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Bans of Flavored E-Cigarettes May Have Shifted Some to Traditional Smoking

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Sep 10, 2025.

via HealthDay

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10, 2025 -- Statewide comprehensive flavor bans on flavored electronic cigarettes may have had unintended consequences by encouraging substitution toward traditional smoking in some populations, according to a study published online Sept. 3 in Health Economics.

Henry Saffer, Ph.D., from the National Bureau of Economic Research in New York City, and colleagues examined the effects of statewide comprehensive bans on flavored e-cigarettes on e-cigarette use and potential spillovers into other tobacco use by youth, young adults, and adults. The analysis included four national datasets: the combined high school, state Youth Risk Behavior Survey; the Monitoring the Future survey; the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; and the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.

The researchers found evidence that as a result of the bans, young adults decreased their use of e-cigarettes by about 2 to 3 percentage points, while increasing cigarette use. There was some suggestive evidence of youth increasing cigarette use, though these results were undermined by pre-trend differences between treatment and control units. For adults aged 25 years and older, the bans had no effect on e-cigarette and smoking participation.

"Although the bans aim to curb youth initiation into nicotine use, the findings suggest a troubling substitution effect that could undermine broader tobacco control efforts," Saffer said in a statement.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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