Would you recognize an e-cigarette if you saw one? Not all e-cigarettes look alike, and vaping is easy to hide.
Why is vaping easy for teens to hide?
Electronic nicotine devices can look like a pen, a computer memory stick or flash drive, a car key fob, or even an asthma inhaler. Instead of inhaling
tobacco smoke from a cigarette, e-cigarette users inhale vapor from liquid “e-juice” that has been heated with a battery-powered coil. This is called vaping. The juice is flavored and usually contains nicotine and other chemicals.
E-cigarettes are unhealthy and addictive.
E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among youths. New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 3.6 million adolescents were vaping in 2018.
Here’s what you should know about teen vaping trends:Kids might use different words to talk about e-cigarettes and vaping. For example, “JUULing” is a popular word to describe using a brand of e-cigarette. About 1 in 4 kids who use e-cigarettes also tries “dripping.” Instead of using a mouthpiece to vape, they drip the liquid directly onto a heat coil. This makes the vapor thicker and stronger. Kids can order “e-juice” on the Internet. The legal age to buy e-cigarettes is 18, but online stores don’t always ask for proof of age.
E-cigarette juices are sold in flavors like fruit, candy, coffee and chocolate. Most have the addictive ingredient nicotine. The more kids vape, the more hooked they become.
Kids who vape just once are more likely to try other types of tobacco. Their developing brains make it easier for them to get hooked. E-cigarettes may not help people quit using tobacco. Some adults use e-cigarettes when they want to stop smoking tobacco cigarettes. While a recent report found e-cigarettes are “less toxic” than cigarettes, most people who use e-cigarettes do not quit using cigarettes. The healthiest option is for parents and their children to quit.
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