Enlighten yourself about the evils of electronic cigarettes

One word that goes hand in hand with smoking has kept many teenagers away from cigarettes for decades: cancer. However, the trending electroniccigarette promises to wipe away the health risks of smoking at the cost of encouraging high school students to take in nicotine, the nation’s leading cause of death.

E-cigs come in all shapes and sizes. Some replicate the appearance of real cigarettes, while others look like miniature lightsabers. However, rather than producing a blade of light, e-cigs create vaporized nicotine that is heated by electricity, hence the name electronic-cigarette.

These devices are rapidly invading the U.S.’s high schools. According to the Center of Disease Control (CDC), e-cig use amongst high school students increased from 4.7% to 10% during 2011-2012. These statistics, coupled with the fact that three e-cig retailers have set up on Las Tunas Drive, may mean that TCHS students will begin “vaping” with e-cigs. While California laws require vaping customers to be 18 years old, students can easily purchase an e-cig from websites with little regulation.

In fact, a general lack of regulation in the e-cig industry should be a cause of concern. What many believe to be a “safe” way to stimulate the body is actually a highly obscure product because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates tobacco and other drug products, has no control over e-cigs.

Along with unchecked online distribution, e-cig companies get away with the introduction of unknown chemicals in their nicotine solutions. Flavorings and additives are only some of the potentially dangerous compounds found in nicotine cartridges. Vapers shouldn’t feel safer than smokers when e-cigs are less regulated and more mysterious than tobacco.

The biggest problem with the e-cig is that it makes smoking appear glamorous once again. The millions of dollars spent on anti-nicotine campaigns are worthless if students can feel safe taking the drug. Nicotine is the heart of the problem that is smoking, as it is the substance that creates the craving for cigarettes.

Addiction results from the release of dopamine, a chemical which naturally causes feelings of happiness. The high doses of nicotine that e-cigs offer can change the way people’s minds react to dopamine, causing students to be more stressed than they should be, easily irritable, impatient for the next dose and generally less friendly.

With a “safer” way to take in nicotine, some students might treat the drug as if it were Starbucks. Like coffee, nicotine wakes you up and keeps you awake. However, it is also known to cause stomachaches, indigestion, headaches and many more negative symptoms.

Also, e-cigs may lead students to experiment with tobacco and other substances. The CDC reports that 80.5% of e-cig using high school students in 2012 also smoked conventional cigarettes. Recent surveys show that 90% of adult cocaine users smoked cigarettes before switching.

When e-cigs aren’t enough, vapers may turn to tobacco and other drugs to fulfill their needs. E-cigs may seem safe, but they promote dangerous lifestyles.

E-cigs strip away the side effects of tobacco, but not its consequences: nicotine. Students should be cautious of the drug’s new package: the evil e-cigarette.