It’s tough for parents to keep up with the latest drug trends. Just when we think we know the dangers of cigarettes, alcohol and other drugs, some new product appears on the market.
A view of e-cigarette
While they’ve been in the U.S. for a few years, battery-operated electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes or e-cigs, are becoming easier for kids to buy online or at mall kiosks. Some e-cigs are designed to look like traditional cigarettes, but others look like a regular ballpoint pen, and flavors like strawberry and cola are understandably attractive to young people.
The Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association claims e-cigs are safer than nicotine cigarettes. “Not so fast,” says the FDA, warning the public that e-cigarettes contain nicotine and thus “can increase nicotine addiction among young people, and may lead kids to try other tobacco products, including conventional cigarettes.”
Primarily marketed as a smoking cessation aid, electronic cigarettes are easily available for kids to purchase, as they remain largely unregulated. Parents should know they have not been studied for long-term health effects.
It may be confusing to young people that something they can purchase at a mall kiosk is potentially addictive and unsafe.
No matches are needed for this cigarette, which doesn’t burn tobacco, but rather produces a vapor. This allows users to get around many smoke-free laws. The Department of Transportation has proposed a ban on electronic cigarettes on flights. They are accepting public comment on this topic until Nov. 14. Amtrak has already banned them on trains.
E-cigarettes provide yet another opportunity for us to talk to our kids. Just because something is legal and can be easily purchased doesn’t mean it is safe—even a pen that tastes like strawberries and emits a vapor from its tip.
