WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/
-- truth®, the proven-effective and
nationally recognized youth smoking, vaping and nicotine prevention
campaign from Truth Initiative, revealed its latest youth
e-cigarette education effort "It's Messing with Our Heads,"
exposing nicotine's role as a contributor to the worsening youth
mental health crisis and the tobacco industry's on-going attempts
to distort public perception about the health effects of vaping
products. As part of the campaign, truth created a fake vape
company called Depression Stick! to raise awareness of the fact
that nicotine can worsen symptoms of anxiety and depression and
underscore the mental health impact of real e-cigarette products
like JUUL, Vuse, blu, Logic and NJOY, the leading e-cigarette
brands popular among youth.
Boasting fruity flavors like Citrus Sadness and Disappoint-mint,
Depression Stick! launched with national ads—including "Why Be
Happy When You Can be Sad?" and vapes that "Feel Like Anxiety," but
"Taste Like Cereal" driving viewers to its website:
Depressionstick.com. The Depression Stick! campaign follows the
playbook of its e-cigarette competitors complete with kid-friendly
flavors, aiming to reach and engage young people through influencer
unboxings, TikTok takeovers, pop up shops, and bold neon
advertising airing nationwide, including on a Times Square
billboard. While some nicotine vaping products use similar tactics,
Depression Stick! is "proud to be the first e-cigarette company to
honestly admit vaping nicotine can amplify feelings of depression
and anxiety." truth revealed it was behind Depression Stick!
during Sunday Night Football on September
19th with hidden-camera style advertisements
following Craig, VP of Marketing at Depression Stick, as he tries
to "sell depression" at gas stations, to unsuspecting social media
influencers, lobbyists, and advertising executives. His aim:
convince them to help promote this new vape product by telling the
truth and capitalizing on sadness. Everyone who was approached
refused to work with Depression Stick! which is the point of the
campaign.
A recently published study in the Journal of the American
Medical Association (JAMA) shows that youth depression and anxiety
doubled during the pandemic, compared to pre-pandemic estimates.
Meanwhile, youth vaping remains at epidemic levels with nearly 20%
of high schoolers vaping, with nearly 40% of those who vape, doing
so on a regular basis. Yet, the very thing many young people are
turning to for relief may actually make it worse. "It was time for
the tobacco industry to be exposed as a major contributor to the
mental health crisis to help end youth vaping," said Robin Koval, CEO and President of Truth
Initiative. "In edgy truth fashion, Depression Stick! boldly
highlights the marketing tactics Big Tobacco uses to lure young
customers into life-long addiction and mess with their heads. The
multi-platform campaign places the necessary spotlight on
nicotine's role in potentially heightening symptoms of depression
and anxiety to give young people the facts they deserve to make
informed decisions to live their best and healthiest lives."
"Vaping has become so normalized in pop culture and many young
people don't even see it as an issue," explained Mo Said, founder and Chief Creative Officer of
Mojo Supermarket, the independent agency that created the effort.
"With everything happening in the world young people's number one
concern is their mental health. We believe that if we could show
the connection between vaping nicotine and anxiety and depression,
they'd never look at a vape the same way again."
FDA Regulation Delay, E-cigarette Sales Data, Science on
Nicotine
Depression Stick! comes on the heels of the FDA postponing a
court-mandated decision on e-cigarette category leaders'
applications such as JUUL and other top brands that make up a
combined 75% of the market, instead leaving these popular products
widely available and delaying regulations to help smokers quit by
ensuring that these products are proven to be safe and do what they
promise. "The tobacco industry is growing their business and
profits on the backs of young people, putting millions at risk for
a lifetime of nicotine addiction and mental health issues," added
Koval.
Data show that national e-cigarette sales have risen to
record highs this summer and may rise further still as students
return to school. According to a new Truth Initiative survey, 70%
of young people reported that they anticipate seeing their peers
vape the same or more when they return to school. In addition, the
survey found:
- 81% of respondents who had ever vaped reported they started
vaping to decrease anxiety, depression, or stress.
