E-cigarettes are addictive, teen use rises

E-cigarette users, including teenagers, may be lulled into a false sense of security when they light up. One common misconception about e-cigarettes is that they are not addictive like traditional cigarettes.
However, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, e-cigarettes, like regular cigarettes, contain nicotine, a highly addictive stimulant. In fact, Johns Hopkins notes that some research suggests nicotine is as addictive as heroin and cocaine.
Perhaps most disconcerting is that some e-cigarette products may contain even more nicotine than traditional tobacco products. That’s due to the availability of extra-strength e-cigarette cartridges that contain higher concentrations of nicotine.
In addition, Johns Hopkins notes that some products allow e-cigarette users to increase the voltage of their products, which delivers them a larger dose of nicotine. While the American Lung Association notes that the number of high school students who reported smoking in the last 30 days declined by as much as 74% between 1997 and 2015, that does not necessarily means that teens are avoiding nicotine.
A recent report from the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office found that e-cigarette use among middle and high school students increased by 900% between 2011-15, while the same report indicated that one in five high school students and one in 20 middle students used e-cigarettes in 2018.