Youth Vaping Drops While Smoke-Free Alternatives Gain Ground Among Arizona Adults

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Key Points:

• Survey Overview: Newly released 2025 Arizona Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) results show youth cigarette smoking remains near historic lows, while e-cigarette use has declined significantly over the past decade.

• Youth Smoking Near Historic Lows: In 2025, only 4.6 percent of Arizona high school students currently smoked combustible cigarettes, a 13.2 percent decline from 2019.

• Frequent and Daily Smoking Remain Rare: Only 0.4 percent of Arizona high school students reported frequent cigarette smoking, while the same percentage reported smoking daily.

• Youth Vaping Declines: Current e-cigarette use among Arizona high school students declined 16.2 percent between 2019 and 2025, falling from 17.9 percent to 15 percent.

• Vaping Experimentation Falls: In 2025, 33.1 percent of Arizona high school students reported ever trying an e-cigarette, a 31.6 percent decline from 48.4 percent in 2019.

• A Decade of Vaping Declines: Youth vaping in Arizona peaked in 2015, when 27.5 percent of high school students were current users and 51.6 percent had ever tried an e-cigarette. By 2025, current use had declined 45.5 percent, while experimentation fell 35.9 percent.

• Adult Smoking Reaches Historic Low: According to the 2025 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) figures presented in the analysis, only 7.7 percent of Arizona adults currently smoked cigarettes, representing approximately 464,041 individuals and the lowest rate recorded in the state.

• Adult Smoking Falls Sharply: Between 2024 and 2025, adult smoking prevalence declined 24.5 percent, representing approximately 142,439 fewer adult smokers in a single year.

• Half a Million Adult Vapers: In 2025, 8.3 percent of Arizona adults currently used e-cigarettes, representing approximately 500,200 individuals. Vaping prevalence remained unchanged from 2024, although the estimated number of users declined slightly.

• Adult Vaping Surpasses Smoking: Arizona had approximately 36,159 more adult e-cigarette users than combustible cigarette smokers in 2025. Adult vaping prevalence was 8.3 percent, compared with 7.7 percent for smoking.

• Evidence for Tobacco Harm Reduction: Scientific research indicates that e-cigarettes generally expose users to fewer harmful chemicals than combustible cigarettes, while clinical trials have demonstrated their potential to help adults quit smoking.

• FDA-Authorized Alternatives: The FDA has authorized several dozen e-cigarette products after determining that their marketing is “appropriate for the protection of public health,” recognizing potential benefits for adults who smoke while also considering risks to youth and nonusers.

• Economic Burden of Smoking: WalletHub estimated that smoking carried an annual economic cost of $79,572 per Arizona smoker in 2025, including approximately $3,286 in health care costs.

• Potential Economic Benefits: Applying WalletHub's estimates to Arizona's approximately 142,439 fewer adult smokers suggests $11.3 billion in associated annual economic burdens, including $468.1 million in health care costs. These estimates are illustrative and should not be interpreted as documented savings.

• Vapor Product Licensing Proposal: Introduced in 2026, House Bill 2765 proposed a manufacturer licensing and product registration framework for vapor products, including certification and enforcement requirements affecting manufacturers, distributors, and retailers.

• Alternative Nicotine Product Regulations: Signed into law in June 2026, House Bill 4001 established regulations for alternative nicotine products, including oral nicotine pouches, with age restrictions, limitations on youth-oriented marketing, and manufacturer and distributor licensing requirements.

• Proposed Nicotine Taxes: House Bill 2778, introduced in 2025, sought to extend Arizona's luxury tax structure to nicotine and vapor products. House Bill 4032, introduced in 2026, proposed a 50 percent excise tax on the retail price of alternative nicotine and vapor products. Neither proposal became law.

• Smoking and Vaping Trends: Arizona's declining adult smoking rates, alongside vaping prevalence that now exceeds smoking prevalence, are consistent with the potential role of smoke-free alternatives in tobacco harm reduction, although population-level trends alone cannot establish causation.

• Policy Implications: As Arizona lawmakers prepare for the 2027 legislative session, the latest data provide important context for evaluating nicotine taxation, product licensing, youth prevention measures, and adult access to lower-risk alternatives.

• Bottom Line: Arizona's youth vaping rates have declined substantially over the past decade, while youth cigarette smoking remains near historic lows. Adult smoking has reached its lowest recorded level, and approximately half a million adults now use e-cigarettes. These findings underscore the importance of evaluating nicotine policies based on differences in product risk, youth protection objectives, and the potential consequences for adults who smoke.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released the 2025 results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for Arizona high school students. The biennial survey assesses a variety of youth health-risk behaviors, ranging from dietary habits and physical activity to mental health and substance use.

There is promising news for policymakers concerned with youth nicotine and tobacco use: combustible cigarette smoking remains at historically low levels, while the use of newer nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, has declined significantly in recent years. Meanwhile, adult smoking rates have reached their lowest recorded levels, and more Arizona adults aged 18 years or older are using e-cigarettes than combustible cigarettes.

These findings provide important context as policymakers in the Grand Canyon State continue to consider regulations and restrictions on nicotine and tobacco products.

According to the YRBS, in 2025, only 4.6 percent of Arizona high school students reported current combustible cigarette use. Current use is defined as having used the product on at least one occasion in the 30 days preceding the survey. This represents one of the lowest rates recorded by the YRBS and a 13.2 percent decrease from 2019. Frequent and daily cigarette smoking were particularly uncommon, with only 0.4 percent of students reporting each behavior.

In recent years, emerging nicotine products, particularly e-cigarettes, have attracted considerable attention from policymakers as youth experimentation and use increased. Similar to national trends, however, youth vaping in Arizona has declined significantly from earlier highs.

In 2025, 33.1 percent of Arizona high school students reported having ever tried an e-cigarette, while 15 percent were current users. The percentage of students who had ever tried vaping decreased by 31.6 percent from 2019, when nearly half (48.4 percent) reported experimentation. Current vaping declined by 16.2 percent from 2019, when 17.9 percent of students reported using e-cigarettes.

Notably, according to the YRBS, youth vaping in Arizona actually peaked in 2015, several years before the U.S. surgeon general declared youth e-cigarette use an "epidemic." In 2015, more than half (51.6 percent) of Arizona high school students had ever tried an e-cigarette, while more than one-fourth (27.5 percent) were current users.

Over the past decade, ever use of e-cigarettes among Arizona high school students has declined by 35.9 percent, while current use has fallen by 45.5 percent.

These findings are particularly significant as e-cigarettes have emerged as an important tobacco harm reduction tool for millions of American adults, including approximately half a million Arizonans aged 18 years or older.

The CDC annually assesses adult health behaviors through its Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). According to the BRFSS, in 2025, only 7.7 percent of Arizona adults were current smokers, representing approximately 464,041 individuals. This is the lowest smoking rate recorded by the BRFSS and represents a 24.5 percent decrease from 2024, or approximately 142,439 fewer adult smokers.

In the same year, 8.3 percent of Arizona adults were current e-cigarette users, representing approximately 500,200 individuals. Although the reported prevalence was also 8.3 percent in 2024, the estimated number of adult e-cigarette users declined slightly.

Notably, in 2025, there were approximately 36,159 more adult e-cigarette users than combustible cigarette smokers in Arizona. The prevalence of adult vaping was 7.8 percent higher than that of smoking, representing an important shift in the state's nicotine-use landscape.

Arizona's tobacco and vapor product use statistics are particularly relevant given the growing body of evidence demonstrating that e-cigarettes generally expose users to fewer harmful chemicals than combustible cigarettes and can help adults quit smoking. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the marketing of several dozen e-cigarette products after determining that their marketing met the statutory standard of being "appropriate for the protection of public health."

Importantly, FDA authorization does not mean these products are risk-free. Rather, the agency evaluates their potential benefits and risks to the population as a whole, including adults who smoke and youth who may initiate nicotine use.

Reductions in combustible cigarette smoking can also generate substantial economic benefits, including lower health care expenditures and reduced smoking-related productivity losses.

For example, WalletHub estimated that the total annual cost associated with smoking in Arizona in 2025 was $79,572 per smoker, including $3,286 in health care costs. Applying those estimates to the approximately 142,439 fewer adult smokers reported between 2024 and 2025 produces a potential reduction of $11.3 billion in annual smoking-related economic burdens, including approximately $468.1 million in health care costs.

While these figures are illustrative rather than documented savings, they demonstrate the substantial economic burden associated with combustible cigarette use and the potential benefits of sustained smoking reductions.

These findings are timely, as Arizona lawmakers introduced several pieces of legislation during the 2025 and 2026 legislative sessions seeking to expand the regulation and taxation of nicotine and tobacco products.

House Bill 2765, introduced in 2026, sought to establish a manufacturer licensing framework for vapor products through the Arizona Department of Revenue. The proposal included product registration requirements, manufacturer certifications, and enforcement provisions affecting manufacturers, distributors, and retailers.

House Bill 4001, signed into law in June 2026, established a regulatory framework for alternative nicotine products, including oral nicotine pouches. The legislation includes restrictions on sales to individuals under 21 years of age, prohibitions on certain youth-oriented packaging and marketing practices, and licensing requirements for manufacturers and distributors.

Lawmakers also introduced proposals to expand taxation and oversight of nicotine products. House Bill 2778, introduced in 2025, sought to extend Arizona's luxury tax structure to nicotine and vapor products, while House Bill 4032, introduced in 2026, proposed a 50 percent excise tax on the retail price of alternative nicotine and vapor products. Neither proposal became law.

As Arizona lawmakers prepare for the 2027 legislative session, the latest youth and adult tobacco-use data should play a central role in evaluating future regulatory proposals.

Despite continued concerns surrounding youth nicotine use, Arizona's youth vaping rates have declined substantially over the past decade, while combustible cigarette smoking remains near historic lows. At the same time, adult smoking has fallen dramatically, and more adults now report using e-cigarettes than smoking traditional cigarettes.

These trends do not eliminate the need for reasonable safeguards against youth access or continued surveillance of nicotine use. They do, however, underscore the importance of distinguishing combustible cigarettes from smoke-free alternatives when developing tobacco policy.

Rather than treating all nicotine products as equally harmful, Arizona policymakers should consider the differing risks associated with these products and the potential consequences of regulations that restrict adult access to alternatives. Policies intended to protect public health should build upon reductions in combustible cigarette use, not inadvertently undermine that progress.

Nothing in this analysis is intended to influence the passage of legislation, and it does not necessarily represent the views of Tobacco Harm Reduction 101.