Not All Flavored Disposable Vape Tied to Youth Use, Study Finds
Data shows use of top-selling BIDI® Sticks virtually nonexistent among 13-to-20-year-olds
MELBOURNE, Fla., July 19, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Independent research undertaken by one of the world's leading behavioral science research centers finds that underage use of the BIDI® Stick line of disposable electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) is extremely low. And while youth vaping is rightfully a concern among health officials and the public at large, the center's newly published study of 13-to-20-year-olds revealed that the BIDI® Stick range of disposable ENDS is not implicated in the recent growth in the use of disposable e-cigarettes by U.S. youth.
The research study, funded by the Glasgow, Scotland-based Centre for Substance Use Research (CSUR), was administered in the United States to 1,215 youth aged 13 to 17 years and 1,125 young adults aged 18 to 20 years in June 2022. Published on July 5, 2023, in the Harm Reduction Journal, the peer-reviewed study found that less than 1% of 13-to-17-year-olds had ever tried a BIDI® Stick. Amongst those aged 18 to 20 years, 3.9% had ever tried a BIDI® Stick ENDS but only 0.6% reported currently using one. Researchers based their study on a probability-based sample of U.S. youth and young adults, enabling the findings of this Institutional Review Board or IRB-reviewed research to be applied to the wider youth and underage young adult population in the United States.
"These findings corroborate our efforts and commitment to discouraging youth vaping, and specifically our efforts at eliminating access and appeal," said Niraj Patel, founder and CEO of Bidi Vapor, LLC, Melbourne, Fla. "While we are one of the top-selling disposable manufacturers in the U.S., according to Nielsen data, the percent of minors and young adults using our products is virtually zero."
One of Bidi Vapor's major decisions regarding youth was to not sell its products online, direct to consumers. Officials believe online "stores" are the single most popular method minors use to gain access to vape devices. Other Bidi Vapor prevention strategies include nondescript flavor names, neutral packaging, a formulation appealing to adult smokers, limited use of social media, contractual commitments from retailers for strong age-verification practices and in-store audits to check for compliance.
Currently, all of Bidi Vapor's 11 flavored BIDI® Stick ENDS devices are in scientific review with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). While the company did receive marketing denial orders (MDOs) for its non-tobacco flavored product applications in September 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit set aside the MDOs in August 2022 for being arbitrary and capricious, in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. As a result, Bidi Vapor can still market and sell its products during the application review period, subject to FDA enforcement discretion.
Bidi Vapor officials are committed to independent research on the use of their products.
Visit www.bidivapor.com.
Source: Bidi Vapor, LLC
