About

CounterBalance educates Vermonters about the impact of tobacco marketing on young people in our state. As tobacco marketing has evolved, so has CounterBalance. Today our focus is on the epidemic of colorful and enticingly-flavored e-cigarettes harming our youth.

Tobacco Industry Targets Vermont Youth

Flavors and colorful packaging make tobacco products look much more appealing to young people. In 2020, 15.2% of middle school students said they currently use e-cigarettes and over 80% of current users are vaping flavored products. With each grade, the rate of use increases.

CounterBalance is working to raise awareness about the dangers of flavored tobacco products.

The tobacco industry uses minty flavors and colorful packaging to make e-cigarettes, little cigars and chew seem more appealing. In fact, 85% of e-cigarette users ages 12-17 use flavored e-cigarettes.

Find out what you can do to take a stand against flavored tobacco.

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What Our Youth Should Know

Teens are nearly 7x more likely to vape nicotine than adults, and types of nicotine used in vaping products can have elevated levels of nicotine and therefore more addicting.

There are high rates of sharing e-cigarettes among friends. Over half of current underage electronic vapor product users borrowed their device from someone else.

85% of e-cigarette users ages 12-17 use flavored e-cigarettes in Vermont. Among youth who had vaped in the last 30 days, 31% used every day (YRBS 2019)

Mint and Menthol Flavored Bait

More than half of underage tobacco users in the United States use menthol cigarettes. Among e-cigarette users mint is the second most commonly used flavor, after fruit.

The more often your children are exposed to flavored tobacco products and advertising, the more likely they are to start using tobacco. It’s time to end tobacco’s influence on Vermont’s youth.

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Connect with your community partner to learn how you can help address tobacco promotion in your area.