Lung Association want Ban on Teenagers & E-Cigs

April 19, 2013

E-cigarettes are very popular today among people who want to quit the habit of smoking. These cigarettes give the effect of smoking, without actually causing the harmful collateral damage associated with smoking real cigarettes. In Canada, these e-cigarettes are available without nicotine. E-cigarette companies have used this absence of nicotine to their marketing advantage, and are selling the cigarettes to youngsters, who are not legally allowed to smoke. However, this has been met with strong opposition from the New Brunswick Lung Association. The organization is rallying for a complete ban on the sale of e-cigarettes to people who are underage.

E-Cigarettes Might Influence Teens to Take Up Smoking

It has been noticed that teens take up smoking e-cigarettes just as a symbol of style. Smoking is considered cool in a teens’ social circle. To add to that, e-cigarettes are available in a variety of different flavours like vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate to name a few. All these factors are influencing more and more teens to take up smoking e-cigarettes.

But, according to the spokesperson of the New Brunswick Lung Association, Barbara Walls, this has a negative effect on the teens. She said in a statement that e-cigarettes are the first step that teens take towards smoking. After a while, they get accustomed to the habit of smoking and when they are of legal age, they actually take up real smoking. So, the sale of e-cigarettes to teens is inadvertently aiding the increase in the number of actual smokers. This is how Walls from the Lung association, reasoned out the lobbying for the ban of the sale of e-cigarettes to teens.

Teens Differ in Opinion

When teens were questioned about their opinion on e-cigarettes and their take on this product, they said straight away, that e-cigarettes are something that they do not like. Denis, a grade 10 student, said that he does not like the concept of e-cigarettes as they do not even provide the joy of smoking and at the same time, waste his valuable pocket money. He said that the time is past when teens considered smoking to be cool.

Tyler Chapman, another 15-year-old student, also agrees that e-cigarettes are not a fancy to the teens anymore. He said that a teen who really wants to smoke could actually get real cigarettes quite easily. Although this attitude is also not good, it is heartening to know that the teens are not in favour of e-cigarettes.