Vaping and e-cigarettes are sometimes promoted as ways to help cigarettesmokers quit. But what about the reverse? Can vaping lead to regularcigarette smoking later on?<\/p>\n
A Johns Hopkins cardiologist shares his insights on the potential dangersof vaping, and why avoiding cigarettes and their electronicalternatives is the healthier choice.<\/p>\n
Michael Blaha, M.D., M.P.H., a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins, directs clinical research attheCiccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease.<\/p>\n
Blaha says that although vaping may not be as dangerous as smoking, itsnot a safe practice.<\/p>\n
Some e-cigarettes and vape juices contain nicotine, an addictivesubstance in tobacco. As of 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)classifies e-cigarettes and nicotine-laced vape juice as tobacco productsand regulates them accordingly.<\/p>\n
Blaha says that while the FDA has recently taken a stance that is moretoward what it calls modified risk tobacco products that cause less harmthan smoking, vaping is certainly more harmful than not using anything atall.<\/p>\n
Kids have such a poor understanding of vaping products itsextraordinary, he says. Sometimes they dont know that theres nicotinein them or what the dose is, or what the impact of the flavorings might be.<\/p>\n
But because using these products is more socially acceptable than smoking,they might think that electronic cigarettes are perfectly safe.<\/p>\n
In addition to nicotine, artificial flavorings and other chemicals thatusers inhale, Blaha is concerned about some of the behavioral aspects ofvaping.<\/p>\n
I think perhaps the #1 concern about vaping right now is theso-called gateway effect. Our own literature suggests that 2 million youngadults use electronic cigarettes as their first nicotine-based product.Theyre not trying to quit smoking theyve never smoked before.<\/p>\n
Nicotine in any form is highly addictive. Vaping, using nicotine-lacedproducts, can become a tenacious and expensive habit, and kids might notstop there.<\/p>\n
Blaha says theres evidence that young people who vape are more likely togo on to use illicit drugs and tobacco products such as cigarettes.<\/p>\n
We might be causing the next smoking epidemic through young people gettingaddicted to electronic cigarettes early in life, he says.<\/p>\n
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See the article here: <\/p>\n
Will Vaping Lead Teens to Smoking Cigarettes? - Johns Hopkins Medicine<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Vaping and e-cigarettes are sometimes promoted as ways to help cigarettesmokers quit. But what about the reverse? Can vaping lead to regularcigarette smoking later on? Continue reading