The decline in youth smoking is one of the great public-health achievements of the 21st century, celebrated by conservatives and liberals alike, yet the White House is now in the process of endangering it. Unless it reverses course, millions of American children will suffer the consequences.

Tobacco-related death and disease do not discriminate by party. Everyone knows someone who has been affected by the ravages of tobacco use, but thanks to smart policies that have dramatically cut smoking rates, those stories have become less common.

Twenty-five years ago, nearly 30% of US high school students smoked cigarettes. By 2024, that number had fallen to 1.7% — an astoundingly large decline. Unfortunately, there’s more to the story.

Hiding in that progress is the rise of e-cigarettes, or vapes. About 8% of high school students use them regularly. Of those who do, 9 in 10 are using flavored e-cigarettes. Most have already tried and failed to quit.

Those statistics are deeply troubling, since the list of potential harms from e-cigarettes is long: lung damage and respiratory illnesses, heart disease, impairment to young people’s brain development, and other health problems, given the toxic mix of chemicals they contain. But the dangers don’t stop there.

Using e-cigarettes makes teens three to four times more likely to smoke traditional cigarettes, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Tobacco industry executives know this, of course,........

© Bloomberg