or smoking in the past 30 days.
Key Findings: Flavoured Vape Bans and Youth Smoking
Youth Vaping Dropped Where Flavours Were Banned
In states where flavours were banned, high school vaping fell sharply—from 24.1% in 2019 to 14.0% in 2023. States without bans also saw a decline, but it was smaller (24.6% to 17.2%).
But—Smoking Among Youth Went Up
In the same states with flavour bans, where vaping decreased, smoking among youths increased. In 2021, smoking rose by nearly 2 percentage points—an unintended and concerning shift back to traditional cigarettes.
Young Adults Followed a Similar Pattern
Young adults (18–24) in ban states also showed an increase in cigarette smoking between 2021 and 2023, even as vaping declined. Meanwhile, in states without bans, vaping in this age group increased.
Adult Vaping Also Decreased in Ban States
Among adults aged 25+, those living in states with bans were less likely to vape by 2023.
Complex Outcomes Demand Nuanced Policies
The findings show that while flavour bans may reduce vaping, they could also lead some people—especially younger ones—to switch to traditional cigarettes. Smoking cigarettes is uniquely harmful due to the thousands of chemicals, many of them toxic, that are inhaled with each puff. Indeed, these findings are not new, as Haypp has previously reported.
This study suggests that banning flavoured e-cigarettes can reduce adult vaping but may have mixed effects for younger age groups. Health experts and lawmakers should consider these complex outcomes when creating future tobacco control policies.
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