E-Cigarette Advertising Casting A Big Net Over Kids

The CDC report says the same advertising tactics used by the tobacco industry years ago “are now being used to entice a new generation of young people to use e-cigarettes."

They say nearly 70 percent of middle and high school students in the United States are seeing the e-cigarette ads. That’s more than 18 million kids. More than half see the ads in stores. About 40 percent see the ads online. And 36 percent see e-cigarette ads on TV and in movie theaters.

E-cig ads have rapidly become big business. From 2011 to 2014, spending on e-cigarette ads rose from $6.4 million to $115 million dollars.

So, are they safer than tobacco? According to the website WebMD, nobody knows for sure. http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/features/electronic-cigarettes
“Research into the effects of e-cigarettes lags behind their popularity. But ready or not, the era of e-cigarettes is here…on track to outsell tobacco products within a decade. The number of teens and tweens using these products doubled between 2011 and 2012.

The nicotine inside the cartridges is addictive. When you stop using it, you can get withdrawal symptoms including feeling irritable, depressed, restless and anxious. It can be dangerous for people with heart problems. It may also harm your arteries over time.
So far, evidence suggests that e-cigarettes may be safer than regular cigarettes….But we still don't know enough about their long-term risks or the effects of secondhand exposure."