Vaping has shaken the smoking industry and people from all across the globe are now in love with e-cigs since this innovative technology started to appear in the mainstream media.
Although, its makers and promoters initially hadn’t specified its target audience or what age group would it be most suitable for. Surprisingly, kids, teens and young adults were first to adopt and embrace it as something useful and trendy. The fierce marketing campaigns together with strong WOM (Word of Mouth) marketing helped create a strong buzz in the market that later helped companies create their own market niche, which eventually resulted in winning user’s heart.
The addition of an adjective ‘safer’ with E-cigs have caused an uproar in the market and taken the industry by storm as a tool to quit regular smoking. But the question is, does it really help people quit regular cigarettes?
Well, active e-cig users claim that it does help you a little bit, but not all, which means it slows down your regular cigarette consumption for long, not everlastingly. Obviously, people going for it usually say this to validate their e-cig purchase when someone inquires about its utility. However, they do know from inside that it has nothing to do with quitting regular cigarettes. The technology that makes you look cool have repercussions and leads to substance abuse and addiction. This is what studies reveal as well, making it as a gateway drug, still, you need to keep this in mind that the same studies that prominently highly the negative impacts of smoking e-cigs for health are funded by big tobacco stakeholders to motivate masses to discourage its buying.
E-Cigs A Gateway Drug?
Whether or not, vaping is a gateway drug depends on person to person, how you use it and the company you prefer to be a part of. For kids and teens, vaping would be something that may begin your smoking career. For individuals who are already into e-cigs, vaping would be a gateway to other high-dose substances or drugs. According to CDC, 42% of high-school and 20% of middle school students have tried vaping. This indicates that vaping is here to stay, not until governments ban its import or regulatory bodies create and regulate e-cig and laws. Countries such as Singapore, Seychelles, and Brazil etc. have banned e-cigarettes, which bears testimony to the fact that governments can ban its import if they really desire to.
Primarily, there are three things that are a gateway to substance and drug abuse; tobacco, alcohol, and marihuana. E-cigs fall in tobacco category and considered a gateway drug when consumed by tweens and teens. According to a study, 90% of high-dose drug users claim that they have used all three gateway drugs as teenagers. The point is, most e-liquids contain higher nicotine levels, which contributes to making a person addicted to other drugs like cocaine etc. We should not forget that smoking is hazardous for health and its consumption should be avoided at any cost.
This is what encouraged tech-manufacturers to come up with something that is an alternative to regular cigarettes and they came up with e-cigs, which were largely perceived as much safer than traditional or regular cigarettes. However, the perceived benefits should always be evaluated in terms of the value it provides to the user. So, you must not use it as a tool to getting started and/or getting addicted to other drugs, no matter what!
