Teen Vapors

The Road from Tobacco to E-Cigarettes, Vaping, Nicotine & Marijuana

Cigarette use is at an all-time low, thanks to aggressive anti-smoking campaigns. But a new trend has emerged in its place—vaping. Estimates vary, but there are probably between 6,000 and 15,000 "vape shops" in the U.S.¹ By comparison, there were 13,172 Starbucks shops in 2016.

Vaping uses electronic cigarettes (also known as e-cigarettes), a device that heats a nicotine-containing liquid to the boiling point so the vapors can be inhaled. Vaping is marketed as a safer alternative to smoking combustible cigarettes and as a way to help smokers eventually quit. While safer than smoking combustible cigarettes, the practice of vaping is too new for us to know its long-term effects. What is known is that...