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Medicine

High-Nicotine E-Cigarettes May Make Teens Vape More, Study Warns (philly.com) 173

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Philly.com: Teens who vape e-cigarettes with higher nicotine levels are more likely to start smoking conventional cigarettes soon after, new research shows. E-cigarettes are sold with nicotine levels ranging from zero to more than 25 milligrams of nicotine per milliliter (mg/mL). In this study, a high-nicotine device was defined as having levels at or above 18 mg/mL. Leventhal's team tracked outcomes for 181 grade-10 students from high schools in the Los Angeles area. All of the teens said they had used e-cigarettes within the past month, and they provided data on nicotine levels in the devices they used. Six months later, those who used higher nicotine levels in their e-cigarettes were more likely to report use of both e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes within the past month. These teens also reported vaping and/or smoking more intensely. While 43 percent of the students who'd used high-nicotine e-cigarettes said they were "frequent smokers" of traditional cigarettes six months later, that was true for only 10 percent of those who'd vaped using lower-nicotine devices, Leventhal's group found. And teens who vaped using high-nicotine e-cigarettes smoked an average of 14 times as many "regular" cigarettes per day six months later compared to those who'd tried nicotine-free versions of the devices, the findings showed. The study was published in JAMA Pediatrics.
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High-Nicotine E-Cigarettes May Make Teens Vape More, Study Warns

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  • Boot it (Score:4, Funny)

    by wolfheart111 ( 2496796 ) on Monday October 23, 2017 @11:47PM (#55421575)
    The study also shows that 6 months after they started smoking traditional cigs, the subjects began straight up injecting the liquid into their veins... which eventually lead to them booty bumping the e-cig liquid.
  • by Anonymous Coward

    I use an e-Cig as an alternative to hookah. No more worries about a coal getting tipped and burning the carpet/floor/table and the flavor is way better. Plus it's portable though I never take it outside of my house. I've never smoked cigarettes and always use 0mg nicotine juices.

    • by umghhh ( 965931 )
      So why you smoke? I smoke on occasion (twice in one year then 2y pause etc) and only a good thing not the cigarettes. But I would not even do that if not for a benefit of getting a good feeling about things for a change. Why bother if there is no benefit? Or you do because your pals do? That I can understand although I would not do it if that were only reason.
  • Its nice to see that natural selection is being kept alive.

  • "And teens who vaped using high-nicotine e-cigarettes smoked an average of 14 times as many "regular" cigarettes per day six months later compared to those who'd tried nicotine-free versions of the devices"

    This is ridiculous. Kids that e-smoked nicotine smoked more than kids that smoked nicotine-free e-cigs? What's the point of smoking if you have nicotine-free e-cigs?

  • Not Surprised (Score:3, Informative)

    by AbandonAllHope ( 211475 ) on Tuesday October 24, 2017 @12:22AM (#55421671)

    "In this study, a high-nicotine device was defined as having levels at or above 18 mg/mL." I vape in the high 90 watt, low 100 watt range depending on device, but holy shit hitting a liquid with anything higher than 12mg/ml at that power is straight up painful. And while you certainly can find it online, the local shops I go to sell mostly in the 3mg and 6mg range. So yeah, if 18 or 25 isn't doing it for you, you almost have to go to cigarettes because vaping with liquid that strong at even moderate wattage is like having your throat scraped with a thousand tiny ice picks.

  • by Anonymous Coward

    Nicotine is nothing. The smallest slice that will get you off cigs.
    But all the other chemicals from smoking? That's the REAL addiction there.
    All the thousands of compounds in the cigs or created by burning them together. That's the real danger. And the real addiction.
    A chemical stew that ohhhhhhhh... yeah.

    You can vape an insane dangerous nicotine level like 6%. Get used to it.

    And even after all that. A few puffs on a real cig will FUCK YOU UP like a kid hotboxing his first marlboro.

    Ecigs ar

    • We could be the generation that ends smoking. But nope. the anti-vape propaganda is well funded.

