Teen vaping in Minnesota follows national trends with a significant drop

Teen vaping continues to drop in Minnesota. It follows a national trend that shows half a million fewer teens nationwide said they used e-cigarettes this year compared to last.

The Minnesota Department of Health's latest figures show 13.9 percent of teens reported vaping in the past 30 days, down from more than 19 percent in 2020.

Department of Health spokesman Mike Sheldon says some of the teen-centric quitting programs are helping.

"Lots of great engagement on some of the online components of these, the 'Escape the Vape' video challenge, for example, has had lots of great engagement," he says.

Still, Sheldon says work remains, with teens who do still vape reporting more addiction to flavored tobacco products, with some trying to quit more than 10 times.

"What we're noticing, is that while the overall number of students who are vaping is going down, that the ones who do vape are reporting that they're becoming much more dependent," says Sheldon. "That they're having things like intolerable cravings that they are reaching for their e-cigarette without thinking about it. It's the first thing they're thinking about when they're waking up."

Sheldon says teens who have quit vaping have had good success with some of the new, oftentimes confidential programs designed to help them.

“It’s a dire situation that so many of our teens are struggling with the health harms of nicotine dependence,” Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham said . “Many teens may smoke or vape because they think it helps them relieve stress or anxiety, but the nicotine can actually worsen those feelings. We want teens to know that we understand the mental health challenges they may be facing and how hard it is to quit, and that free help is out there to support them.”

Still, the news is good in Minnesota and across the U.S. Officials from the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributed the big drop in vaping to recent age restrictions and more aggressive enforcement against retailers and manufacturers, including Chinese vaping companies who have sold their e-cigarettes illegally in the U.S. for years.

Recently, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sent out thousands of letters to smoke shops across the state warning them about selling products aimed at children and teens.

"Cherry, lime, soda, banana, taffy, you know, just stuff like that," Ellison explains. "Vapes that look exactly like school supplies for middle schoolers, smartphones."

Ellison says once the word is out about the rules violations will cost retailers up to $25,000 per device sold.