PRESS RELEASE: As Youth Vaping Hits Historic Lows, PROTECT Act Misses the Real Problem

Progress against underage vaping depends on eliminating the illicit market, not recycling failed prohibitionist approaches of the past

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine (Regulate Smarter) today issued the following statement on the Preventing Opportunities for Teen E-Cigarette and Tobacco Addiction (PROTECT) Act introduced by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL):

“Underage vaping has hit historic lows, which is a welcome sign that aggressive enforcement against illicit nicotine products is working,” said Richard Burr, Chairman of the Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine and former U.S. Senator. “The PROTECT Act, while well intentioned, ignores the root of the problem: a massive illicit market, largely from China, that continues to target underage users and fuel remaining youth use. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should double down on enforcement against the illicit market and authorize more legal, regulated products that are available for adult consumers through channels with appropriate protections against youth access. A well-regulated market is our best tool to sustain progress against underage vaping and combat the foreign manufacturers flooding our communities and targeting kids with illegal and dangerous products. More of the same blanket prohibitionist policies that ignore scientific data in favor of outdated approaches and fail to achieve meaningful results are not the answer.”

Among the notable findings from the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) confirming that youth tobacco and e-cigarette use have reached historic lows include:

Since 2022, a more than 4% decline in youth e-cigarette use: down from 9.4% in 2022 to 5.2% in 2025;

Since 2019, 17.8% decline in youth e-cigarette use; down from 23% in 2019 to 5.2% in 2025.

Specifically, e-cigarette use among high school students has declined rapidly, with 7.1% of high school students reportedly used an e-cigarette at least once in the past month in 2025, down from 27.5% in 2019.

The most commonly used device among current e-cigarette users was reportedly disposables with 66.3% of underage users choosing such product. The vast majority of disposable e-cigarettes are illicit and likely imported from foreign manufacturers as FDA has not authorized any disposable e-cigarette product.

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The Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine (Regulate Smarter) is comprised of members representing manufacturers, distributors, and retailers committed to operating responsibly within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated marketplace. Regulate Smarter supports an FDA regulatory system that delivers on the original harm reduction vision of the Tobacco Control Act. Chaired by former U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), the Regulate Smarter Coalition is committed to advancing a modern, common-sense approach to regulating tobacco and nicotine that is grounded in science. To learn more, visit: https://www.regulate-smarter.org/