OPINION: Surgeon General says e-cigarettes risk ‘moving backward’ on teen smoking
On Thursday, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recommended that electronic cigarettes be incorporated into existing tax and marketing policies designed to prevent young people from smoking traditional cigarettes.
In a new report, Dr. Murthy expressed concern about the negative health consequences of e-cigarettes, which have become the most commonly used tobacco product among young people. It is the first time Murthy has commented on the subject since vaping reached peak popularity last year. Today, 5 percent of middle school students and 16 percent of high school students say they have used e-cigarettes in the past month, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“My concern is e-cigarettes have the potential to create a whole new generation of kids who are addicted to nicotine,” Murthy told The Associated Press. “If that leads to the use of other tobacco-related products, then we are going to be moving backward instead of forward.”