Comprehensive E-Cigarette Flavor Bans and Tobacco Use Among Youth and Adults

35 Pages Posted: 12 Jun 2024

See all articles by Henry Saffer

Henry Saffer

National Bureau of Economic Research

Selen Ozdogan

CUNY - The Graduate Center

Michael Grossman

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), NY Office; CUNY The Graduate Center - Department of Economics

Daniel Dench

Georgia Institute of Technology

Dhaval Dave

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) - NY Office; Bentley University - Department of Economics

Date Written: June 2024

Abstract

The vast majority of youth e-cigarette users consume flavored e-cigarettes, raising concerns from public health advocates that flavors may drive youth initiation into and continued use of e-cigarettes. Flavors drew further notice from the public health community following the sudden outbreak of lung injury among vapers in 2019, prompting several states to enact sweeping bans on flavored e-cigarettes. In this study, we examine the effects of these comprehensive bans on e-cigarette use and potential spillovers into other tobacco use by youth, young adults, and adults. We utilize both standard difference-in-differences (DID) and synthetic DID methods, in conjunction with four national data sets. We find evidence that young adults decrease their use of the banned flavored e-cigarettes as well as their overall e-cigarette use, by about two percentage points, while increasing cigarette use. For youth, there is some suggestive evidence of increasing cigarette use, though these results are contaminated by pre-trend differences between treatment and control units. The bans have no effect on e-cigarette and smoking participation among older adults (ages 25+). Our findings suggest that statewide comprehensive flavor bans may have generated an unintended consequence by encouraging substitution towards traditional smoking in some populations.

Note:
e Funding Information: National Institute of Drug Abuse (5 R01 DA055976).

Declaration of Interests: There are no pending patents, or royalties associated with this project. There were no relationships with parties which might act as an advocacy or lobbying organization, or an advisory position in a commercial organization

Suggested Citation

Saffer, Henry and Ozdogan, Selen and Grossman, Michael and Dench, Daniel and Dave, Dhaval and Dave, Dhaval, Comprehensive E-Cigarette Flavor Bans and Tobacco Use Among Youth and Adults (June 2024). NBER Working Paper No. w32534, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4859386

Henry Saffer (Contact Author)

National Bureau of Economic Research ( email )

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Selen Ozdogan

CUNY - The Graduate Center ( email )

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Michael Grossman

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), NY Office ( email )

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Daniel Dench

Georgia Institute of Technology ( email )

Atlanta, GA 30332
United States

Dhaval Dave

Bentley University - Department of Economics ( email )

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United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) - NY Office

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