E-Cigarettes: Targeting & Addicting Children

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E-Cigarettes: Targeting & Addicting Children
There is quite a bit of controversy regarding the use of E-cigarettes. A known fact according to the CDC and data from the 2011 and 2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) is that, “the percentage of U.S. middle and high school students who use e-cigarettes more than doubled from 2011 to 2012” (Bayless, 2014; Corey et al., 2013). The advertising and targeting of children by e-cigarette companies is evidenced by the large amount of advertising featuring celebrities like Jenny McCarthy, attractive packaging including devices that look like flash drives, and candy flavorings that appeal to children such as chocolate, mint, bubble gum, cherry, and watermelon, to name just a few (Bayless, 2014; Dotinga, 2014; Madigan, 2013; Hahn, Riker, & Brown, 2014; Johnson, 2014; Weskerna, 2010). Another concern is the rise in calls to Poison Centers for nicotine poisoning. In a study by Chatham-Stephens, Law, Taylor, Melstrom, Bunnell, Wang, Apelberg, & Shier (2014) between September 2010 and February 2014, e-cigarette exposure calls increased from one in September 2010 to 215 in February of 2014. Exposure were by inhalation, eyes, and skin with adverse effects that included vomiting, nausea, eye irritation, and a suicidal death caused by intravenous injection of the nicotine liquid used to refill e-cigarettes (Chatham-Stephens et al., 2014). E-cigarettes are not regulated or approved by the FDA, so there is no control over ingriedients or their concentration. The concern as stated by Fielding, a member of the American Public Health Association, “I’m particularly concerned that this could be a gateway drug” (Big US cities, 2014). E-cigarettes are sold in numerous businesses right here...

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...icology, 24(12), 850-857. doi:10.3109/08958378.2012.724728
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