Flavored Nicotine Gummies Rise in Popularity Among Youth, Sparking FDA Warning

Strategic Insights -

Alarming numbers of young people are turning to flavored, nontobacco oral nicotine products, including gummies, gums, and lozenges, as a new nicotine craze sweeps the United States. According to a study led by School of Public Health alum Alyssa Harlow, these products are the second most popular nicotine product among high school students in Southern California, behind only e-cigarettes.

Key Takeaways:

  • An estimated 2 million middle and high school students have reported using e-cigarettes last year, despite a ban on flavored vapes in 2020.
  • Flavored, nontobacco oral nicotine products, including gummies, gums, and lozenges, have risen in popularity among youth, with 4% of high school students in a Southern California sample reporting use of these products.
  • Hispanic youth, female youth, and LGBTQIA youth are more likely to have used flavored oral nicotine products.
  • The FDA recently issued a warning letter to Krave Nic, manufacturers of flavored gummies, citing high nicotine content and resemblance to candy.
  • The study found that use of flavored oral nicotine products was more common among students who had used other nicotine products.
  • National surveillance on use of oral nicotine products is needed to better understand public health implications.
  • Regulations on flavored oral nicotine products, including consideration of which flavors should be allowed, could be a key step in protecting young people.
  • The FDA's pending Juul ban could influence the use of other tobacco products, but the impact is uncertain.
  • Research on the health impacts of e-cigarettes is ongoing, and the issue is complex due to competing truths about the risks and benefits of e-cigarette use.

Statistics:

  • 2 million middle and high school students have reported using e-cigarettes last year.
  • 4% of high school students in a Southern California sample reported use of flavored oral nicotine products.
  • 1 out of 5 high school students in the sample reported use of e-cigarettes.
  • 3,516 high school students participated in the study on flavored oral nicotine products.
  • Hispanic youth were 3.6 times more likely to have used flavored oral nicotine products.
  • Female youth were 1.7 times more likely to have used flavored oral nicotine products.
  • LGBTQIA youth were 1.8 times more likely to have used flavored oral nicotine products.

Sources:

  • Pierce, J. P., & Glanz, K. (2000). Recommendations for controlling tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke at the state and local levels. Annual Review of Public Health, 21, 173-205.
  • UCLA's Health Systems and Policy Analysis Center, (2020). Electronic Cigarette Use Among Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States: A Review of the Literature.
  • Harlow, A. (2022). Use of flavored oral nicotine products among adolescents in Southern California. Pediatrics, 149(3), e2021050854.