E-cigarettes are creating a brand new generation of cigarette smokers, experts warn

E-CIGARETTES are encouraging a new generation of smokers to get hooked on nicotine, a new study has warned.

Research shows that teens who would not have taken up smoking are now vaping as a gateway to regular cigarettes.

Shocking stats show that the combined e-cigarette and cigarette use among adolescents in 2014 was HIGHER than total cigarette use in 2009 in the United States.

Senior author Stanton A. Glantz at the University of California said: “E-cigarettes are encouraging - not discouraging - youth to smoke and to consume nicotine, and are expanding the tobacco market.”

Researcher Lauren Dutra added: “We didn't find any evidence that e-cigarettes are causing youth smoking to decline."

She added: “While some of the kids using e-cigarettes were also smoking cigarettes, we found that kids who were at low risk of starting nicotine with cigarettes were using e-cigarettes.”

Flavours like bubbegum and blueberry are said to appeal to a younger audience.

The findings from a survey of more than 140,000 students builds on previous studies that have reported that adolescents who start with e-cigarettes are more likely to subsequently smoke traditional cigarettes.

In December America’s most senior doctor Vivek Murthy said e-cigarette use among young people and young adults “is not safe” and is “now a major public health concern”.

He said the brains of younger people are more vulnerable to the negative consequences of nicotine – the key ingredient in e-cigarettes.

“The effects include addiction, priming for use of other addictive substances, reduced impulse control, deficits in attention and cognition, and mood disorders,” his report said.

It was reported earlier this month that toxic chemicals in the flavourings used in the devices have been found to damage a man’s fertility, new findings suggest.

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