      Yep. Big tobacco is losing the market for vapes to the small companies, so they would rather see vapes go away. And then there's the Tobacco company settlement [wikipedia.org], which provides millions of dollars to all kinds of governments and NGOs. They've seen what happens to their funding when cigarette sales start to fall off, and so does their funding. They will do anything to keep that from happening, from false claims that vapes are just as harmful as cigarettes, to restrictions on vapes that make them harder to get

  • Who Cares (Score:4, Insightful)

    by DatbeDank ( 4580343 ) on Tuesday October 24, 2017 @12:44AM (#55421725)

    Vaping by itself is completely harmless with nicotine being on par with caffeine in terms of harm and effects.

    This is nothing more than the anti cigarette brigade getting their panties in a wad over the fact that people flat out love nicotine and want to enjoy it without the bad effects of cigarettes (which are bad).

    Better the young'ins be vaping rather than smoke cigarettes.

    • I'd like to see a serious study about the addictive and side effects of nicotine in e-cigs. Most nicotine studies are done with cigarettes and the bath of chemicals there really dilutes the findings on nicotine alone.

      That said, the delivery system is still pretty obnoxious. Whether or not the cloud of exhaled vapor is "just water vapor" or not, it still projects into the air and affects the people around the vaper.

      Whereas caffeine's delivery system is totally isolated, only the person consuming it will
      • That said, the delivery system is still pretty obnoxious. Whether or not the cloud of exhaled vapor is "just water vapor" or not, it still projects into the air and affects the people around the vaper.

        Whereas caffeine's delivery system is totally isolated, only the person consuming it will be affected.

        It can be obnoxious, but not every paper is a cloud chaser. And I bet those who object to the clouds still prefer that to cigarette smoke.

        As for caffeine, it has a strong odour. I'm sure someone somewhere would complain about that.

        • They're not going to get caffeine from an odor, though.
          • Exhaled e-cig vapor does NOT have any nicotine in it and it disapates in a matter of seconds with zero smell where as smoke will linger indefinitely (remember bars in the 90s). The person's lungs will have consumed all of it to the point of the remaining bit being so miniscule. You'll get more of a buzz breathing car exhaust than ecig vapor.

            Lots of misinformed individuals on the differences of vapor versus smoke and the subsequent knee jerk reactions.

    • Vaping by itself is completely harmless with nicotine being on par with caffeine in terms of harm and effects.

      No [jamanetwork.com]
      it's [uconn.edu]
      not [acs.org]

      This is nothing more than the anti cigarette brigade getting their panties in a wad over the fact that people flat out love nicotine and want to enjoy it without the bad effects of cigarettes (which are bad).

      If that's what you think then maybe you should actually read the article... or the summary.

      Better the young'ins be vaping rather than smoke cigarettes.

      And if that is where it stopped we wouldn't be commenting on this story.

      • Vaping by itself is completely harmless with nicotine being on par with caffeine in terms of harm and effects.

        No [jamanetwork.com]
        it's [uconn.edu]
        not [acs.org]

        This is nothing more than the anti cigarette brigade getting their panties in a wad over the fact that people flat out love nicotine and want to enjoy it without the bad effects of cigarettes (which are bad).

        If that's what you think then maybe you should actually read the article... or the summary.

        Better the young'ins be vaping rather than smoke cigarettes.

        Did you bother even reading those studies before you posted them?

        And if that is where it stopped we wouldn't be commenting on this story.

        Study 1 only had 42 participants. Wow, I bet we're supposed to assume 42 people equal the whole of humanity right?

        Study 2 claims nicotine causes damage to DNA. You know what else causes damage to DNA? Everything from food to the sun dingus. That's why our bodies developed a way to work against that with antioxidants.
        http://www.whydontyoutrythis.c... [whydontyoutrythis.com]

        Study 3: a complete duplicate of study 2 hosted on a different server.

        Did you even bother reading these studies before you posted to my reply or were you just an

        • Did you even bother reading these studies before you posted to my reply

          Not only did I read it. We discussed all of them at length of Slashdot with plenty more references if you ever feel to look something up. But given you didn't even read the first line of TFS on this story before posting your nonsense I know you won't.

          You sound exactly like all those people who claimed smoking was healthy when studies came out saying it wasn't.

    • Vaping by itself is completely harmless with nicotine being on par with caffeine in terms of harm and effects.

      This is nothing more than the anti cigarette brigade getting their panties in a wad over the fact that people flat out love nicotine and want to enjoy it without the bad effects of cigarettes (which are bad).

