Home Politics America Minnesota’s Youth Smoking and Vaping Rates Have Declined Drastically

Minnesota’s Youth Smoking and Vaping Rates Have Declined Drastically

The Minnesota Student Survey, conducted by the Minnesota Department of Education, in 2022, reported promising declines in smoking and vaping rates.

Diane Caruana

January 9, 2023

In 2018, 15.1% of Minnesotans reported smoking, and by 2020 this number had dropped to 13.8%.

Only 6% of 8th graders, 7% of 9th graders, and 14% of 11th graders reported past-month use of e-cigarettes, reported the survey. These equated to a 45.5%, 56.3%, and 46.2% decrease respectively, between 2019 and 2022.

“Further, during the same period, daily e-cigarette use declined by 50% and 42.3% among 9th and 11th graders, respectively. Among 8th graders, there was no change with 1% reporting daily use in both 2019 and 2022,” highlighted IWF.

In 2018, 15.1% of Minnesotans reported smoking, and by 2020 this number had dropped to 13.8%. These figures, added the local Department of Health, reflect the national one which has dropped from 21.2% in 2011 to 15.5% in 2020. While adult vaping rates remain relatively unchanged with 4.9% of Minnesotan adults reporting vaping in 2020, and 5% in 2018.

Gateway Theory quashed once again

These figures clearly indicate that the often referred to “Gateway Theory” the hypothesis that e-cigarettes act as a gateway to smoking and therefore leading to increased smoking rates, is unfounded.

Similarly, a study titled, “Smoking Intention and Progression From E-Cigarette Use to Cigarette Smoking,” by the scientific journal Addiction has once again confirmed that the increase in vaping rates in England among young adults between 2007 and 2018, did not correlate with increased smoking rates.