Wanna Puff, Little Girl?

Writing for CNN.com (January 6^th), Harold Wimmer takes a look at the hidden dangers of the phenomenon of e-cigarettes. Are they a panacea to tobacco addicts looking for a way out? Or an entry-level attraction that should generate some new tobacco buyers in the not-too-distant future. Think about it. Think about the child-attracting mascots that found their way to cigarette labels.

Wimmer notes: “For the makers of electronic cigarettes, today we are living in the Wild West -- a lawless frontier where they can say or do whatever they want, no matter what the consequences. They are free to make unsubstantiated therapeutic claims and include myriad chemicals and additives in e-cigarettes.

“Big Tobacco desperately needs new nicotine addicts and is up to its old tricks to make sure it gets them. E-cigarettes are being aggressively marketed to children with flavors like Bazooka Bubble Gum, Cap'n Crunch and Cotton Candy. Joe Camel was killed in the 1990s, but cartoon characters are back promoting e-cigarettes.

“Many e-cigarettes look like Marlboro or Camel cigarettes. Like their old-Hollywood counterparts, glamorous and attractive celebrities are appearing on TV promoting specific e-cigarette brands. Free samples are even being handed out on street corners.” CNN.com.

Okay, but do those cutsie e-ciggies actually find their way to the lips of enough kids to matter? According to a report – Notes from the Field: Electronic Cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2011–2012 (published September 6, 2013) – from the government’s Centers for Disease Control, they most certainly do:

 

“Data from the 2011 and 2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), a school-based, pencil-and-paper questionnaire given to U.S. middle school (grades 6–8) and high school (grades 9–12) students, were used to estimate the prevalence of ever and current (≥1 day in the past 30 days) use of e-cigarettes, ever and current (≥1 day in the past 30 days) use of conventional cigarettes, and use of both. NYTS consists of a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample of students in grades 6–12 from all 50 states and the District of Columbia (3).

“During 2011–2012, among all students in grades 6–12, ever e-cigarette use increased from 3.3% to 6.8% (Figure [below]); current e-cigarette use increased from 1.1% to 2.1%, and current use of both e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes increased from 0.8% to 1.6%. In 2012, among ever e-cigarette users, 9.3% reported never smoking conventional cigarettes; among current e-cigarette users, 76.3% reported current conventional cigarette smoking.

“Among middle school students, ever e-cigarette use increased from 1.4% to 2.7% during 2011–2012 (Figure [below]); current e-cigarette use increased from 0.6% to 1.1%, and current use of both e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes increased from 0.3% to 0.7%. In 2012, among middle school ever e-cigarette users, 20.3% reported never smoking conventional cigarettes; among middle school current e-cigarette users, 61.1% reported current conventional cigarette smoking.

“Among high school students, ever e-cigarette use increased from 4.7% to 10.0% during 2011–2012 (Figure [below]); current e-cigarette use increased from 1.5% to 2.8%, and current use of both e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes increased from 1.2% to 2.2%. In 2012, among high school ever e-cigarette users, 7.2% reported never smoking conventional cigarettes; among high school current e-cigarette users, 80.5% reported current conventional cigarette smoking.

 

“E-cigarette experimentation and recent use doubled among U.S. middle and high school students during 2011–2012, resulting in an estimated 1.78 million students having ever used e-cigarettes as of 2012. Moreover, in 2012, an estimated 160,000 students who reported ever using e-cigarettes had never used conventional cigarettes. This is a serious concern because the overall impact of e-cigarette use on public health remains uncertain. In youths, concerns include the potential negative impact of nicotine on adolescent brain development (4), as well as the risk for nicotine addiction and initiation of the use of conventional cigarettes or other tobacco products.

“FIGURE. Ever electronic cigarette use among middle and high school students, by year — National Youth Tobacco Survey, United States, 2011–2012”

Wimmer: “In 2009, lab tests conducted by the FDA found detectable levels of toxic cancer-causing chemicals -- including an ingredient used in anti-freeze -- in two leading brands of e-cigarettes and 18 various e-cigarette cartridges.” Yes, folks, with over 250 brands of e-cigs out there, it’s time to regulate this space, and keep these e-stogies out of the reach of our children. FDA, move in…. now! We’ve just reached one billion smokers on this planet… and we don’t need any more!

 

I’m Peter Dekom, and letting kids to have free access to such absurd pre-cigarettes is the clearest indication of how little we seem to care about the next generation and its future.