Dangers of vaping: Teen users them ARE more likely to smoke cigarettes

Dangers of e-cigarettes: Teenagers who vape ARE more likely to smoke real cigarettes

• The research by the RAND Corporation found e-cigarettes to be the sole factor driving up teen use of tobacco
• Marijuana and alcohol consumption did little to drive up cigarette use
• The study adds weight to a theory that doctors have been warning of for years: that for teenagers, vaping may simply be a gateway to smoking, rather than a safer alternative

Teenagers who use vaping products are more likely to smoke cigarettes, a study of more than 2,000 young people has found. 

The research by the RAND Corporation found e-cigarettes to be the sole factor driving up teen use of tobacco, with little impact from other factors like alcohol and marijuana consumption.

They also found that teenagers are likely to up their use of both e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes over time as they get hooked to the habit.  

The study adds weight to a theory that doctors have been warning of for years: that for teenagers, vaping may simply be a gateway to smoking, rather than a safer alternative.

The research by the RAND Corporation found e-cigarettes to be the sole factor driving up teen use of cigarettes, with little impact from other factors like alcohol and marijuana consumption

‘Our work provides more evidence that young people who use e-cigarettes progress to smoking cigarettes in the future,’ said Michael Dunbar, the study’s lead author and a behavioral scientist at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. 

The study comes as governments worldwide are grappling with how to regulate the tobacco-free products.  

E-cigarettes – especially easy-to-conceal devices like the Juul – have become immensely popular among American youth. 

In September, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb slammed youth e-cigarette use as an ‘epidemic’ and demanded manufacturers and retailers to curb sales to minors. 

For this study, more than 2,000 teenagers in California completed three surveys over a three-year-period.

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That allowed researchers to model e-cigarette and cigarette use from ages 16 to 20.

It builds on previous RAND studies showing that teens are more willing to try vaping products if they see advertising for tobacco products and e-cigarettes on the tobacco ‘power walls’ in convenience stores

Conversely, teens who visited a store where the tobacco power wall was hidden are less likely.

‘For young people, using these products may actually lead to more harm in the long run,’ Dunbar said. 

‘This highlights the importance of taking steps to prevent youth from vaping in the first place. 

‘One way to do this could be to limit e-cigarette and other tobacco advertising in kid-accessible spaces.’

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