Take an Online Tobacco Class To Help Keep Your Child From Trying E-Cigarettes

Electronic cigarettes are gaining popularity among all age ranges. Touted as a “healthy” alternative to smoking, smokers and tobacco companies alike are jumping on the e-cig bandwagon.

For me, the most frightening part of e-cigarettes are not that smokers are experimenting with them in an effort to quit, but that millions of new users are experimenting. The result is the same as with regular tobacco cigarettes – nicotine addiction. As reported in www.nytimes.com.

One in five middle school students who said they had tried e-cigarettes reported never having smoked a conventional cigarette, raising fears that e-cigarettes, at least for some, could become a gateway. Among high school students, 7 percent who had tried an e-cigarette said they had never smoked a traditional cigarette.

The fact remains that the adolescent brain is more susceptible to nicotine, and that the trend of rising use could hook young people who might then move into more harmful products like conventional cigarettes.

The sharp rise among students mirrored that among adult users and it appeared to be driven, at least in part, by aggressive national marketing campaigns, some of which feature famous actors.

E-cigarettes also come in flavors, which were banned in traditional cigarettes in 2009 and which health officials say appeal to young people.

Kids love gadgets and the marketing for e-cigarettes is everywhere. The rising use of e-cigarettes risked reversing societal trends in which smoking had fallen out of fashion.

How do you feel about your teen using an e-cigarette? You should be scared. Addiction is a terrible thing and e-cigarettes are as addictive due to the nicotine as a tobacco cigarette. My advice is to take an online tobacco class with your child and discuss the danger of nicotine addiction.