      Better the young'ins be vaping rather than smoke cigarettes.

      How in the FUCK have so many missed the main fucking point being driven here...

      "Teens who vape e-cigarettes with higher nicotine levels are more likely to start smoking conventional cigarettes soon after...43 percent of the students who'd used high-nicotine e-cigarettes said they were "frequent smokers" of traditional cigarettes six months later..."

      Better the "young'ins" not touch the products that create insatiable addiction and contribute to our #1 cause of preventable death.

    • Did you read the summary?

      Six months later, those who used higher nicotine levels in their e-cigarettes were more likely to report use of both e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes within the past month

      The point of this article is that vaping with high-nicotine liquid correlates with eventually smoking. Meaning, if we want to keep the young'ins from smoking cigarettes ("which are bad"), maybe we need to keep them away from high-nicotine e-liquid too.

      • Did you read the summary?

        Six months later, those who used higher nicotine levels in their e-cigarettes were more likely to report use of both e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes within the past month

        The point of this article is that vaping with high-nicotine liquid correlates with eventually smoking. Meaning, if we want to keep the young'ins from smoking cigarettes ("which are bad"), maybe we need to keep them away from high-nicotine e-liquid too.

        Correlation does not always equal causation. Smoking is a cool act that has various influences whether the anti smoking brigade feels otherwise.

        Teens that want to smoke will and so will others who want to. The fact that vaping is now available means someone may puff a cigarette every now and then but revert to vaping immediately because of the negative side effects.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by mea2214 ( 935585 )
      Nicotine is far more harmful to your health than caffeine. Vaping is better than inhaling whatever the hell is in that smoke. I tried vaping as a way to quit completely. The first few times I got a nicotine high. For those who don't smoke, or those who quit for awhile, you'll get a nicotine high the first few cigarettes that can make you light headed and want more. The highs get less and less the more you smoke. The increased nicotine concentration you get from vaping can make your nicotine a
    • Vaping by itself is completely harmless with nicotine being on par with caffeine in terms of harm and effects.

      Wrong. Last I checked, caffeine was suspected to cause hardening of your arteries like nicotine is [webmd.com].

    • better the young'ins be doing neither. Go read Fred Pohl's The Space Merchants.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 24, 2017 @01:09AM (#55421771)

    The article didn't indicate if these users were already smoking traditional cigarettes, the study only indicates that they were asked if their friends smoked cigs or hookah.

    In the high mg group 95% of their friends smoked(and likely they did as well). Without having the numbers of who the smokers were at the beginning of the study, the conclusion is suspect. Another study out of nannystate cali with a couple harrumphs from their cousin NY. This comes out as Gottlieb is re-evaluating the regulations that were released with the deeming ruling of 2016.

    This data was gathered from 2013-2015, which was still in the stone age of vaping. Modern devices utilize a much lower range of nicotine from 0-6mg/ml.

    https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2657310

    • by sjames ( 1099 )

      Looking at their setup, there is a critical flaw. They apparently didn't bother to see if the students vaping nigh nicotine were current or former smokers at baseline or if they started nicotine with vaping. My observation is that really strong nicotine liquids are needed by people trying to transition to e-cigs. This is especially true if they're using those wimpy pen style devices you can get at the convenience store.

      Given that not everyone who tries to switch to e-cigs succeeds, attempted quitters will

      • My guess is that they did collect this info, but omitted it because it contradicted their conclusion.
    • by shabble ( 90296 )

      The article didn't indicate if these users were already smoking traditional cigarettes

      Nor, had e-cigs not been a thing, they would have been smoking anyway, and the presence of e-cigs merely delayed the takeup of normals cigs (rather than being a gateway, as these sorts of studies tend to proclaim.)

    • Modern devices utilize a much lower range of nicotine from 0-6mg/ml.

      Errr modern devices don't "utilize" anything. Users chose what to inhale, they have since the infancy of vaping. That was one of the founding features.

      If you go to Vapeclub.co.uk you have a choice of some 300 flavours with 20mg, over 20% of all of the product ranges on sale.

