美嚴管電子煙 仍難阻青少年接觸成癮

High school students resumed taking the annual National Youth Tobacco Survey in school this year and 14% of them reported using e-cigarettes, underscoring how an upstart industry is dodging regulators’ efforts to spare a generation from nicotine addiction.

在學高中生今年恢復參加一年一度的「全國青少年吸菸行為調查」，其中14%表示曾使用電子煙，這凸顯一個新興的產業，正規避監管機構讓一代人遠離尼古丁上癮的努力。

The number shows a slight change from 11% last year, but researchers cautioned against drawing comparisons to 2021’s survey, which was conducted differently because it took place when many schools were closed during the pandemic. The latest results were released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday.

這一數字相較去年的11%略有變化，但研究人員警告勿跟2021年調查比較，那次調查以不同方式進行，因為許多學校在疫情期間關閉。美國疾病防治中心在上周四發表這項最新研究結果。

Although the age-old force of peer pressure may still be encouraging use, the percentage of high school students who reported vaping in the past 30 days was still far lower than record-high levels reached in 2019 of nearly 28%.

儘管存在已久的同儕壓力可能仍鼓勵使用電子煙，但過去30天曾吸電子煙的高中生比率，仍遠低於2019年創下的近28%歷史最高水準。

Overall, the survey found that 2.5 million middle and high school students, or about 9%, used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. That puts their overall rate of use several times higher than that of adults, which is estimated at about 3%.

整體而言，調查發現250萬初中生與高中生過去30天曾使用電子煙，約占9%。這讓他們的總體使用率比成人高出數倍。成人使用率估計約為3%。

The survey, which was conducted from January through May of this year, showed that 85% of adolescent e-cigarette users favored vapes in fruit, dessert and candy flavors. Some mentioned PuffBar, Vuse and Juul as their favorite brand among those on the survey’s list.

這項從今年1月到5月進行的調查顯示，85%青少年電子煙使用者喜歡水果、甜點與糖果口味。一些人在調查清單中提到，PuffBar、Vuse和Juul是他們最喜歡的品牌。

But many said their favored e-cigarette brand was not one of the 13 listed. That finding highlights how nimble the industry has been in stamping an array of brand names on vapes with flavors like strawberry ice cream and fresh vanilla that are largely made in China and shipped from warehouses to corner stores and into e-commerce.

但許多人表示，他們最喜歡的品牌不在名單中列出的13個裡面。這一發現凸顯該行業的靈活程度，在草莓冰淇淋和新鮮香草等口味電子煙上，印上一系列品牌名稱。這些電子煙主要在中國製造，從倉庫運往街角的商店，然後進軍電子商務。

One stark finding was that 1 in 4 of the high school students who were e-cigarette users reported vaping every day. Groups opposed to e-cigarettes and tobacco products were particularly troubled by one other result that reflected the highest frequency-of-use to date: Nearly half of the high school students who were vaping said they were doing so 20 to 30 days a month.

一項令人震驚的發現是，使用電子煙的高中生中，有四分之一天天吸。反對電子煙和菸草產品的組織，對另一個反映迄今最高使用頻率的結果感到特別困擾：近半抽電子煙的高中生表示，他們每個月有20到30天會抽。

“That’s a real signal of addiction and setting up young people for a lifetime of addiction which they don’t want, they didn’t choose and they don’t like,” said Robin Koval, president of the Truth Initiative, a nonprofit organization aimed at eliminating youth tobacco use.

旨在消除青少年菸草使用的非營利組織「真相計畫」會長科瓦說：「這是個真正的成癮訊號，誘騙年輕人終身沉迷於他們不想要、沒有選擇且不喜歡的東西。」

The full results of the survey, which will include levels of other tobacco product use, is expected out later this year.

這項調查的完整結果預計將在今年稍晚公布，將包括其他菸草產品的使用水準。

普亭核威脅在美引發愈來愈大的恐慌

For the first time since the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962, top government leaders in Moscow are making explicit nuclear threats and officials in Washington are gaming out scenarios should President Vladimir Putin decide to use a tactical nuclear weapon to make up for the failings of Russian troops in Ukraine.

自1962年10月古巴飛彈危機以來，莫斯科政府的最高領導人首次明確發出核威脅，華府官員正盤算，俄國總統普亭若決定使用戰術核武彌補俄軍在烏克蘭的失敗，會發生什麼情況。

In a speech Friday, Putin raised the prospect anew, calling the United States and NATO enemies seeking Russia’s collapse and declaring again that he would use “all available means” to defend Russian territory — which he has now declared includes four provinces of eastern Ukraine.

普亭在周五的一場演說中再次提出這種可能性，稱美國和北約組織是企圖讓俄羅斯崩潰的敵人，並再次宣布他將使用「一切可能手段」保衛俄羅斯領土。他現在已經宣布，俄羅斯領土包括烏克蘭東部四個省。

Putin reminded the world of President Harry S. Truman’s decision to drop atomic weapons on Japan 77 years ago, adding, “By the way, they created a precedent.”

普亭讓世界想起美國總統杜魯門77年前向日本投原子彈的決定，並稱「順帶一提，他們開創了一個先例」。

Senior U.S. officials say they think the chances that Putin would employ a nuclear weapon remain low. They say they have seen no evidence that he is moving any of his nuclear assets, and a recent Pentagon analysis suggests the military benefits would be few. And the cost for Putin — in a furious international response — could be tremendous.

美國高官說，他們認為普亭使用核武的可能性仍低。他們說，他們沒有看到他正啟動任何核武器的證據，且五角大廈最近一項分析顯示，這麼做軍事利益很低，而國際的激烈反應會讓普亭面臨巨大代價。

But they are far more worried about the possibility now than they were at the beginning of the Ukraine conflict in February. After a series of humiliating retreats, astoundingly high casualty rates and a deeply unpopular move to draft young Russian men into service, Putin clearly sees the threat of his nuclear arsenal as a way to instill fear, and perhaps to recover some respect for Russia’s power.

不過，跟今年2月烏克蘭衝突爆發之初相比，他們現在更擔心這種可能性。在經歷一系列屈辱的撤退、驚人的高傷亡率及徵召年輕俄羅斯男子的極不受歡迎舉措之後，普亭明顯將其核武威脅視為一種灌輸恐懼的方式，且或許還能挽回一些對俄羅斯國力的尊重。

Most important, he may see the threat of unleashing part of his stockpile of so-called tactical nuclear weapons as a way to extort concessions that he has been unable to win on the battlefield.

最重要的是，他可能會將動用部分所謂戰術核武儲備這項威脅，用來勒索他在戰場上無法贏得的讓步。

Last weekend, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said any nuclear weapon use would result in “catastrophic consequences” for Russia, adding that in private communications with Moscow, the United States had “spelled out” how America and the world would react.

上周末，拜登總統的國家安全顧問蘇利文表示，使用任何核武器，都會給俄羅斯帶來「災難性後果」，並稱美國與莫斯科私下溝通時，已「闡明」美國跟世界將如何應對。

In background conversations, a range of officials suggested that if Russia detonated a tactical nuclear weapon on Ukrainian soil, the options included unplugging Russia from the world economy or some kind of military response — although one that would most likely be delivered by the Ukrainians with Western-provided, conventional weapons.

多名官員在背景談話中表示，若俄國在烏克蘭領土引爆戰術核武，回應選項包括讓俄羅斯與世界經濟脫鉤，或採取某種軍事回應，儘管烏克蘭人最有可能以西方提供的常規武器來反應。