Lets explore @FDATobacco infographics. These data come from @CDCTobaccoFree's National Youth Tobacco Survey.
US teen nicotine vaping increased in 2018 (to twice what it is today), so FDA's infographic focused on the percentage increase. @DrWoodcockFDA
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(2) In 2019, US teen vaping increased again, but it's not clear WHAT they were vaping. @CDCTobaccoFree forgot to ask that in 2019, so much of this "increase" may be THC vaping, not nicotine.
This time there's a graph, huge letters saying "ALARMING," and an absolute number.
(3) By 2020, US teen vaping had dropped 29%. This was before the pandemic hit (before schools closed).
@FDATobacco admits teen vaping dropped 1.8 million.
Daily use is obscured by hiding it under "current use." It's actually only 4.4%.
Oh. But "disposables SURGED!"
(4) It's 2021. @CDCTobaccoFree just published a #COVID19 update. The 2020 survey found a 29% drop. Between 2020 and 2021, teen vaping dropped another 42%. Teen vaping just dropped 62% in two years. Here is the @FDATobacco infographic.
(5) Now lets dissect this new @FDATobacco infographic on teen vaping. Does it tell the public teen vaping just dropped 62%? No.
Does it do something dodgy with daily use? Yes. So dodgy it confused @US_FDA's own Comms Team, journalists and Members of the US Congress.
(6) So, now let's put this all together for 2019 (the peak of the teen vaping fad), 2020 and 2021. You can't miss it: Yup... That's a 62% drop in just two years.
Because of the way @FDATobacco (mis)communicated this, NOT ONE MAINSTREAM JOURNALIST HAS REPORTED IT. Strange no?
(7) OK, but there are still 2 million teens vaping, and I agree that's too many. But are 2 million kids "addicted," as most Americans assume? No.
Let's get some perspective: 89% don't vape. 6% vape infrequently, so are not 'hooked.' 4.9% vape frequently. 3.1% vape daily.
(8) If we truly cared about teen dependence, we would focus on daily use (most teen daily vapers smoked first but let's ignore that).
If we did that though, it would be impossible to portray this as a crisis. So govt officials only show the public "current use" (≥ once/month).
(9) So... How does this all look if we put the inflated "current use" numbers together with daily use, and see how teen vaping changed over time? And what if we add some of the other things teens-should-not-do just to get some perspective? (e.g., drinking, pot, illicit drugs)
(10) OK, now let's invert this whole thing using the same data to look at the number of teens who don't vape at all, and how that has changed since 2014.
Note that more US teens vaped nicotine in 2014 than today.
(11) And, worth noting here that US teen smoking has dropped (coincidentally) far faster than historical trends over the past 10 years. Lowest in history now.
This means US total teen nicotine use (smoking+vaping) is now less than half what it was just 20 years ago.
(12) Finally: The elephant in the room. Propaganda has convinced many Americans (including politicians) that the only reason nicotine vapes exist is to lure teens into a lifetime of the dreaded horror of nicotine addiction.
Americans are profoundly wrong about a lot of things.
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The death toll from smoking is staggering (including my own father). 8 million people die every year from smoking who.int/news-room/fact…
...including 480,000 in the USA cdc.gov/tobacco/data_s…
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Harm reduction can reduce that death toll, according to 15 past-Presidents of the world's leading professional society in tobacco control. ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.210…
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So... Here is the @US_FDA's original infographic. Let's take a good look at what they told the public about the National Youth Tobacco Survey 2020 (specifically March 2020, so just before the pandemic).
(2) Next... Unless you read this VERY carefully, you will not understand frequent use, and daily use, are given as a percentage of "current use."
(3) One key to good infographics: They deliver facts clearly and need no translation.
This one from @FDATobacco needed translation. You have to do the math to find out how many US high school kids vaped frequent, or daily, in March 2020 (before the pandemic).
15 past-Presidents of the Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco embrace THR. They are veterans of the fight against big tobacco. Not part of a "plot." ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.210…
A school-based education program. How well did it work? In 2001, US @Surgeon_General David Satcher placed the D.A.R.E. program in the category of "Ineffective Primary Prevention Programs." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_Abus…
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School-based drug "education" mistake, now being repeated with vaping.
1992: "Researchers at Indiana University found that those who completed the D.A.R.E. program subsequently had significantly higher rates of hallucinogenic drug use than those not exposed to the program."
(3) The school-based drug "education" mistake, now being repeated with vaping.
1994: RTI researchers found the program was ineffective. So D.A.R.E. leaders tried to get publication of the findings blocked. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_Abus…
15 past-Presidents of the world's leading Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco have issued a joint statement. It is a masterful review of evidence on nicotine vape safety, efficacy for smoking cessation, and teen use. ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.210…
15 leading public health experts who cannot possibly accused be of being "corporate shills" or "not thinking of children." All share the byline. All former presidents of the Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco, THE preeminent professional society. ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.210…
(2) 15 of the world's top tobacco control experts agree:
Public health organizations, the media & policymakers focus primarily on risks to youth