As the electronic cigarette craze continues to sweep the nation, a dramatic increase in usage among America’s youth is occurring as well. According to a new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 4.5 percent of high school students reported E-cigarette use in 2013, compared to 13.4 percent in 2014. The same study found that the rate of usage among middle school students increased from 1.1 percent in 2013 to 3.9 percent in 2014. The study also determined that 7.7 percent of all middle schoolers use at least one tobacco product, with the rate for high schoolers coming in at 24.6 percent.
These electronic products utilize a vapor form to deliver the desired effect to users, as opposed to smoke. Surprisingly, the products are also unregulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
Harold P. Wimmerm, national president and CEO of the American Lung Association, stated that though the electronic version has led to a decreased amount of sales of the standard alternative, that does not nescisarily translate to better over all health. “While we have made some progress in reducing youth cigarette use, we still have close to half a million people dying from tobacco use each year. We must redouble our efforts to eliminate youth use of all tobacco products and end the tobacco epidemic once and for all, and that begins with the FDA having authority over all tobacco products,” he said.
According to the ALA, tobacco use impacts almost every system in the body and can cause stroke, sudden infant death syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart attacks and lung cancer. The effects of nicotine can take more severe long-term effects when exposed to the adolescent brain. The United State Surgeon General has determined that when the teenage brain is exposed to nicotine it can have negative effects on cognitive development, and cause lasting impairments to an individual’s attentive, behavioral and memorization capabilities.
Chris Sausaman, manager of Village Vapors, a electronic cigarette retailer in downtown Warsaw, noted that the majority of his store’s customers range in age from late 20s to 50s and 60s. “Most of the teens we get are out of high school already,” stated Sausaman, before continuing, “We are 18 and up store so some of the 18-year-old might be seniors, but we would rather see them in here than out smoking.” Sausaman estimated that the downtown store, along with a second Village Vapors location in Winona Lake, have gotten, “well over 400 people off of cigarettes.” Executives at other area vapor stores were unavailable for comment.