Why are 275,000 Teens Smoking Now?
Teen smoking rates have increased dramatically over the past 3 years. The biggest culprit seems to be marketing campaigns that have emerged as teen vapor smoking rates have increased. Here are a look at the stats:
In 2011 just over 79,000 teens smoked. In 2013, that number has risen to 263,000. There are several companies that have emerged in the $2 billion dollar market. Reynolds American and Imperial Tobacco Group (the fourth largest cigarette company in the world) are two major players. With Imperial Tobacco Group merging with Lorillard e-cig division.
The troubling facts reveal that teens are using e-cigarettes as a gateway experience to traditional cigarettes. Forty-three percent of teens who do not smoke said they would consider smoking traditional cigarettes.
Smoking has been a preventable health epidemic that has decreased consecutively until 2 years ago. Many doctors are troubled over the health impacts of e-cigarettes in other areas of tobacco usage such as hookah lounges. Yahoo recently reported the presence of benzene in hookah tobacco, a known carcinogen that has a direct link to Leukemia cancer.
CONVENTIONAL CIGARETTE ADVERTISEMENTS:
You might remember these cigarette ads in the 1970s.
E-CIGARETTE ADVERTISEMENTS: