Vermont Data Debunks Flavor Myth in Youth Vaping

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Key Points:

• Vermont Trends: 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows teen vaping down 39 percent since 2019; ever-use dropped 35.7 percent.

• Flavor Myth: Only 2 percent of Vermont youth cited flavors as their main reason for vaping – far below curiosity (25 percent) and self-medicating stress/anxiety (21 percent).

• Consistent Data: Similar patterns in Rhode Island, Montana, and national CDC surveys – flavors rank low among youth motivations.

• Policy Context: Vermont lawmakers have pushed flavor bans; Gov. Phil Scott vetoed in 2024 citing policy inconsistencies and cross-border sales risks.

• Adult Harm Reduction: Flavored e-cigs linked to higher quit rates and relapse prevention; 62.9 percent of adult vapers started with non-tobacco flavors.

• Smoking Declines: Vermont adult smoking fell 33.5 percent from 2016–2023 as vaping rose 44.1 percent; young adult smoking dropped 80.3 percent since 2007.

• Public Health Opportunity: State data show flavors help adults quit while youth use is falling – bans risk undermining harm reduction progress.

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There is growing evidence that youth are not citing flavors as a primary reason for e-cigarette use. The Vermont Department of Health’s (in coordination with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) shows that fewer Vermont youth now identify flavors as a motivator for vaping, a trend consistent with other state and national findings. This is critical information for policymakers as they consider regulations on tobacco harm reduction products.

The YRBS, conducted every two years, tracks a wide range of behaviors among high school students, from nutrition and physical activity to mental health and substance use. While public health agencies and anti-tobacco organizations frequently rely on YRBS data to highlight youth vaping, they often overlook key findings about why youth initiate use.

According to the 2023 results, 32 percent of Vermont high school students had ever tried an e-cigarette, and 16.1 percent were currently vaping, defined as use within the past 30 days. These represent substantial declines from 2019, when nearly half (49.8 percent) had ever tried vaping and more than one-fourth (26.4 percent) were current users. Between 2019 and 2023, ever-use declined by 35.7 percent, and current use fell by 39 percent.

Since 2017, Vermont has asked current youth e-cigarette users their main reason for vaping, and flavors have never topped the list. In 2017, only 17 percent cited flavors, compared to 35 percent who vaped because a friend or family member did and 33 percent who selected “other.” By 2023, just 2 percent reported using e-cigarettes because of flavors, while 25 percent cited curiosity, 21 percent used them to self-medicate anxiety, depression, or stress, and 19 percent cited social factors such as friends or family use.

This pattern is reflected in other states and national surveys.

In Rhode Island in 2023, 32.9 percent of youth who had ever used an e-cigarette cited curiosity as their main reason, compared to just 4 percent who cited flavors. In Montana in 2023, curiosity and self-medication for mental health reasons were each cited by more than a quarter of youth who had ever vaped, while only 2.1 percent cited flavors. National data from the CDC’s 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey shows similar trends: among U.S. middle and high school students who currently vaped, 43.4 percent cited anxiety, depression, or stress as their reason, and only 13.2 percent cited flavors.

These findings matter because Vermont policymakers have previously sought to ban flavored tobacco and vapor products, despite tens of thousands of adult Vermonters relying on them to stay smoke-free. In 2024, Governor Phil Scott vetoed such legislation, pointing to inconsistencies with the state’s cannabis policy and the likelihood of retail sales shifting to neighboring New Hampshire. While the proposal was not reintroduced in 2025, advocates for prohibition continue to push for it.

The reality is that e-cigarettes are far less harmful than combustible cigarettes, and their use aligns with steep declines in smoking rates. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the sale of more than two dozen e-cigarette products, determining that their availability is “appropriate for the protection of public health.” Countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom actively encourage smokers to switch.

Flavors play an essential role in this transition. A 2019 national survey found that 62.9 percent of adult vapers used non-tobacco flavors at initiation and reported greater satisfaction. Another 2019 review concluded that flavored e-cigarettes help smokers reduce or quit smoking. In one of the largest surveys of adult vapers, involving more than 70,000 participants, researchers found that non-tobacco flavors – including fruit, dessert, and candy – were strongly associated with both quitting success and avoidance of relapse. A 2020 study found that adults using flavored e-cigarettes were more likely to quit than those using unflavored products, and a 2023 study found higher quit rates among users of non-tobacco flavors compared to those using tobacco-flavored or unflavored products.

In Vermont, more than 26,000 adults were current vapers in 2023, a 44.1 percent increase from 2016. Over the same period, the adult smoking rate declined by 33.5 percent, from 17 percent to 11.3 percent. Among young adults aged 18 to 24, smoking rates fell from 26.9 percent in 2007, when e-cigarettes entered the U.S. market, to just 5.3 percent in 2023 – an 80.3 percent drop, placing the Green Mountain State near the World Health Organization’s “smokefree” benchmark of 5 percent.

As Vermont continues to pursue lower rates of youth and adult tobacco use, it is essential that policymakers base decisions on the actual reasons youth vape, rather than misconceptions. Restricting flavors would do little to deter youth use, but would risk cutting off adult access to proven, safer alternatives to cigarettes. The state’s own data shows that e-cigarettes, including flavored varieties, are playing a key role in driving historic declines in smoking – offering a major public health opportunity for the Green Mountain State.

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.