University of Southern California researcher Adam Leventhal, the study’s lead author, noted that e-cigarettes were initially introduced as a potentially safer alternative to tobacco for smokers who were trying to cut down, but they have evolved into a recreational product for some users. The devices do appear to help people quit about as much as nicotine replacement therapies do, yet most smokers are still not successful at quitting, he said.
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In addition to affecting the emotional and cognitive development of teens, nicotine is highly addictive. The users inhale aerosol and it is sold without propylene, nicotine and with or without flavours.
“Everybody has a certain amount of nicotine receptors in the brain”, Rankin says. “If you stop smoking or vaping, the receptors don’t go away”.
E-cigarettes are battery powered cigarettes that don’t use tobacco and produce a vapour when used.
This includes spit, or smokeless tobacco, which in the past was promoted as a replacement to smoking.
“The success rates of helping people to quit smoking using e-cigarettes are largely overhyped in my opinion”, he said.
There are also health concerns with the propylene glycol, a main ingredient in many e-cigarettes, flavoring and additives.
An Alaska Division of Epidemiology bulletin released Thursday said e-cigarette use among Alaska adults rose from 1 percent in 2010 to 4 percent in 2013, the latest data available.
Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) proposed the measure that would designate e-cigarettes or vaping devices as tobacco products subject to the same restrictions on public use as traditional, combustible cigarettes.
She said with no conclusive studies, the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes are unclear. The companies have been confirming whether the sale of e-cigarettes has been legalized.
There is a glimmer of hope on the horizon.
The findings of the report have been welcomed by Darwen-based Liberty Flights, with principal scientist Lucy Robins saying she was glad the myths surrounding e-cigarettes were being dispelled. A final ruling is slated for summer 2015.
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Smoking is already banned in city-owned buildings and smokers are prohibited from lighting up within nine metres of the entrance to any civic buildings.
