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Editorial
June 1, 2020

Vaping and Youth—First, Do No Harm

Author Affiliations
  • 1Children’s Health Services Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis
  • 2Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Comparative Effectiveness Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis
  • 3Web and Social Media Editor, JAMA Pediatrics
JAMA Pediatr. 2020;174(7):645-646. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.0277

In this issue of JAMA Pediatrics, Lee and colleagues1 review the evidence on pod-based electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among youth and young adults. This is a critical and timely public health issue. Despite gains made in reducing cigarette smoking among youth,2,3 the percentage of US high school students who use nicotine products is at its highest level in almost 2 decades. Recent data3 reveal that this trend is driven largely by the increase in e-cigarette use. In 2019, 27.5% of US high schoolers reported any vaping in the previous 30 days,4 more than 250% of what was seen in 2017.5 Today, e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among youth.3 These facts have led the US surgeon general to declare youth e-cigarette use to be an epidemic.6

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