  • by PopeRatzo ( 965947 ) on Tuesday October 24, 2017 @01:15AM (#55421781) Journal

    Listen up, you younger Slashdotters: Don't start smoking. It's a filthy, smelly habit and nobody wants to be around a smoker. Now nicotine is a pretty decent recreational drug, and if you're going to use it, vaping is how you want to go, but stay off it until you're fully grown. I don't know if it's true or not, but people used to say that if you smoked when you were young, it would stunt your growth, so just don't take a chance. And that applies to all recreational drugs. Wait until you're fully grown, then do as thou wilt.

    Also, stay in school and always wear a rubber. And be nice to each other.

    I'm glad we had this talk.

    • You forgot to add in Facebook to the list of recreational drug.
    • Actually, I was surprised by just how not-great nicotine is. I had always heard about how addictive it was, etc. Come to find out, it's not that great of a drug. You get a little hit of pleasure but that's it. And the more you do, the less pleasure you get. I had thought such a formidable drug would be better. And the addiction part isn't really that hard to kick. You just have to want to quit.

      One thing I did find, though, is that smoking and drinking go together like peanut butter and jelly. What

    • Great advice, asshole. Now I'm expelled from school for wearing a rubber in class.

      • You were also supposed to wear clothing. I'd say hope this helps, but I assume you're already on the list.

    • That's right kids. If you must smoke tobacco, smoke cigars. Otherwise, just stick to pot.
  • When are F-Cigarettes coming out?

    • When are F-Cigarettes coming out?

      F-Cigarettes were the previous model, suffix is regressive. It's also conveniently an acronym; 'F' as in 'Fire' like real cigs use.

      Looking forward to using the "C-Cigs??...Where??" come-back line after those come out.

      D-Cigs...I'm sorry, just Nope.

      B-Cigs reportedly do show some positive reactions among males in studies, however....

      Strat

  • by pablo_max ( 626328 ) on Tuesday October 24, 2017 @01:36AM (#55421821)

    Wow! They figured out that using more of an addictive chemical makes you want the addictive chemical more? That is simply shocking.

    • No your conclusion is non-sequitur. The story is about people switching to cigarettes. A typical cigarette is equivalent in nicotine to somewhere between the 12mg/mL and 18mg/mL vaping varieties. If we follow your logic then cigarette smokers would be switching en mass to vaping to get more of a hit.

      This study showed its the other way around.

  • Nicotine is closely related to choline- a popular aid to mental performance. Users have discovered that it can help with memory and test performance in college. Nicotine is shown to reduce stress in various environments such as noisy factory settings. It is addictive in the same way that protein, caffeine and sweets are. In other words, it's a very mild craving and closely related to the stress of your lifestyle.

    Yes, it is one of over 100 ingredients in cigarets that may be harmful in some sense. Neverthele

  • ban conventional cigarettes which are a public health danger.
  • Mixed messages (Score:4, Interesting)

    by ScooterComputer ( 10306 ) on Tuesday October 24, 2017 @08:25AM (#55422877)

    Beyond the misleading choice not to baseline the high-nicotine vapors/smokers for prior smoking levels, I also find it curious that the study didn't track the youths' opinions on e-cigs vs cigarettes in terms of health/harm. Considering that over the past 5 years the "official" US government "message" has been that vaping is as, and sometimes more, dangerous than smoking cigarettes (obvious hogwash), I have found a lot of smokers who had switched to vaping (some, entirely, completely off cigarettes) go back to smoking "because the government says there is no difference." This would have been a useful data point to track, especially in a nanny-state like California where such mixed-messaging is too-often used as a governmental propaganda tool. That the researchers decided not to track a simple question of "WHY smoke?" is, to me, quite telling as to the purpose of the study, since that basic question would have shed a lot of light on actual causation (vs mere speculation).

    • obvious hogwash

      Most people said the same thing about the first studies that said Cigarettes are unhealthy.

      News flash: doing new things to your body not previously extensively studied may have unintended consequences.

      • While vaping likely cuts out a lot of the nasty substances you'd find in a standard cigarette (though for all I know it adds some new ones)... the end result is you're getting dosed with nicotine, and that alone has some negative health effects.

        On the other hand, at least I don't have to smell you or see people tossing their cigarette butts everywhere, so please, if you're going to become a slave to a drug that is highly addictive and doesn't give much of a long-term high... vape.

  • Who'd have thought that an addictive substance could be addictive. E-cigarettes might be "better" than regular cigarettes but that's damning with faint praise.

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