Vaping Can Be Addictive and May Lure Teenagers to Smoking, Science Panel Concludes (nytimes.com)

A national panel of public health experts concluded in a report released on Tuesday that vaping with e-cigarettes that contain nicotine can be addictive and that teenagers who use the devices may be put at higher risk of switching to traditional smoking. From a report: Whether teenage use of e-cigarettes may lead to conventional smoking has been intensely debated in the United States and elsewhere. While the industry argues that vaping is not a steppingstone to conventional cigarettes or addiction, some antismoking advocates contend that young people become hooked on nicotine, and are enticed to cancer-causing tobacco-based cigarettes over time. The new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is the most comprehensive analysis of existing research on e-cigarettes. It concluded the devices are safer than traditional smoking products and that they do help smokers quit, citing conclusive proof that switching can reduce smokers' exposure to deadly tar, numerous dangerous chemicals and other carcinogens.

Comments

To be human

[DigiShaman]

Scientists discover that teenagers make poorer decision to that of adults. Shocking, I know!

Re:To be human

[cayenne8]

Then how do you explain adults (which I'll define here as "at least 25 years old") who are smokers? Who are aware of the enormous preponderance of incontrovertible medical and scientific evidence that smoking is among the worst things you can do to your health, and smoke anyway?

1. Because it is fun/pleasurable

2. They may be addicted and can't stop.

That pretty much sums it up I think.

I quit smoking last year. I was never a heavy smoker, maybe a half to pack a week...except for the weekends. If drinking, I could almost chain smoke a pack in a night.

That's the real time I miss smoking, it just is so much fun when drinking, especially in a bar with your friends that are smoking too.

And frankly, the only reason I quit, is that it started to physically hurt and bother me. I would get headaches after smoking (very noticeable if not drinking too)....and it would just make my whole body feel poorly.

It didn't used to do that..so, I quit.

I DO miss it when out drinking....but I'm over it and it isn't worth it, so, I"m staying quit.

The other time I miss it...was the workday smoke break. When I worked on site, it was a GREAT couple of breaks a day. If stuck on a problem, get up, down downstairs smoke one, and often I'd solve problems or have inspiration on my smoke break and run back in after.

Smoke breaks also were VERY social....I would often rub elbows with upper management on smoke breaks, which did help in my career at times.

Is it bad for you? Sure, but no one really thinks about that when you're young and in your teens-early 40's even. Hell, till you are about 39 you often still feel bullet proof.

But to keep from temptation, I avoid some of the bars I used to go to, with everyone smoking inside....if I catch a buzz, I'll want to bum a couple smokes which turns into buying a pack from the bartender that sells them behind the bar...etc.

But lung cancer just really never crosses your mind, when you're young, you're drinking a beer and chatting up a chick and you're both smoking.

The gateway drug theory doesn't make sense

[Lord Kano]

We understand how people can get addicted to opiates and when the supply runs our or their money dries up, they switch to heroin as a cheaper and more widely available source of the high but with eCigarettes, that doesn't hold up.

Vaping is CHEAPER than smoking. Vaping supplies are widely available.

It's nonsensical to think that people would seek alternatives to the cheaper method that they're already using.

LK

Unbiased data hard to find

[xtal]

Nicotine is an interesting drug with a lot of psychoactive properties. There's a reason it's popular.

However, try to find data on health impacts from infrequent use, or infrequent smoking, or even to suggest such a thing is possible, is not very easy to do.

Likewise, quantitative data on the beneficial effects of smoking is very difficult to find. There is evidence for increased memory performance, mood stabilizing, and possible anti-psychotic effects.

There's no question smoking is bad for you.. but drugs have benefits and side effects, and personally, I'd like to know both.

Re:In other news... water is wet!

[Anon-Admin]

Nicotine is optional in e-cigs. I know a lot of people that smoke the flavors without nicotine.

In those instances, I would assume that e-cigs are not addictive.

Re:Not this again.

[elrous0]

I've never in my life heard of ANYONE who went from vaping to smoking. I have, however, known quite a few people who went from smoking to vaping. And I can tell you that it's nice to switch to an alternative that doesn't leave you hacking up phlegm, gasping for breath, and smelling like shit. Vaping may not be as healthy as not vaping, but it's sure as shit a lot healthier than smoking tobacco.

Of course moral puritans want everyone to quit cold-turkey. But never let perfect be the enemy of good.
 

I hate misleading titles

[Coldeagle]

This kind of stuff drives me nuts. The title of this article is misleading. If you read through you'll find this piece:

"The panel found evidence among studies it reviewed that vaping may prompt teenagers or young adults to try regular cigarettes, putting them at higher risk for addiction, but that any significant linkage between e-cigarettes and long-term smoking has not been established"

From what I read it looks like there is no significant linkage. The article also didn't give any specifics. Based on my reading it sounds like someone may have tried a cigarette after vaping. I bet if you compared those numbers to those who have tried a cigarette without vaping you would probably see a corollary. This article seems to try imply that there is a larger linkage. It feels like folks are trying to slant this towards their own agenda.

I hate how people try to villainize vaping. Here are some facts as someone who has quit smoking by switching to vaping:

• I quit smoking because vaping tasted better. One day (when I was alternating between smoking and vaping) I started smoking a cigarette and said to my self, "This tastes like sh** why am I doing this?" I proceeded to switch back to vaping and gave away the remainder of my cigarettes. I have had one cigarette since and it was so unappetizing that it's ridiculous. I haven't wanted another one since.
• Vaping can be significantly less expensive than smoking. I spend about $200 a year on e juice (because I buy in bulk), I used to spend that in a month on cigarettes, now it would probably be closer to 300 because of tax increases.
• I keep vaping because it's a habit replacement. I still use a little nicotine (3mg/ml), just enough to get a little buzz. I vape ~6 ml per day, so I'm getting ~18mg of nicotine per day. One cigarette is on average 12 mg of nicotine. I can go for hours without vaping without real issue. Smoking I couldn't go more than an hour or so without getting anxious.
• After completely switching to vaping for a month, I was able to go up four flights of stairs without getting winded. I used to get winded going up two.
• I don't wake up coughing everyday like I did when I smoked
• My sense of taste and smell have improved. My overall health has improved

Now I would like to emphasize that vaping is a habit replacement for me. Habits can be a mother f***er to break. I think it's the habit that is what makes smoking so difficult to quit. Read a great book called, "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg. It was very eye opening. It's habits that are difficult to break. The physical addiction is over fairly quickly, but coming up with a habit replacement is what really made the difference for me quitting smoking and succeeding at it. I smoked for 15 years, tried quitting at least 15 times. I have been smoke free for nearly 3 years thanks to vaping.

Why keep vaping? Well see above. Also, the primary ingredients in most ejuice are vegetable glycerin (VG) and propylene glycol (PG). Both of which have been studied and been found to be safe. PG has been used in fog machines for years with no ill effects found.

Also, most of the studies that find toxins and the such related to vaping are from what's called a dry hit, meaning that you're essentially burning the wicking material because it doesn't have enough liquid, thus causing a different reaction than heating. One generally doesn't like the taste of a dry hit, it's nasty and if it happens you fix the issue by adding more liquid or replacing the atomizer. You still get more carcinogenics and toxic byproducts from a cigarette puff than a dry hit.

Not looking to start an argument, just wanted to put out what I've experienced and why articles like this tend to piss me off. As a rule I don't think anyone should start smoking. I would rather kids not vape too, it's a habit and there are risks of habit formation (even without nicotine, which creates an addiction on top of the habit); however, kids are going to want to rebel and b