Tobacco use among middle school and high school students declines to 10.1%

The FDA and CDC report has good news. According to the data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, tobacco use among middle school and high school students has declined. The numbers show a drop from 12.6 percent to 10.1 percent. This is huge for students and parents because fewer youth picking up cigarettes means fewer tobacco-related illnesses and deaths in the future. The American Lung Association (ALA) highlights how significant this update is. This news is one victory in a decades-long problem.“The American Lung Association is pleased that youth tobacco use is the lowest it has been in the last 25 years. This is a result of decades of work from the Lung Association and our public health partners to educate the public, including parents and students, about the harms of tobacco and successfully advocate for proven policies to reduce youth tobacco use,” said Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of the American Lung Association.The National Youth Tobacco Survey results were released on October 17 in the FDA and the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. About 30,000 kids nationwide participated in the survey between January and May 2024. What led to the numbers dropping was policy on the federal level,...