E-Cigarette Smoking Gateway To The Real Thing, Study Finds
BOSTON (CBS) -- Teens and young adults who smoke electronic cigarettes are more likely to start smoking regular cigarettes within a year compared to those who don't smoke, according to a new study published Tuesday.
The study is the first of its kind to find a potential causal relationship between electronic and traditional cigarettes.
Nearly 700 teens to 26-year-old's were surveyed twice over a year-long period. The participants initially said they would never try a traditional cigarette.
"Of the e-cigarette users, 38 percent by a year later were smoking cigarettes," said Dr. Brian Primack, lead author of the study and director of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health.
Only 10 percent of those who did not smoke e-cigarettes later went on to smoke traditional cigarettes, the study found.
The FDA is considering how to regulate e-cigarettes which are easier to buy. Contrary to the study findings, e-cigarettes have been marketed as a deterrent to smoking.
Indeed, Primack said e-cigarettes seem more attractive to young people than traditional smokes.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Diane Stern reports