Those who champion tobacco prevention may sometimes feel like they take two steps forward, but then one step back.
That’s because even as the long-term trend lines move in positive directions, with overall tobacco use declining and fewer of today’s youth using nicotine, new threats constantly emerge that have the potential to reverse this progress.
The newest threats include the ironically named “smart vapes.” There’s nothing really smart about them unless you’re thinking of the clever marketing for this new way to hook kids on nicotine.
These devices combine the addictive nature of video games with teen-friendly flavors and, of course, high doses of nicotine. It’s a perfect trifecta, at least for those looking to addict another generation of young people to tobacco and nicotine products. We wrote about this emerging and disturbing trend in September.
Now more national experts are weighing in, this time in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). In a recent letter to the editor, staff members from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office on Smoking and Health and the CDC Foundation describe how the so-called smart vapes could reverse decades of nicotine and tobacco prevention progress.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention experts write: “E-cigarette use among U.S. youth reached a 10-year low in 2024, likely owing to concerted multisector public health efforts. Young people also deserve credit for resisting or quitting vaping. But high-tech e-cigarettes that gamify use of an addictive substance could undermine recent progress. These inexpensive, appealingly flavored products intersect nicotine addiction with two potentially addicting behaviors—screen use and gaming.”
This includes Geek Bar Pulse and Raz, emerging brands which are quickly gaining market share, they note.
The JAMA authors conclude: “Smart vapes, and all other illegally marketed e-cigarettes, warrant urgent attention.”
My Life, My Quit offers free support to Colorado youth who may be addicted to vapes, cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and any other tobacco or nicotine products. Young people between 12 and 17 years old can learn more about My Life, My Quit by texting “Start” to 36072 or visiting mylifemyquit.org.