Teenagers Who Use E-Cigarettes Are More Likely to Try Real Cigarettes

According to a new study, teenagers who are using e-cigarettes are more likely to start smoking real tobacco cigarettes. The researchers who conducted the study analyzed data from more than 2,100 teenagers from California high schools and found that more than one quarter of the had tried vaping from e-cigarettes. They also found that about 10% of the teens were actually using electronic cigarettes and were more likely to smoke real cigarettes, compared to the teenagers who didn’t use e-cigarettes.

According to the research, one-third of those who used e-cigarettes were also smokers, compared to the ones who had never vaped. Jessica Barrington-Trimis, from the University of Southern California, and one of the researchers who conducted the study, said this does not prove that people who use e-cigarettes will necessarily start smoking, but it does suggest that vaping could lead to real tobacco smoking among young Americans.

The scientists also found that most of the teenagers who used e-cigarettes had family members and friends who used them. When questioned about the safety of the e-cigarette, more than half of the teenagers said they don’t believe it to pose any health risks.

The results of the new study were published in the online journal Pediatrics.

According to a recent federal report, e-cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular among young and adult Americans. The report suggests that between 2011 and 2014 the use of e-cigarettes was three times higher among high school students.

However, the same report revealed that tobacco cigarette smoking went down in this period of time. Researchers said that most kids who are e-cigarette users have never tried to smoke real cigarettes.

The new study suggests that about 40% of the teenagers who vape have never tried nor do they intend to do try traditional cigarettes.

However, the results of the study are disturbing because many of the kids who said that they would never smoke are still exposed to a high level of nicotine through e-cigarettes. Vaughan Rees, from the Center for Global Tobacco Control at the Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston, said this means that tobacco-control measures have failed and many American adolescents are curious about e-cigarettes.

The National Conference of State Legislatures said that in most American states it’s illegal to sell e-cigarettes to minors, but the FDA cannot regulate them unless they are marketed as devices from smoking cessation.
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