If Vaping Causes Smoking, Why Are Cigarettes Less Popular Than Ever With Teenagers?

The CDC's data belie its warnings about e-cigarettes.

CDC

Data released last week by the CDC show that smoking continues to decline among teenagers, reaching a record low last year. But as I explain in my latest Forbes column, the CDC is still worried that the rising popularity of e-cigarettes will renew adolescent interest in the real thing:

Public statements from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) take an alarmist view of e-cigarettes, portraying them as a menace to the youth of America, who supposedly will start smoking again in droves once they try vaping and get hooked on nicotine. But the CDC's data tell a different story.

Last week the CDC released the latest results from its National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (NYRBS), which is conducted every two years. The 2015 numbers show that cigarette smoking continues to fall among teenagers even as more and more of them experiment with vaping. But as usual, the CDC chose to accentuate the negative.

Read the whole thing.

Comments

[Agammamon]

If Vaping Causes Smoking, Why Are Cigarettes Less Popular Than Ever With Teenagers?

Because.

Because vaping *is* smoking. Or, you know, close enough. It involves tobacco after all. Or, at least nicotene which comes from tobacco. Or, at least is found in tobacco. Look, it looks like smoking so it is smoking. Same reason the rate of sexual assaults is the the same thing as the rate of rapes and how 'alcohol involved accidents' are the same thing as DUI and prostitute = 'trafficked person'.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

Self-trafficking is trafficking nonetheless!

[Robert]

Or at least it can have nicotine.

[Jerryskids]

The CDC's campaign against cigarette-smoking teens has worked wonders and they deserve a massive budget increase to continue their good work. At the same time, smoking amongst teens is reaching crisis proportions and the CDC needs a massive budget increase to combat this threat to the American Way Of Life. What's so hard to understand?

[Lee G]

bureaucratic empire building FTW

[Doctor Whom]

+1 ratchet

[Rockabilly]

Jacob - it's their job to be worried for you, so you won't have to, even if it seems to be ridiculous.

[Rhywun]

I just heard a couple days ago that vaping makes kids 4x more likely to graduate to smoking. Not sure if that was pulled out of this survey or somewhere else.

[UnCivilServant]

4x what value?

[kbolino]

Let me guess, somebody saw a correlation ("vapers are more likely to also be smokers!") and inferred causality.

[UnCivilServant]

And, like 81% of statistics, it was made up on the spot.

[Robert]

Oooo, it makes kids 4X more likely to graduate! Oh...to smoking.

[FreeToFear]

graduate from what?

[Rufus The Monocled]

Remember. Anti-tobacco was never ever never ever supposed to infringe on rights or enter the private sphere. Ever.

Death by guns is decreasing but that doesn't stop the assault on the 2A.

We were all paranoid for thinking that just like people are paranoid about progressives wanting to confiscate all guns.

The bottom line: They don't like it and don't need no stinking rationale or stats to back them up.

[AlmightyJB]

"The bottom line: They don't like it and don't need no stinking rationale or stats to back them up."

Exactly. If it were proved that vaping made you healthier and added 10 years to your life nannys would still want to ban it because they dont like seeing it. Those teens should be reading their bibles or be engaged in some good wholesome activity instead.

[kbolino]

Some of them really do seem to think the only reason anyone smokes is because the evil corporations put additives into the cigarettes. Never mind that tobacco was a popular crop before anyone bothered to add anything to it. Do these morons think people ate tobacco leaves for food?

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

They also rail on and on about tobacco companies marketing to kids, which is utter bullshit, as that hasn't been legal during my lifetime and I'm in my 30s.

[Rufus The Monocled]

They didn't even before then.

They were hysterical in the 1980s too.

[Rhywun]

Kids see an ad anytime, anywhere == advertising to kids.

[mad.casual]

They also rail on and on about tobacco companies marketing to kids, which is utter bullshit, as that hasn't been legal during my lifetime and I'm in my 30s.

I found a local candy store that sells the classic candy-cigarettes and cigar-shaped gum (AFAIK, never actually done by tobacco companies). I thought they had been banned outright, but apparently it was an combination of self-selection and local regulation(s).

Playing ball, broodling No. 1 loves Big League Chew and broodling 2 prefers sunflower seeds. Walking to a game this past week, we came across an empty can of Skoal. Broodling 2 asked what it was and I said "Dip". To which he replied, "You mean for catfish?" It's between scary and bizarre sometimes how social engineering crosses generational lines.

[Rich]

If Vaping Causes Smoking, Why Are Cigarettes Less Popular Than Ever With Teenagers?

Perhaps the kids who *do* smoke really, *really* like it.

[AlmightyJB]

I quit smoking probably 10 years ago because I thought being able to breath was more important. But other than the breathing part I really enjoyed smoking. Seriously.

[lap83]

My guess is a lot of these kids will have the same fairly limited experience with smoking. I think letting someone get older and wiser is the answer when you are worried about them. I didn't like it when my younger brother started...I thought he was better than that. But he stopped when his kids were born. You just have to let people learn from their mistakes or you'll just be stressed out all the time at everyone making choices you don't agree with.

[UnCivilServant]

you'll just be stressed out all the time at everyone making choices you don't agree with

Have you seen the temper tantrums we get from certain populations these days?

[AddictionMyth]

Smoking is a bully. It's true - got demons in it come out and boss you around. I seen it myself.

[C. S. P. Schofield]

Since smoking is illegal for teens, why does anybody take data collected on how many smoke seriously?

[bacon-magic]

Once again, I feel like a broken record, fuck off slavers. Vaping saved my life and statists are determined to not let that happen to anyone else.