Despite millions of happy vapers who’ve used e-cigarettes to curb and reduce their smoking habits, critics have claimed that vapor-based nicotine delivery systems like e-cigarettes could be a gateway for teens to become addicted to tobacco cigarettes. However, this study found that only one e-cig user went on to smoke traditional cigarettes.
Concerns About E-Cigarettes
Prior to the University of Oklahoma study, the Center for Disease Control warned that inhaling nicotine vapor from e-cigarettes could be a dangerous new trend. In one year, the number of kids in grades six through twelve who’d tried an e-cigarette rose to 6.8%, with 2.1% stating that they regularly used them. From this sample, more than three quarters claimed they also smoked conventional cigarettes. These figures worried experts, claiming that e-cigarettes might be drawing kids into nicotine addiction.
The Reality
In a first-of-its-kind study to examine this theory, Dr. Wagener surveyed 1,300 college students with an average age of 19 about their nicotine and tobacco use. In the entire survey, only 43 cited that their first experience with nicotine came from an e-cigarette. Among this tiny subgroup, only one individual claimed that this introduction led to an addiction to conventional cigarettes. It seems that even if a teen does try an e-cigarette, they are unlikely to move on to traditional cigarettes.
Dr. Wagener, who presented these findings to the American Association of Cancer Research, had this to say: “It didn’t seem as though it really proved to be a gateway to anything,” said Wagener, who presented his findings at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, in National Harbor, Md. This study highlights preliminary evidence that e-cigarettes do not lay a path for kids to start smoking conventional cigarettes.
When you make the choice to switch from tobacco cigarettes to vaping, make sure you stick with a company that puts it’s customers first, doesn’t market to minors, and makes the highest quality e-liquid around. Vape the right way!
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