Since its arrival on the market, the electronic cigarette has been the subject of debate and raises the question of appropriate regulations in terms of public health policy, in particular as regards its influence on the consumption of conventional cigarettes.
Data from NSDUH (National Survey on Drug Use and Health) show that between 2002-2003 and 2012-2013 recent smoking (declaration of having smoked in the previous month) increased from 13,5% to 6,5% in the 12-17 age group and that of 18- 25 years fell from 42,1% à 32,8%. It was in the middle of this period, in 2007, that the electronic cigarette arrived on the American market, being the subject of an import block until 2010. Then the market took off with a sales volume that quadrupled between 2010 and 2012.
As of March 2010, however, New Jersey banned the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors; as of January 1, 2014, 24 states had adopted this position. The objective of the study published in the Journal of Health Economics was to assess the effect of e-cigarette regulations on smoking among 12 to 17 year olds. The authors used NSDUH data to compare the prevalence of smoking in this population in US states that prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to minors versus those where access is legal.
A seemingly counterproductive repression
The results show that reducing access to electronic cigarettes slows down smoking among young people aged 12 to 17. In states where the sale is free, teenage smoking has fallen by 2,4% every 2 years while the decline is only 1,3% in repressive states. This difference 0,9% represents an increase in 70% of recent smoking among adolescents in repressive states.
This work shows how the ban on e-cigarette sales to minors impacts their smoking rate: the access of American adolescents to electronic cigarettes accelerates the drop in their smoking, while its ban promotes smoking initiation.
Analyzing how the ban on e-cigarette sales to minors influences teenage smoking rates already suggests that there is some belief in the impact of e-cigarettes on tobacco consumption. The results obtained here are supported by a robust statistical regression methodology and weighting on factors influencing smoking. But the study also has several limitations. The first concerns the collection of data from the NSDUH which only covers a period of two years and does not provide information on the use of e-cigarettes. The second is taking into account a " recent smoking Without specifying whether it is an experiment or a regular practice. Finally, the electronic cigarette market is still unstable and evolving and these results do not prejudge the effects when equilibrium is reached. In addition, this study does not measure the rate of electronic cigarette use, and therefore cannot speak of changes in this behavior or its long-term effects.
To date it had not been considered that the ban on the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors could increase their smoking. If, as existing data suggests, electronic cigarettes are less harmful to health than traditional cigarettes, this position could be called into question. The first peaks of regular smoking are at 16 years of age, banning the sale of e-cigarettes to under 16s may be preferable to a ban under 18, in terms of the effect on adolescent smoking.
Dr. Maryvvonne Pierre-Nicolas
Source : Jim.fr
