A new study conducted by the CDC Foundation and Truth Initiative shows that between February 2020 and June 2024, while the number of e-cigarette units sold each month rose by 34.7%, the total monthly nicotine content sold increased by 249.2%.
“Measurements that take into account both e-liquid volume and nicotine concentration paint a more realistic picture of the size and strength of e-cigarettes being sold in stores today,” said Fatma Romeh M. Ali, PhD, health economist and consultant with the CDC Foundation. “Measuring e-cigarette sales in milligrams of nicotine, rather than just counting products, is critical to understanding the public health impact.”
Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the study says the increase is largely driven by disposable devices. The authors reason that because nicotine can be purchased cheaper, it is now more likely to end up with young users, and because there is more nicotine present, those users are likely to become addicted.
“A disposable e-cigarette today contains significantly more nicotine than it did just a few years ago, posing greater addiction risks—especially for young users,” said Megan Diaz, PhD, research director at Truth Initiative. “These findings raise serious concerns about youth access and affordability because disposables are not only the most popular e-cigarette product among youth, but they’re also the cheapest way to obtain large amounts of nicotine and they come in appealing flavors.”
