Adolescents of the twenty-first century have still another method to get their revolt resolve — and yes, it involves electronics. The employment of e-cigarettes among kids more than doubled between 2011 and 2012, according to newly released federal data.
“”The use of e-cigarettes by teenagers is greatly troubling.””
Ten percent of students copped to trying an e-cigarette in 2012, up from 4.7 percent in 2011, as shown by a survey in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly 3% of respondents reported having an e-cigarette sometime in the past month. Clearly, the findings aren’t being well-received by CDC experts. “The use of e-cigarettes by teenagers is deeply troubling,” said Thomas Friedman, MD, the facility’s manager, in a statement. “Many teens who start with e-cigarettes can be condemned to… a lifelong addiction to nicotine.”
At least for now, e-cigarettes are less expensive than conventional varieties, and a few professionals and legislators warn that flavored choices might appeal to teens. Still, of teenagers who had lately used an e-cigarette, 76% reported also smoking on traditional smokes.
“The future of e-cigarettes stays in flux”
Scientists are still investigating the health implications of e-cigs, which manufacturers claim are safe compared to conventional cigarettes and nicotine-replacement products. One recent study concluded that e-cigarettes impair respiratory function, but others are finding the devices usually do not activate the same cascade of deleterious health effects as cigarettes. Additional research indicates that e-cigarettes may help smokers stop, or at least reduce, tobacco.
The growing popularity of e-cigarettes — that were first created only ten years ago — is not a phenomenon exclusive to adolescents. The business is expected to crack $1 billion in revenue in 2013, and lots of Big Tobacco companies have now created their very own electronic products to cash in on the trend. Meanwhile, the future of e-cigarettes remains in flux: the Food And Drug Administration plans to declare new regulations that might control the way the goods are advertised and offered.