Colorado no longer top in the U.S. for youth e-cigarette use.
Once top in the nation for youth e-cigarette use, Colorado’s usage rate has sharply dropped after community response. Public health advocates urged vigilance, because consumption trends can change, often in surprising ways, and a number of trouble spots remain.
Colorado no longer top in the U.S. for youth e-cigarette use
Colorado no longer has the distinction of being the top in the U.S. for youth e-cigarette use. After a concerted, multi-faceted community response, the state’s rates have dropped sharply. The change echoes national trends.
Colorado was double the national rate in youth vaping
In 2017, Colorado led the nation in youth vaping, topping 37 states surveyed for the use of electronic cigarettes among high school students, according to numbers from a study by the CDC. It was double the national rate. Twenty-seven percent of Colorado high school students reported current use, using an electronic cigarette in the past 30 days.
Vaping in Colorado led to thousands of hospitalizations
In 2019, before the pandemic, the risks of vaping became headline news. Cases of vaping-associated lung injuries, led to thousands of hospitalizations, spanning every state, and dozens of deaths. It also raised awareness about potential health risks and caught the attention of both teens and schools.
Colorado was an early site for marketing of e-cigarette products
Colorado was an early site for marketing of e-cigarette products, said Ashley Brooks-Russell, an associate professor at the Colorado School of Public Health who leads the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. That’s an anonymous and voluntary survey conducted every other year, with more than 100,000 participants. That may have driven Colorado’s numbers up earlier than elsewhere.
