According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Thursday, e-cigarette sales in the United States surged 46.6% — 15.5 million to 22.7 million units — from January 2020 to December 2022.

While sales of tobacco and mint-flavored e-cigarettes fell, the purchase of fruit- and candy-flavored e-cigarettes increased dramatically — especially to youths — the report revealed.

“The dramatic spikes in youth e-cigarette use … showed us how quickly e-cigarette sales and use patterns can change,” said Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, director of CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. “Retail sales data are key to providing real-time information on the rapidly changing e-cigarette landscape, which is essential to reducing youth tobacco use.”

In 2022, the National Youth Tobacco Survey, noted that more than 2.5 million middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes, which contain a high concentration of nicotine.

In West Virginia, a 2019 CDC study revealed that 35.7% of high school students admitted to using vaping products.

“The tobacco industry is well aware that flavors appeal to and attract kids, and that young people are uniquely vulnerable to nicotine addiction,” Robin Koval, CEO and president of the Truth Initiative, said in a news release.

“While we are encouraged by FDA’s recent actions to curb unlawful marketing of flavored e-cigarettes, we all must work with even greater urgency to protect our nation’s youth from all flavored e-cigarettes, including disposables.”

While some light regulations are in place in the Mountain State, more must be done to curb use among our state’s most vulnerable and valuable demographic. The long-term health impact of e-cigarettes are uncertain, but scientists agree there are negative implications.

Additional and strong restrictions should be placed on the sales of these devices — especially flavored e-cigarettes. Despite the existence of long-term evidence, continued use could have catastrophic consequences.

“These strategies, when coupled with longstanding evidence-based strategies to prevent youth tobacco use such as price increases, comprehensive smoke-free policies … and counter-marketing campaigns, are expected to reduce youth initiation and use as well as reduce disparities in tobacco product use,” the study said.