E-Cigs Act As Gateway To Traditional Cigarettes, CSU Study Says

(AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
<p>A sales associate demonstrates the use of a electronic cigarette in Aurora, Colo. in a file photo.</p>
Photo: E-cigarette (AP Photo)
A sales associate demonstrates the use of a electronic cigarette in Aurora, Colo. in a file photo.

Colorado State University researcher.

Electronic cigarettes have been marketed as a smoking deterrent. But a new study finds young people who smoke e-cigarettes are much more likely to start smoking traditional cigarettes compared to those who don’t.

“They may be healthier than cigarettes, but e-cigarettes definitely bring their own unique health consequences that we just can’t ignore," said Nathaniel Riggs, an associate professor of human development and family studies.

The companies that make e-cigarettes insist they are safe. Colorado has banned e-cigarette sales to minors.

The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.