U.S. health officials said the numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, but the decline in smoking rates by 2021 is probably real and legitimate because teenagers often smoke in public places, one expert told The Associated Press. The study found that 11 percent of high school students and less than 3 percent of high school students said they had recently used e-cigarettes and other vapor-based products. The agency has not yet commented on the major manufacturers that account for most of the market, including Juul and Vuse, but other brands are displacing them as the most popular among teens, according to the government report. According to Dr. Vuse, there has been a sharp decline from last year, and it is hard to imagine that this is not a real decline in consumption among high school and college students. The FDA has also banned most of the flavored e-cigarette cartridges that have made vaping popular among teens. The most popular brand among high school students is the disposable Puff Bar e-cigarette, which comes in flavors such as pink lemonade, strawberry and mango. In the previous year, nearly 20 percent of middle school students and nearly 5 percent of high school students used e-cigarettes, the AP reported. Some teens may also have responded to the epidemic with illnesses and deaths related to the use of vaping liquids containing THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, the AP reported. Prior to the pandemic, the number of young people using vaping was already declining as federal laws raised the minimum age for buying all tobacco and vaping products from 18 to 21, the AP reported. The agency plans to decide which e-cigarette brands and products can remain on the market and which should be removed, the AP reported. Government officials estimate that about 2 million U.S. teens smoke, a number they believe is still too high. As teens go back to school, e-cigarette use could increase again. These disposable tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes are not as strictly regulated as Juul, which is only available in menthol and tobacco flavors. Sources: Associated Press; U. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, press release, Sept. According to the AP, only 6 percent of high school students regularly use Juul.