Teen Vaping Trends: A Shift Towards Flavored Cannabis Products
In recent years, a trend has emerged among teenagers that has health experts paying close attention. The University of Michigan has released a study indicating a rise in the popularity of flavored cannabis vapes, such as mango and strawberry, among teens since 2021. Interestingly, this increase occurs alongside a decline in overall teen drug usage, which has reached its lowest level in three years.
The study’s findings are based on data collected from the national Monitoring the Future survey. This survey assessed drug use trends among U.S. students in grades 8 through 12 from 2021 to 2024.
While the study highlights the growing preference for flavored marijuana vapes, it also points out the potential negative impacts on adolescent brain development associated with cannabis consumption.
Robert Miech, a key researcher at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, noted a significant rise in marijuana vaping among adolescents. Specifically, the data shows a 10% increase in eighth-grade marijuana users who have started vaping, while the percentage of 12th graders vaping marijuana increased from 58% to 67%.
Despite the uptick in vaping, overall cannabis use among teens has decreased, mirroring a similar downward trend in the consumption of other substances like nicotine and alcohol. Since 1998, the percentage of teenagers smoking cigarettes has plummeted from 35% to just 3%.
Miech attributes the decline in nicotine use to targeted anti-vaping campaigns, which often highlight health risks such as “popcorn lung” and other vaping-related lung injuries. However, he remains unsure why marijuana vaping is on the rise, despite the general decrease in cannabis usage.
“Kids really like the flavors and the danger doesn’t register to them,” Miech stated.
Given this trend, Miech suggests that there might be a need for “tighter regulation” concerning the flavors available in marijuana vapes. Among the various flavored options, fruity tastes like strawberry and mango are the most favored by young users.
In response to these findings, a Senate bill was proposed in June, mandating the state health department to educate students on the risks associated with vaping and cannabis use.
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