The e-cigarette industry insists their products are not a gateway to regular tobacco. But scientists are finding otherwise.
“The jury is out about whether e-cigarettes directly cause cancer, but we do know that people who use them are 3 times more likely to transition to cancer-causing tobacco cigarettes, than people who don’t use e-cigarettes,” said Dr John Heymach with the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
The National Academy of Sciences announced recently that vaping can be addictive and may lure teenagers to smoking.
And the University of Michigan found teens were 6 to 7 times more likely to pick up regular smoking a year later.
A main concern for Brittany Karzen at the Utah Department of Health, is that nicotine changes the teen brain and makes it more prone to addiction in the future, and risky behaviors.
“If a youth is willing to try e-cigarettes, they may also be willing to drink or these other things we are concerned about youth engaging in,” she said.
Thursday, some words from the vaping and smoke-free industry in Utah.
