E-cigarettes May Lead To Increased Tobacco Use

E-cigarettes may lead to increased tobacco use

A recent study has revealed that the use of e-cigarettes and alternative tobacco products may lead to increased tobacco use

ISLAMABAD, Oct 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 02nd Oct, 2017 ) : A recent study has revealed that the use of e-cigarettes and alternative tobacco products may lead to increased tobacco use. The increasing use of alternative tobacco products, such as water pipes and e-cigarettes, by children under the age of 18 is a burgeoning public health crisis, said researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center in the study published in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Alternative tobacco products represent a new challenge in the 75-year-old war against tobacco, said co-author Michael Weitzman, adding that with the increasing numbers of young adults using alternative tobacco products, people have every reason to be concerned.

There is a misperception that alternative tobacco products are safer than cigarettes, but the evidence says otherwise. Other researchers have demonstrated that a typical 45 minute hookah session is equivalent to smoking as many as five packs of cigarettes, Weitzman said.

The increasing popularity of alternative tobacco products threatens to undermine the gains seen in the last several years with the decline in cigarette use. The US food and Drug Administration proposes extending its tobacco authority to additional tobacco products, including e- cigarettes and hookahs, not already under the FDA's authority.