• Posted October 3, 2025

Flavored Weed Vapes Becoming New Face Of Teen Drug Use

Flavored weed vapes are now American teens’ favorite way to get high, a new study says.

Vaping marijuana has become increasingly popular among weed users, and flavored cannabis vapes are their preferred product, according to research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

“These products are gaining traction among youth; in fact, since the pandemic onset in 2020 youth appear to be turning toward these products while reducing their use of all other drugs," lead researcher Richard Miech said in a news release. He’s principal investigator of the Monitoring the Future project at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research.

The study leaned on data from that project, an annual national survey of American eighth-, 10th-and 12th- graders. All told, more than 54,000 high schoolers were surveyed between 2021 and 2024.

Results show that teenage weed users have started preferring vaped cannabis to other forms like smoking or edibles. From 2021 to 2024, vaping cannabis increased:

• 48% to 57% among eighth-graders who use weed

• 60% to 66% among 10th-graders

• 58% to 67% among 12th-graders

And among those who vape weed, flavored vapes have become increasingly popular, with their use rising from:

• 47% to 63% among eighth-graders

• 41% to 53% among 10th-graders

• 36% to 50% among 12th-graders

"Flavored vaping solutions offer a discreet mode of cannabis use, with flavors apparently enhancing their appeal," Miech said. "The study results suggest that a growing proportion of youth find the newly available flavors— especially fruit flavors — more attractive than the standard cannabis taste."

He pointed to other reasons for the surge.

"Vaping does not produce the distinctive odor that comes from smoking cannabis, and vaping devices can be quickly concealed if an authority figure appears unexpectedly,” Miech said.

His concern is that flavored weed vapes will open the doorway to more use among teenagers, with potentially bad consequences down the road.

"Should cannabis use become more popular among youth in future years, then a greater number will end up with an addiction that can impair their social and academic life,” Miech said. “Many people may not realize that more adolescents meet the criteria for cannabis use disorder than for alcohol use disorder, with 5% affected by cannabis compared to 3% for alcohol."

However, the researchers said restricting flavored weed products would not necessarily reduce teen marijuana use. Teenagers could easily shift to unflavored vape options or return to smoking cannabis.

"An alternative approach to restricting supply of cannabis flavors is to restrict demand," Miech said. "That is, to reduce teens' interest and willingness to use cannabis, including flavored vaping solutions. A demand reduction approach has been very effective for cigarettes."

He pointed to U.S. cigarette policies as an example. The number of 12th-graders who smoke cigarettes dropped to 3% in 2024 from 35% in 1998, due in part to media campaigns and public education focused on youth.

"In my view, the cannabis industry should be deeply concerned about any rise in youth cannabis use," Miech said. "In today's polarized political climate, there are few issues with bipartisan appeal, but portraying the cannabis industry as a threat to children could well be one of them."

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on cannabis and teens.

SOURCE: University of Michigan, news release, Sept. 25, 2025