20% of Ohio high schoolers vape, double the national average, study shows

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The percentage of high school students who vape in Ohio is double the national average, recently published data shows. 

The nonprofit Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids analyzed state surveys conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2023, finding the percentage of high school students who reported using e-cigarettes within the past month per state. 

The study found 20% of high school students reported using e-cigarettes in Ohio, compared to the national average of 10%. Additionally, 3.3% of high school students in the state used cigarettes, while the national average is 1.9%, according to the nonprofit. 

“Alarmingly, e-cigarette marketing uses many of the same strategies effectively used by the tobacco industry to reach kids,” the organization’s website states. “The tobacco industry’s flavored products that taste like fruit, mint and candy have long been known to be appealing to kids, and now e-cigarettes are available in these flavors.”

Multiple studies have found that young people who vape are more likely to become cigarette smokers, according to the nonprofit. In Ohio, about 22,700 minors try a cigarette for the first time yearly. Nationwide, about 480,000 people die from cigarette smoking annually and tobacco-related issues account for $241.4 billion in health care costs every year, the study said. 

The analysis also stated the tobacco industry spends an estimated $409.6 million on marketing in Ohio annually and $8.6 billion nationwide. When it comes to cigarette use, 20,200 adults die yearly in the state from smoking-related issues and annual health care costs amount to $6.56 billion, according to the study. 

The state with the highest percentage of high schoolers who used e-cigarettes was Wyoming at 29.6%, and the state with the lowest percentage was California at 5.9%.