NJ teen vaping down — but a new tobacco problem is on the rise

🚬 Teen vaping in NJ is dropping

🚬 New tobacco pouches becoming more popular

🚬 Education, bans driving decline

Efforts to stop youth vaping in New Jersey are working but the fight against Big Tobacco isn't over.

Teens around the country are putting down e-cigarettes for good, according to the 2024 Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey released earlier this month.

It found nearly 8% of high school students had used an e-cigarette within the last 30 days. That's a decrease from 10% of high school students in 2023.

When including middle school students, the drop was from 8% in 2023 to under 6% in 2024.

"That's the lowest it's been in probably a decade," said Ashley Smith, tobacco programs manager at Tobacco-Free for a Healthy New Jersey (TFHNJ).

New Jersey has experienced a similar decline.

Around 27.6% of New Jersey high school students said they used an e-cigarette within the last 30 days, according to the 2019 NJ Student Health Survey.

Two years later, that number dropped to around 22%. The 2021 survey found that girls, at 25.7%, were more likely than boys, at 16.4%, to vape.

Those are promising numbers but critical work still needs to be done to reduce e-cigarette and nicotine use among youth, Smith said. And a new problem may take vaping's place.

New tobacco pouches becoming more popular

Zyn is a smokeless nicotine pouch produced by a subsidiary of Phillip Morris, one of the five major companies commonly referred to as Big Tobacco.

They are marketed as a way for smokers to quit traditional cigarettes. However, like vaping, they're becoming more common among teens and even students in middle school.

RELATED: NJ considers stricter rules to crack down on vape retailers

Around 1.8% of middle school and high school students currently use nicotine pouches, according to the Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey. Zyn is the most popular brand. And of the students who use these pouches, 22.4% use them daily.

Unlike e-cigarettes, flavored nicotine pouches aren't banned. More than 85% of students who use them buy flavored pouches. Mint is the most common flavor, followed by fruit.

"I wish we could be put out of a job for our prevention work so that people stay away from these substances but unfortunately Big Tobacco is always one step ahead of us," said Smith.

Bans driving NJ vaping decline

Still, Zyn isn't a major problem just yet. And the decline in youth vaping, especially in New Jersey, is a win for those who fight tobacco use.

Smith said state laws are helping to drive that decrease.

"New Jersey is really advanced compared to other states in the work that we're doing," said Smith.

RELATED: NJ deals with illegal vape products from China, aimed at youth

Flavored vape products have been banned in New Jersey since 2020. Retailers that sell these products can face thousands of dollars in fines.

Coupons and price reductions for tobacco products and e-cigarettes were also made illegal in the state the same year. And since 2017, it's been illegal for anyone under 21 years old to buy tobacco products in New Jersey.

However, enforcing those laws remains a battle. While some sellers could be flagrantly flouting the bans, Smith said many retailers don't know every rule.

The Point of Sale assessment tool helps TFHNJ gather data about how statewide policies are being followed by retailers. That's allowed their partners to visit and track the more than 8,000 tobacco retailers in New Jersey, and educate merchants on tobacco laws.

Anti-tobacco efforts among youth

While adults can repeatedly drill into kids' heads that nicotine and tobacco use are bad, Smith admits some young people don't like to listen to adults.

So, more than 600 students in New Jersey are involved in Incorruptible.Us to discourage their friends from vaping.

"When it comes from their peers, that peer-to-peer conversation really changes everything and helps our young people stay away from these products," said Smith.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom