E-cigarettes lead kids to tobacco

LONDON: Children who try e-cigarettes are 12 times more likely to smoke tobacco, research has found.

Scientists have uncovered strong evidence of a so-called “gateway effect”, according to the first UK study of its kind.

The results are highly controversial because public health officials have been promoting e-cigarettes as a safe way of quitting smoking.

Researchers from King’s College London and Cancer Research UK looked at 1 152 children aged 11 to 18, who were followed for four to six months.

At the beginning of the study, 11.4% had tried e-cigarettes and 19.8% had used ordinary tobacco cigarettes.

After between four and six months, those who had tried an e-cig were 12 times more likely to move on to tobacco cigarettes compared with children who had never used them.

The results were published in a little-known journal at the end of last month, but not widely publicised in the media.

They fly in the face of the campaign from Public Health England that e-cigarettes should be widely promoted as a safe alternative to tobacco.

Only last month, the organisation published a major report urging doctors to prescribe the devices to smokers – including pregnant women. Officials at Britain’s health protection agency PHE have also insisted there is no evidence e-cigarettes encourage children to start smoking tobacco. But a growing number of experts are worried about their long-term effects, particularly because there is so little evidence on their safety.

Research on animals has linked them to certain cancers, heart disease and lung conditions. Findings of this study are being circulated among academics and officials at councils concerned about PHE’s recommendations. Published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, it was the first to examine the evidence of a gateway effect of e-cigarettes and tobacco. – Daily Mail