SOUR VAPES
Teen e-cig smoking doubles in N.Y. as craze alarms health officials
THEY’RE SMOKIN’ in the boy’s room again, only now, they’re puffing electronic cigarettes.
A new state Health Department survey reveals the percentage of high school students who used ecigs has nearly doubled, from 10.5% in 2014 to 20.6% in 2016, the Daily News has learned.
Officials noted the surge in battery-operated smokes comes as the traditional smoking rate among high school students fell to a record low 4.3% in 2016 — down from 7.3% in 2014 and 27.1% in 2000.
“Unfortunately, the progress that we have made with traditional cigarettes is being undercut by e-cigarettes,” said Julie Hart of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “What we are hearing from kids is that this is the next cool thing.”
Damonte Brown, 17, a senior at City Polytechnic school in Brooklyn, agreed.
“My favorite flavor is fried Oreos,” said Brown, who spends about $60 a month on vaping. “Kids are trying something new and realizing they like it. It tastes good and it just becomes another social thing. It’s like watching Netflix or something. It’s just entertainment. It’s harmless.”
Health officials say this kid needs to go back to school. Traditional cigarettes contain a laundry list of chemicals that are proven to be harmful, and e-cigarettes have some of those same chemicals, they said. The liquid in the e-cigarette usually contains nicotine, although not all brands do.
The state outlaws the sale or distribution of e-cigarettes or liquid nicotine to people under 18.
Cuomo administration officials said the survey results bolster the case for a state tax on e-cigarettes.
“These startling numbers demonstrate both the overwhelming success of New York’s smokingcessation programs — which has led to record-low teen cigarette use — and the need to close dangerous loopholes that leave e-cigarettes unregulated,” Cuomo said in a statement to The News.
“Combating teen tobacco use in all of its forms today will help create a healthier tomorrow for an entire generation of New Yorkers.”
E-cigarettes are much cheaper than traditional smokes. A pack-aday smoker spends about $2,500 a year. Vapers spend about $1,300 a year, according to reports.
The governor called for a 10-cent-per-milliliter tax on the liquid used in e-cigarettes. He also proposed that they be included in the state’s Clean Air Act, which would ban their use on school grounds, in restaurants and in workplaces.
Cuomo’s proposal has met resistance from the American Vaping Association, which accused the state of overstating the dangers posed by e-cigarettes.
The GOP-controlled state Senate has also expressed opposition to Cuomo’s e-cigarette tax.
In a statement last week, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (RSuffolk County) said the Senate objects to all new taxes and fees in Cuomo’s budget.