VAPES IN NEW YORK STATE ARE CHEAP, KIDS LIKE ME ARE PAYING THE REAL PRICE
By Sohan Shah, a high school student in Syosset and a national ambassador for Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
It is too cheap for children to become addicted to nicotine in New York.
As a high school student, vaping and nicotine pouch use are everywhere. Students vape between classes and after tests. Flavored pouches, or “lip pillows” can be seen in the mouths of teens in class and in the bathroom.. Though illegal to purchase under 21 years old, sleek e-cigarettes, candied-flavored nicotine and pouches have flooded school bathrooms, backpacks and classrooms. These addictive products, which are discreetly marketed to children, are easy for students to obtain because they are cheap, some costing about $5 per pack.
These low prices fuel an epidemic of youth nicotine use in New York that far exceeds national averages. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 1.6 million students, or 6%, vape or use e-cigarettes nationwide – including 400,000 middle schoolers. Disposable vapes like Juul or ELF are the most common, and almost 90% of kids who vape use flavored products. As part of a school research project, I visited over 140 tobacco retailers on Long Island and in New York City. The average cost of a JUUL is only $30.16 per 4 pack. Nicotine pouches, like ZYN – available in cinnamon and citrus flavors costs about $8.54 and their use has doubled in children in 2 years.
To deter youth addiction, Governor Hochul has proposed taxing these newer, and more potent, nicotine products. Which include a 55 cent per unit distributor fee and a 20% retail tax – the same as combustible cigarettes. These fees are expected to raise $18 million in the first year – funds to be directed toward youth education and to assist New Yorkers in quitting smoking. But this is not fiscal policy, it’s a public health strategy to decrease teen vaping rates, which were as high as 27% only 8 years ago.
Price matters for high schoolers. Increase nicotine taxes is a thoroughly-researched and successful means of curbing youth addiction. More than 40 years of public health data shows teens are less likely to start using tobacco and more likely to quit when costs go up. For every 10% increase in cost, youth smoking rates decrease 6-7%. The 2009 national tobacco tax decreased cigarette sales by 8.3% and every dollar tax increase in nicotine reduces youth rates of tobacco use by 306 percentage points. Taxes are part of the reason teen smoking rates have decreased 90% in New York State over the past 2 decades – falling from 27.1% to 2.4% -- saving countless lives and billions of dollars in long-term health costs. These savings would continue under the current proposal, since 95% of tobacco users started in their teens and vape use is associated with a 4-8 times increased risk of combustible cigarette use and a 2-3 times higher risk of marijuana use.
Already several fellow students have graduated from vaping to smoking to edible marijuana gummies to help alleviate the stress of Advanced Placement classes, SATs and other school work. When nicotine products are more expensive, fewer teens start using them, more quit and we all save the cost of paying for the tobacco-related illness of another generation. Big Tobacco knows increased prices prevent them from addicting children – who corporations see as lifelong customers. As all New Yorkers struggle with the cost of living, the Tobacco industry claims the tax decreases affordability – ignoring decades of public health benefits.
Opponents argue higher costs for non-combustible nicotine may deter cigarette users from attempting to quit. But while several of these products have been federally authorized as potential tool in quitting smoking, none have been fully approved. And even with the tax in place, vape products will still remain a less expensive alternative to cigarettes. Taxes on nicotine products will also reset racial inequities in tobacco use. Teens who vape and disproportionately from lesser-resourced areas of the state and communities of color, populations without the school-based or community resources to spend on anti-tobacco education.Strong tax policy can help direct more funds to these districts and counterbalance the higher rates of nicotine use in minority communities.
Governor Hochul’s proposal is a pragmatic strategy deeply aligned with New York’s long-time emphasis on child health. The budget request acknowledges nicotine policies must adapt to the rapidly evolving tobacco market. By increasing taxes on alternative nicotine products, this measure is a chance to prioritize children’s health over industry profit. The Legislature should seize that chance.
The price of inaction is too high.
(Sohan Shah is a high school student in Syosset and a national ambassador for Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids)