Vaping pot using e-cigarettes is a new trend among U.S. teenagers, according to a new study published on Monday.
Vaping pot using e-cigarettes is a new trend among U.S. teenagers, according to a new study published on Monday.
The study, published in the Pediatrics journal on Monday found that nearly 27 percent of high school teens are vaping pot using e-cigarettes. The most prone to indulging in this new trend are male teens.
While the beneficial or negative effects of e-cigarettes continue to be discussed even in the case of adult use, Meghan Rabbitt Morean, assistant professor at the Oberlin College and lead author of the study notes:
“teenagers are resourceful, and it was only a matter of time. It’s so much easier to conceal e-cigarette pot use”.
The research was conducted under the auspices of Yale University. A joint team of researchers sent out surveys to approximately 4,000 students in Connecticut. The answers are self-reported, yet they still provide a clear picture of how e-cigarettes are used by high-school students to vape pot.
According to the results of the survey, 28 percent of the students who responded had tried e-cigarettes, and 27 percent had used the electronic devices to also vape marijuana. If left unchecked and if the issue isn’t researched further, these findings could turn into a public issue in no time.
According to the CDC, the unchecked use of marijuana may lead to health complications such as lung damage, low sperm count or short-term memory loss, as well as slow learning.
As this is the only study of its kind, it is difficult to tell what are the exact impacts of vaping pot with the use of e-cigarettes on the overall health of teens. Knowing this is happening is not as helpful as understanding why and how it impacts health.
In the period between 2011 and 2013, 200 percent more teens tried vaping, but had kept their distance from traditional tobacco cigarettes. The number comes from a report published in the Nicotine and Tobacco Research journal.
With such an increase in the number of teens looking to try e-cigarettes, the researchers fear that more creative ways of vaping illegal and harmful substances could be found.
Nonetheless, the advocates of the e-cigarette industry, presented as a healthier alternative to tobacco products do not agree with the findings of this study. A couple of statements called upon the fact that the study was conducted in a sole state and thus it cannot be reflective of a general trend across the U.S.
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