The Tennessee Department of Education has released the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) results. This biennial survey monitors various behaviors among high school students in the Volunteer State, ranging from dietary and physical activity habits to mental health and substance use.
There is welcome news for policymakers concerned about youth tobacco and vapor product use. Among Tennessee high school students, the use of traditional tobacco products, including cigars, cigarettes, and smokeless and/or oral nicotine products, has reached record lows, while youth vaping has significantly declined since its peak in 2019.
According to the YRBS, in 2023, less than one-fifth (19.5%) of Tennessee high school students reported ever trying a combustible cigarette, with 5.4% reporting current smoking. Current use is defined as having used the product on at least one occasion in the 30 days prior to the survey. While these figures represent slight increases from 2021, when 19.2% had ever tried a cigarette and 4.9% were currently smoking, combustible cigarette use rates remain low. Between 2019 and 2023, ever-use of cigarettes decreased by 33.2%, while current use declined by 23.9%.
The use of other traditional tobacco products also remains low. In 2023, 7.3% of Tennessee high school students reported currently smoking cigars, while 4.5% reported current smokeless tobacco use, defined as the use of chewing tobacco, dip, oral nicotine, snuff, and/or snus products. Similar to cigarette use, there were slight increases in tobacco use between 2021 and 2023, yet the rates remain low. Current cigar use decreased by 19.8% between 2019 and 2023, while current smokeless tobacco use declined by 45.1%.
In recent years, policymakers have focused their attention on youth use of e-cigarettes. As with national trends, youth vaping peaked in 2019 when more than half (50.6%) of Tennessee high school students reported ever using a vapor product, and 22.1% were currently vaping. By 2023, 39.3% of students had tried an e-cigarette, while 21.6% reported current use. Between 2019 and 2023, ever-use of e-cigarettes decreased by 22.3%, while current use declined by 2.3%.
Policymakers must recognize the declines in youth tobacco and vapor product use and avoid policies that unfairly punish adults in the Volunteer State. In 2022, 10.8% of adults aged 18 years or older were currently using e-cigarettes—representing more than 595,000 individuals. In fact, for every high school student vaping in 2021, more than eight adults were using e-cigarettes. As a tobacco harm reduction tool, many adults rely on e-cigarettes not only to quit smoking but to remain smoke-free.
With youth use of traditional tobacco products at historic lows and youth vapor product use declining, policymakers should focus on promoting safer alternatives to cigarettes while continuing to monitor youth use.
Lindsey Stroud is a Visiting Fellow at Independent Women’s Forum, a Senior Fellow at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, and a board member with the American Vapor Manufacturers Association.