Today's teenagers are familiar with the dangers of smoking conventional cigarettes, but they're much less sure of the risks posed by marijuana and e-cigarettes, according to a Stanford study published today in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
The researchers asked 24 high-school students in one Northern California school district about the benefits and risks they perceived from cigarettes, e-cigarettes and marijuana, and where they were getting information about each. The good news is that teens have clearly absorbed the message – from parents, teachers and public health campaigns – that cigarettes are bad for their health. And the kids surveyed saw no benefit to smoking cigarettes, suggesting that conventional cigarettes have lost the "cool" factor they once had among the young.
But there was a big gap in teens' understanding of e-cigarettes and marijuana, as our press release about the research explains:
“Kids were really good at describing the harmful things that happen with cigarette smoking, but when we asked about other products, there was a lot of confusion,” said the study’s lead author, Maria Roditis, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in adolescent medicine.
“We’re good at delivering messaging that cigarettes are harmful, but we need to do a better job with other products that teens may smoke,” added Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, professor of pediatrics in adolescent medicine and the study’s senior author. “We don’t want the message kids get to be ‘cigarettes are bad, so everything else might be OK.’”
Teens need to hear about the risks of marijuana, including its damaging effects on the adolescent brain; its addictive potential; and its ability to damage the lungs, which is similar to that from inhaling smoke from any form of plant matter, Halpern-Felsher said. They also need to hear about the risks of e-cigarettes, which include the addictive properties of nicotine and the fact that flavor compounds in e-cigarettes can cause obstructive lung disease.
In a story about the research on LiveScience.com, Halpern-Felsher speculated on some of the factors that may be affecting teens' views of marijuana and e-cigarettes:
There are several possible reasons why teens may view the risks of smoking cigarettes differently than using marijuana or e-cigarettes. One reason involves advertising — although the tobacco industry can't advertise on TV, in some print media or in any youth venue, similar restrictions don't apply to e-cigarettes, Halpern-Felsher told Live Science.
Young people are seeing e-cigarettes in cool colors and cool flavors. They are also seeing celebrities use them, and that gives these products more exposure and makes them appealing, she said.
Previously: With e-cigarettes, tobacco isn't the only danger, How e-cigarettes are sparking a new wave of tobacco marketing and To protect teens' health, marijuana should not be legalized, says American Academy of Pediatrics
Photo by James Alby
