LGBTQ+ people are much more likely to vape. Here's why

LGBTQ+ people are stressed out and being taken advantage of by the tobacco industry, leading to significantly higher rates of smoking and vaping, according to a new report from the surgeon general.

The 837-page report on tobacco use in America found that lesbian, gay, and bisexual Americans are much more likely to try tobacco products than their straight and cisgender peers due to several environmental factors. Data on other identities was "limited because of the lack of sexual orientation and gender identity inclusion in some federal, state, and local surveillance systems."

Around 37.8 percent of LGB adults have tried electronic cigarettes other other vaping devices, the report found, including nearly half of bisexual adults, 31.8 percent of gay men, and 26.7 percent of lesbians, compared to just 16.5 percent of heterosexual adults.

LGB adults were also more likely to smoke cigarettes, as 16.3 percent reported being current cigarette smokers in comparison to 12.5 percent of heterosexual adults. This trend has also impacted youth, as 10.4 percent of LGB teenagers said they are current cigarette smokers, nearly twice the number of heterosexual teenagers who said the same at 5.3 percent.

The report identified several factors that contribute to the high rates, including how the tobacco industry "has targeted these groups in its marketing" by launching "a variety of campaigns to promote tobacco products to disparate groups." People of color — primarily Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous Americans — and those in low-income and rural areas have also been disproportionately affected.

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"The tobacco industry has targeted the LGBTQI+ community in multiple ways," the report explains. "The industry has not only advertised in magazines that market to this group, but has also positioned itself indirectly as a supporter of this community by touting the industry’s donations to organizations focused on addressing HIV/AIDS and its support for LGBTQI+ pride."

Another factor is the "minority stress theory," in which members of marginalized groups experience extra stressors from discrimination and prejudice, causing adverse effects on their health and leading many to turn to substances to cope. The report noted that LGB adults who "experienced high levels of past-year discrimination based on sexual orientation had a statistically significantly greater probability of past-year cigarette smoking, any tobacco/nicotine use."

“While there is much to celebrate, the progress has not been equal across all populations or communities. Progress, in the form of improvements in tobacco-related policies, regulations, programs, research, clinical care, and other areas, has not resulted in the same outcomes for everyone,” Rachel L. Levine, HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, said in a statement. “We have not made progress unless we have all made progress.”