In Practice: A Close Look at Vaping in Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States

Riccardo Polosa, Thomas B. Casale, Donald P. Tashkin

Vaping by adolescents and young adults is a legitimate concern. This commentary provides updated information on vaping patterns among adolescents and young adults in the United States, as well as the impact of eletronic cigarettes (EC) usage on respiratory health.

The authors conclude that concerns that ECs may provide a risk are valid, but this risk might be reduced by a mix of technological innovation and vaping product regulation that prioritizes quality and safety checks.

They also state that although EC use by young nonsmokers is a legitimate concern, known risks from vaping are often greatly exaggerated.

Commentary dispels a number of commonly held misconceptions by providing evidence that:

• ECs have a positive role in helping smokers quit,

• Harm is 95% less than than tobacco,

• Nicotine does not cause cancer or heart disease,

• Vaping does not cause cancer, heart disease or lung disease,

• ECs do not cause EVALI,

• No evidence of a teen nicotine vaping epidemic in the US,

• Youth vaping is not a gateway to smoking,

• ECs are not more addictive that cigarettes,

• Duals user rates are falling.

Read full commentary here.