By Wendy Ortega

It is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to people under the age of 18, but like most things that are illegal, teens that want them will get them anyway. Health officials are beginning to increase regulations on these devices to try to help keep teens safe. Scientists continue to learn about the health effects of e-cigarettes.

While many think that since there is no smoke in these things that it is safer and healthier than regular cigarettes, but there is enough evidence and it is growing each year, that this is simply not the case. Some of the dangers of e-cigarettes were reported in Scholastic. They reported that this is a dangerous and growing trend among teens in America. They also said that even though these things are not supposed to be sold to kids, that they are marketed to kids, which is just not right. Why try to sell something that kids are not supposed to buy.

It is the marketing plans of e-cigarette companies that is part of the reason that teens are experimenting in increasing numbers. Specifically, flavored e-cigarettes taste good and do not seem like it is that bad for you, so teens are trying them. Among other marketing objectives, many designs look like everyday items such as pens or USB sticks. This makes them easier to conceal from those in authority that would take it away from teens. Because the designs are familiar, teens gravitate to it.

Also, the pens can be disguised as something teens need every day to complete their work in school and at home. If the idea of the companies was to prevent kids from getting this drug, then there would be no need to conceal it in items that would be appealing or used by kids. Other factors combine with this to make e-cigarettes a trendy social experiment. If they do not want kids to do this, then they should stop trying to sell it to us.
E-cigarettes can be highly addictive. The reason for the high addictive quality is because, “one cartridge can contain as much nicotine as one pack of cigarettes.”

One of the dangerous parts of cigarettes is highly concentrated in these e-cigarettes. This means that with only one inhale you get more nicotine than you would in a regular pack of cigarettes – increasing addiction risk.

The e-cigarette problem is not only a cigarette addiction problem. It can be the first line of addiction that makes you want to try other drugs, “Studies have shown that nicotine’s effect on teens may make them more vulnerable to becoming addicted to other drugs too.”

Since teens are still growing, they are more likely to get addicted to things placed in their systems. This is true of alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, and e-cigarettes.

E-cigarettes are too new to see the harm they cause long-term. But they are not healthy and they should not be easily available to kids. You have a choice though. Just because they want to sell this stuff to us does not mean that we must buy it, and we do not need to take it. So, add to the list of things we should say no to e-cigarettes.