Report Shows E-Cigarette Use Increase

A report from the state of Montana noted that American Indians throughout the state are disproportionately affected by the harms of commercial tobacco addiction.

The progress report by the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program, shared by the Roosevelt County Health Department with this newspaper, notes that heart disease and cancer are the two leading causes of death for American Indians aged 45 years and older.

“Both are directly related to commercial tobacco use, more than a third of American Indian adults in Montana currently smoke cigarettes,” said the report.

Positive news is that current cigarette use among American Indian youth has decreased significantly from 41 percent in 2011 to 14 percent in 2023. More than 500 American Indian adults have participated in the American Indian Commercial Tobacco Quit Line since it started in 2015.

The percent of American Indian women in the state who smoke during pregnancy is consistently twice as high as white women. The amount, however, has decreased from 29 percent in 2017 to 20 percent in 2022.

Montana was the first state to offer a combined program that connects American Indian pregnant women with a dedicated female American Indian coach who respects traditional tobacco and cultural values while quitting commercial tobacco.

The popularity of e-cigarettes is disturbing as the report reads that almost half of Montana students had tried e-cigarettes and one in four students currently used e-cigarettes.

The report noted, “The number of Montana high school students who report they are ‘current cigarette smokers’ has declined by more than 50 percent in the last 10 years. However, e-cigarettes entered the U.S. marketplace around 2007, and since 2015, have been the most commonly used tobacco products among youth in Montana.”

A total of 40 percent of American Indian youth are reported users of e-cigarettes.

Information is that teens who use e-cigarettes are four times more likely to start smoking in the future. The amount of nicotine in some disposable e-cigarettes is now comparable to several cartons of cigarettes.

The report also notes that when e-cigarettes first became a mainstream tobacco product, teens were the top users.

“As those teens have become young adults, e-cigarettes use among 18 to 24 year olds has also increased. Compared to adults aged 25 and older, the prevalence of e-cigarette use among young adults is now five times higher,” said the report The Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program reports that its programs has saved Montanans $511 million spent annually on health care costs and $87.2 million in Medicaid costs directly caused by smoking.