Spooky Tobacco Tactics: Local New York State Tobacco Programs Call Out Tobacco Industry on Dangerous E-Cigarette Tactics

This Halloween, the New York Reality Check program, Tobacco Free Action Communities in Columbia & Greene (TFAC), is a real-life scare: tobacco marketing aimed at kids. As part of a year-round effort to raise awareness, below are three scary facts that reveal how scary and effective the tobacco industry’s tactics can be, especially when it comes to targeting youth.

Scary Fact #1: The tobacco industry markets e-cigarettes in candy and fruit flavors.

Local youth in Catskill, NY were asked, “What flavors of e-cigarettes have you seen in ads?” The most popular responses by high schoolers included: “Blue razz, mango, and cherry.” “Today, youth on social media encounter images of flavored tobacco products resembling candy. Although the sale of flavored e-cigarettes is illegal in New York State, they can still be found in local retailers and are very popular among youth. They continue to have easy access to e-cigarettes from family and friends, and increasingly, online retailers,” said Jennifer Reilly Bluma, Community Engagement Lead, Tobacco Free Action Communities in Columbia & Greene. A 2024 study by the Truth Initiative found that the majority (76.3%) of online e-cigarette retailers “allowed visitors to reach the checkout page without verifying ID.”

Scary Fact #2: Kids are inundated with tobacco industry ads online.

According to a 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey, 73.5% of students on social media see content about e-cigarettes. Despite tobacco placements in movies and TV ending after the Master Settlement Agreement in 1998, images of vaping can be seen online everywhere, from favorite influencers on social media platforms, to the latest music videos and TV shows on online streaming services.

A recent social media campaign for nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes by British American Tobacco and Philip Morris was viewed by 150 million young people and 16 million teens under the age of 18, according to a new report by Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. These online messages about tobacco have a profound impact on youth behavior. A new study from Boston University School of Public Health found that youth with no prior tobacco use who used social media daily were 67% more likely to begin smoking after one year. This explains why the initial age of tobacco product use is as early as middle school.

Scary Fact #3: Today’s e-cigarettes contain as much nicotine as two packs of cigarettes.

Restrictions on flavored e-cigarettes in New York State are a significant step toward reducing youth tobacco use. However, today’s bigger, single-use e-cigarettes are pre-filled with highly concentrated amounts of addictive nicotine. While tobacco companies often advertise disposable vaping products as “beginner friendly” to make e-cigarettes appear safe, exposure to the higher levels of nicotine in disposable e-cigarettes pose increased dangers:

• Increased addiction and intense withdrawal symptoms
• Impaired brain function, affecting attention, learning, mood, and impulse control
• Worsening anxiety and depression
• Irregular heart rhythms, artery stiffening, and increased risk of heart attack and stroke
• Being “nic-sick” (nicotine overdose). This includes symptoms like nausea, vomiting, dizziness, tremors, and in severe cases can lead to seizures and respiratory failure.

The largest health threat from e-cigarettes is nicotine poisoning to children and pets who might mistake it for candy and drink the liquid or even spill it on their skin. That’s why it is essential that e-cigarettes and refill liquid are secured in locked areas where children won’t access them. To read more about the ingredients in e-cigarettes, visit Lung.org/blog/dangerous-vape-ingredients.

For more information on the Tobacco Free Action Communities in Columbia, contact Community Engagement Lead Jennifer Reilly Bluma at 518-362-5055 or [email protected]. To schedule an interview and/or speak with a youth advocate, contact Val Gleason at 717971-1123 or [email protected].

About TFAC Columbia Greene: Tobacco Free Action Communities in Columbia & Greene, a program of the American Lung Association, is a network of local agencies and individuals working together to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use and to promote healthy communities. TFAC Columbia Greene serves Columbia and Greene counties in New York State. T
FAC is funded by the New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Tobacco Control. To learn more visit: https://Tobaccofreenys.org & https://Lung.org