A new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine says that vaping e-cigarettes that contain nicotine can be addictive. The report also noted evidence that vaping can be a gateway to smoking actual cigarettes, and that teenagers who use vape pens and other such devices may be at higher risk to take up traditional smoking. (Good thing teenagers no longer think vaping is cool, huh?)
That said, the panel did find that vaping is safer than cigarettes as vapers (people who vape?) aren’t exposed to things like tar and other noxious chemicals and carcinogens in cigarettes.
The panel couldn’t quite bring themselves to say e-cigarettes are safe, though. Per The New York Times, the panel noted that vape pens and e-cigs are too new for there to be long-term scientific studies about their addictive potential or effect on important body parts like the lungs and heart.
It’s a win-win for tobacco companies like Philip Morris, who are building new business models based on replacing traditional cigarettes with smoke-free alternatives like e-cigarettes and other heated tobacco products. Knowing that e-cigs are addictive, too, means Philip Morris will probably be around for a long, long time, even if they give up cigarettes.
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