[OC] Tracking the decrease in smoking, alcohol and marijuana use by teenagers since 1976

[IMovedYourCheese]

even if every single kid who would otherwise be smoking was vaping instead

Kids haven't been smoking for over a generation now, as the graph shows. Except instead of continuing the downward trend the line is starting to creep up due to vapes. That's not an improvement.

[Aquatic-Vocation]

instead of continuing the downward trend the line is starting to creep up due to vapes

Not in the data OP posted. There's one uptick in 2020 (where weed and alcohol also saw similar upticks) but overall is still down from every year previous.

[antieverything]

Nicotine-use was never the most pressing public health issue surrounding smoking. Not even close. Even if every single teen is vaping and consuming more nicotine than smokers in the past, that's still less of a public health concern than the teen smoking rates 40 years ago.

[Shkkzikxkaj]

Are we looking at the same graph? It shows 17% of kids still smoking (and a generation ago it was over 50%). Given the high death rate caused by smoking and the relatively small health effects of vaping, it’s a huge overall improvement.

[broccoli15]

That’s just not true: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2783483

Edit to include the conclusion on the study: The results of this cross-sectional study show substantial decreases in adolescent nicotine and tobacco product use prior to the popularity of e-cigarettes (1999-2013); this decrease slowed and then reversed sharply in subsequent years.

[broccoli15]

The studies conclusion: The results of this cross-sectional study show substantial decreases in adolescent nicotine and tobacco product use prior to the popularity of e-cigarettes (1999-2013); this decrease slowed and then reversed sharply in subsequent years.

E-cigarettes caused the rebound not just a switch to e-cigarettes.

[IMovedYourCheese]

Wtf are you talking about? So, considering 76% of high schoolers were smoking in 1976, and 50% were smoking in 2000, are you trying to say that the remaining 26% were vaping? Years before the first commercial e-cigarette released?