Electronic cigarettes are just the start of a potential trend in revolutionizing our generation’s bad habits. Because of this, the Food and Drug Administration should regulate e-cigarettes before they become a phenomenon.

This year, millennials make up 44 percent of e-cigarette users, according to Forbes magazine, making the e-cigarette the cigarette of Generation Y.

The similarities between e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes are extremely worrisome.

The glamorous advertising and still unknown effects of the e-cigarette are extremely reminiscent of past generations’ ignorance about cigarettes.

E-cigarettes are convenient and possibly less harmful than normal cigarettes, but they should not be viewed as substitutes for cigarettes.

While not a tobacco-based product, the e-cigarette allows users to inhale a vaporized liquid-nicotine solution. As the product is nicotine based, addiction is probable. Also, according to the FDA, e-cigarettes may contain ingredients that are potentially toxic to humans.

Many claim they use e-cigarettes to wean themselves from cigarette use. However, they still get their nicotine fix from them.

It is irresponsible to think these e-cigarettes are safe alternatives to cigarettes, which are infamous for addiction and connections to lung cancer. Both e-cigarettes and cigarettes contain an addictive component.

Alarmingly, the number of middle and high school students who use e-cigarettes doubled between 2011-2012, according to the Center for Disease Control.

Efforts have been made to protect youths from the effects of e-cigarettes. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed two bills in September 2012 to protect New York’s adolescents from the harmful effects of e-cigarettes by prohibiting their sale to individuals under 18.

Currently, the FDA regulates e-cigs that are marketed for therapeutic purposes. However, they plan to expand the agency’s authority over tobacco products to include e-cigs. This shows progress toward defeating a possibly long-term health hazard for millennials.

Though the smoking trend may never end, technology should be used in a more beneficial manner than creating an electronic cigarette. If innovative methods to advance this generation’s risky habits continue to develop, concerns remain over what could be next.

Published on September 18, 2013 at 2:56 am

Contact: opinion@dailyorange.com