- 93% of vapers reporting that vaping negatively affected their
lives because it made them feel more stressed, depressed, or
anxious.
The science is well established that nicotine harms developing
brains—disrupting the formation of brain circuits that control
attention, learning, and susceptibility to addiction—but nicotine
can also negatively impact mental health. The campaign draws
attention to two these two colliding crises among youth—a mental
health crisis and a vaping epidemic—which peer-reviewed studies
indicate are interconnected as detailed in a recently published
Truth Initiative white paper on the topic titled "Colliding
Crises: Youth Mental Health and Nicotine Use."
This is Quitting + Mental Health Resources
Quitting nicotine leads to positive mental health outcomes and
through This is Quitting, a first-of-its-kind text message quit
vaping program, truth has helped more than 370,000 young
people on their journey to quit vaping. A recent clinical trial
shows This Is Quitting increased e-cigarette quit vaping rates
among young adults aged 18-24 by nearly 40% compared to a control
group. truth also offers a free, comprehensive digital
program curriculum, Vaping: Know the truth, that gives students the
facts about the health dangers of e-cigarettes and the help they
need to quit.
"Youth are experiencing a mental health crisis right now, and
we're glad that Truth Initiative is raising awareness around the
fact that vaping can intensify anxiety and depression," said
Schroeder Stribling, President and
CEO at Mental Health America. "Young people should consider this
information when they make choices about using vape products. We're
committed to providing that information and we stand alongside
Truth Initiative as a resource."
At a time when the growing mental health crisis intersects with
the ongoing youth vaping epidemic, young people – especially those
who vape – need to know that nicotine use is associated with
depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders and know
where to turn for help.
"Equitable access to comprehensive, high-quality services and
programs is key in supporting young people's mental health and
wellbeing," said Chuck Ingoglia,
President and CEO at National Council of Mental Wellbeing. "We
commend the work Truth Initiative is doing to bring attention to
the fact that nicotine can amplify feelings of anxiety and
depression in youth—and offer resources for young people who vape
like This Is Quitting."
Young people struggling with mental health or who want to quit
vaping can access free resources at thetruth.com. More information
about the campaign and the connection between vaping nicotine and
mental health is available at: thetruth.com and
TruthInitiative.org.
About Truth Initiative®
Truth Initiative
is a national public health organization that is inspiring lives
free from smoking, vaping and nicotine and building a culture where
all young people reject tobacco. In 2020, we celebrated 20 years of
saving lives and preventing millions of youth from smoking. Our
impact has helped drive the teen smoking rate down from 23% in 2000
to 4.2% in 2020. The truth about tobacco and the tobacco industry
are at the heart of our proven-effective and nationally recognized
truth® public education campaign.
truth has also recently taken on the youth epidemics of
vaping and opioids. Our rigorous scientific research and policy
studies, community and youth engagement programs supporting
populations at high risk of using tobacco and innovation in tobacco
dependence treatment, are also helping to end one of the most
critical public health battles of our time. Based in Washington D.C., our organization, formerly
known as the American Legacy Foundation, was established and funded
through the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between attorneys
general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco
industry. To learn more, visit truthinitiative.org.
About truth®
truth is the longest-running and most successful national
tobacco prevention campaign for youth and young adults. The
campaign delivers the facts about tobacco use and the marketing
tactics of the tobacco industry so that young people can make
informed choices and influence others to do the same. We are
credited with preventing millions of young people from becoming
smokers and are equally committed to achieving the same results in
ending the youth e-cigarette epidemic, including by helping young
people quit with our first-of-its-kind quit vaping program for
teens and young adults This is Quitting. truth is part of
Truth Initiative®, a national public health
organization dedicated to achieving a culture where young people
reject smoking, vaping, and nicotine. Learn more about truth
and the organization behind it at thetruth.com and
truthinitiative.org.
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SOURCE Truth Initiative