The Role of E-Cigarettes in Our Community
The Role of E-cigarettes In Our Community
Although they might be slightly more effective than nicotine patches and other aids in helping people quit smoking, electronic cigarettes still stand as a gateway to nicotine addiction. A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) suggests more children and teens from middle school to high school are trying these new devices. About 1.8 million children admitted puffing on an e-cigarette with 160,000 of them doing so with never having tried an ordinary cigarette before. These implications mean electronic cigarettes have been getting a lot of attention lately from the community. The CDC indicates this trend as a serious concern.
E-cigarettes came to the U.S. market in about 2009 and now the CDC estimates about 20% of the U.S. population have tried smoking an e-cigarette, which is about 6% of adults who smoke. There are e-cigarette stores, like you find at a kiosk in the mall, but you can also buy them online or in convenience stores. Some look like regular cigarettes and some look like pens or thumb drives giving a more attractive look than actual cigarettes would. One major e-cigarette brand that creates these devices is V2 Cigs. Although e-cigarettes contain not nearly as many chemicals and carcinogens than a burning roll of tobacco, they still deliver a small dosage of nicotine, a drug that may impact adolescent brain development, as well as affect the bronchial tubes through frequent inhalation. But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still avoids regulating the growing multi-billion dollar industry and smoking remains the leading cause of avoidable deaths in the United States. Although e-cigarettes might not be the only thing children are presently inhaling, the chance for them trying the real thing in the future highly increases.
The e-cigarette was created by Hon Lik, a pharmacist and three-pack-a-day smoker living in China. His father, who had been a heavy smoker as well, died of lung
Although they might be slightly more effective than nicotine patches and other aids in helping people quit smoking, electronic cigarettes still stand as a gateway to nicotine addiction. A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) suggests more children and teens from middle school to high school are trying these new devices. About 1.8 million children admitted puffing on an e-cigarette with 160,000 of them doing so with never having tried an ordinary cigarette before. These implications mean electronic cigarettes have been getting a lot of attention lately from the community. The CDC indicates this trend as a serious concern.
E-cigarettes came to the U.S. market in about 2009 and now the CDC estimates about 20% of the U.S. population have tried smoking an e-cigarette, which is about 6% of adults who smoke. There are e-cigarette stores, like you find at a kiosk in the mall, but you can also buy them online or in convenience stores. Some look like regular cigarettes and some look like pens or thumb drives giving a more attractive look than actual cigarettes would. One major e-cigarette brand that creates these devices is V2 Cigs. Although e-cigarettes contain not nearly as many chemicals and carcinogens than a burning roll of tobacco, they still deliver a small dosage of nicotine, a drug that may impact adolescent brain development, as well as affect the bronchial tubes through frequent inhalation. But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still avoids regulating the growing multi-billion dollar industry and smoking remains the leading cause of avoidable deaths in the United States. Although e-cigarettes might not be the only thing children are presently inhaling, the chance for them trying the real thing in the future highly increases.
The e-cigarette was created by Hon Lik, a pharmacist and three-pack-a-day smoker living in China. His father, who had been a heavy smoker as well, died of lung
Cited: Christensen, Jen. "E-cigarettes: Healthy tool or gateway device?." CNN Health. CNN, 13 Sep 2013. Web. 20 Oct 2013. Cressey, Daniel. "Regulation of E-Cigarettes Set to Stack Up." Scientific American. Nature Magazine, 25 Sep 2013. Web. 20 Oct 2013. Lahita, Robert. "CDC: E-cigarettes could become gateway to nicotine for kids." Fox News. American Live, 5 Sep 2013. Web. 20 Oct 2013. Stewart, Dan. "E-cigarettes: A gateway to nicotine addiction?." The Week. The Week, 13 Sep 2013. Web. 20 Oct 2013.